Caring For Your Wooden Brushes & Utensils

Wooden brushes with natural fibre bristles & wooden utensils for your home are a beautiful alternative to the billions of plastic items that end up in landfills every year. Wooden alternatives last as long – if not longer - than plastic ones, not to mention they are far easier on the eye.

Over time, wood will age and develop a patina and perhaps even a crack or two. Oxidation may occur (dark spots), and some bristles may fall out of brushes where cracking has occurred or even be worn down in places with scrubbing. These natural signs of aging are caused by water and use over time but they do not affect the performance. Remember that signs of age are natural, we like to think these signs of ageing give the wood a beautiful character and they should be embraced not discarded.

Here are some tips to look after and prolong the life of your brushes.

Dry it out.
Between uses lay the brush on its bristles in a warm dry place (windowsill is often perfect) to encourage the water to move away from the wood down the bristles. If it’s a lovely sunny day you can pop all of your wooden utensils outside for the sun to work a bit of drying and sanitising magic.

Cleaning your brush.
Wood has natural antibacterial properties and doesn’t really need to be cleaned that often. Chemicals, like bleach, will interfere with the antibacterial properties of the wood. To clean and disinfect your wood dish brush, add a little soap to a cup of vinegar and soak your brush in the liquid for about an hour. Rinse with hot water and lay in a warm dry place. 

Use your brush for what it was intended. 
our brushes all have different bristles that are good for different types of cleaning. Our black horse hair brushes are for the most delicate of items like fine porcelain or glassware. Our Tampico & coconut fibre brushes are great for everyday washing up of dishes. And our pot scrubbers are a strong wee powerhouse perfect for baked on food, pots, pans and roasting trays. 


Here are some tips to look after and prolong the life of your wooden utensils.

Clean and dry your wooden spoons well after every use.
It is easiest to clean wooden utensils if you do it immediately after use, before food has time to dry onto the wood. Scrub until all clean and then rinse the well under warm water. Dry them with a towel and leave them somewhere to dry (hanging them is great or on a dish rack also works).

Only plunge into water when necessary.
Some utensils like rolling pins might just need a wipe with a damp cloth before leaving to dry. The less water you use the longer it will last.

Hand wash only.
Do not clean wooden spoons in the dishwasher. The detergent and the heat will cause the wood to warp and crack.

Oiling and waxing.
If you feel like it’s needed you can oil your utensils with a bit of beeswax to help keep them protected and looking new.