Cleaning A Wood Chess Board

Hey guys, 

I have a nice wood chess board  and I was wondering how I should clean it? I don't want to do it incorrectly as it would just ruin the board. 

Any help is appreciated!

~ Luke

I would think the House of Staunton guys would have the answer!

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/faq?src=footer#

Note that there are two FAQ entries dealing with boards/chessmen.

Thanks!

Chessbazaar has a very good customer service support.. & chessbazaar is also a hub of wooden chess sets & pieces.. you can contact them on support@chessbazaar.com .. i had an query regarding chess pieces & they had resolved it within an hour!!!!! 

What about Murphy's oil soap? I just got a set I ordered to give away at our scholastic tournament and the pieces were all covered in dirt and grime. I wiped them with a napkin but it's still in the crevaces.

Tung oil

You should be careful with that.

Is it a New board or an antique? if New, don't clean it. If old and too dirty, best to use a special paste wax for high end furniture.

DONT USE OILS. Mineral oil darkens wood. I use mineral oil on wood pieces cause I like that dark look, But never on a board. My antique board has aged naturally. Light squares are antique gold color. 

You must be unaware of the qualities of tung oil. It does not darken any wood. An exremely fine product used by professionals to seal and finish many wood surfaces.

Oil is made of molecules small enough to seep down into the wood rather than merely sit on top. As a result, oil makes wood look richer and more translucent without adding a film on the surface. There are two different types of oils that woodworkers use: drying and non-drying oils. Drying oils will change from liquid to a solid film when exposed to oxygen in the air. Nut oils (boiled linseed, tung, etc.) are drying oils, but vegetable (peanut, olive) and mineral oils are non-drying. Edible mineral oil is popular on food contact items, like cutting boards. However, non-drying oils stay wet indefinitely, and they will wash off when the board is scrubbed with soap and water. Because they do not dry to a solid film, non-drying oils are considered a wood treatment, but not a finish. The most common and least expensive of the drying oils is boiled linseed oil. Tung oil dries a little bit faster than linseed oil, and sometimes it is modified to cure even more quickly.