There is a lot of talk in the news about work surfaces and how important it is to keep them clean. This is particularly true if you are going to be laying raw meat such as chicken or pork on the surface. These meats are very safe after cooking but they can transmit some germs in their raw state. You should always wash your work surfaces and cooking utensils with soap and water after handling these meats.
This brings up another question. Some people claim that a kitchen worktop constructed of wood is not safe because they are hard to clean. This is not true for two reasons. First, a wood worktop is going to be sealed on the surface to protect it from moisture and this would also protect it from germs. The sealant will not allow any foreign matter or liquids to permeate the wood. Of course, you have to keep you sealer in good shape in order to have the full protection so it is important that either you or a contractor do a light sanding and apply a new layer of sealant each year.
The second fact about wood, and this is really interesting, is that it actually has an antiseptic quality. In particular, oak wood has the ability to protect form germs. This is one reason that oak was used for barrels in the old times. Of course you still want to keep your oak worktop clean but you do have the added protection of this quality.
In fact this works so well that in many old butcher shops the butcher’s block was never washed. Instead, it was scraped every night with a sharp scraper to remove the fats and left for the next days meat cutting. The antiseptic qualities of the block kept it safe.
If you are looking for a good material to construct worktops for your renovated kitchen then don’t be put off by wood. We have been using it in kitchens for years with no bad results.
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