How do I clean cooking oil off my upstands and wood countertops?

Question

“I have installed wooden upstands behind my cooker and I have noticed that there are oil splashes on them and a little on the surrounding worktop too since I cooked a meal that caused some of the hot cooking oil to spit. What is the best way to remove this oil from the wooden surfaces?”

Answer

Thank you for getting in touch, we are pleased to help!

How you will need to clean your upstands and worktop will depend on the quantity of oil, how long it has been left on the wood, and how well the wood was treated with Danish oil previously.

If there is only a small amount of cooking oil present, which has only been left on the surface for a short while, you should be able to remove the grease with a weak solution of lemon juice and water, and a soft cloth. Alternatively, you can also try a solution of washing-up liquid and warm water if this does not yield results.

If the grease has penetrated the wood further, it will be necessary to sand back the wood until the oil mark is gone. Use a fine 240 grit sandpaper to do this. Once the mark is removed, re-apply two coats of Osmo Top Oil to protect the timber, allowing plenty of drying time between layers.