Let me clear one point politely that if you have ancestral wooden spice box already, that must be of very good wooden quality. But now a days things has been changed a lot. Even quality of wood. Isn’t it?
So first of all you need to check that if the spice box you are infatuated with, comes from a piece of curated wood or non curated one. That really matters.
Even if your vendor tells you that box’s wood is curated, you need to run some edible neem oil and keep the box in hard sunlight for few days.So that bugs can not enter or mutate further in the spices. This will also prevent from spices to get inedible due to wood’s own smell.
Now a days many online websites are offering wooden spice boxes. They look royal and very elegant indeed. So I was curious and asked my relative to check for one in India (Delhi). She told me very shocking truths. Her known one shop keeper told her that he bought few but he returned them after few days because loads of complaints started bombarding him from the customers. Let me elaborate some points further.
1- Wood quality – If it is actually made with good quality mango or sheesham wood it will cost your more than 5000 Indian rupees. If it is cheap it is going to be damaged very soon.
2- Wood easy place for absorbing & mutating – Yes! If your wooden box is made of cheap quality wood and polish is also bad, it will mutate with germs and tiny bugs very rapidly. Within few months you will see many tiny black ones in your spices. As well as wood keeps absorbing freshness and smell of your spices in it. Very soon turmeric and dhania powder looses its fragrance.
3- Cleaning issues – You can not wash it. If you have intentions to clean it and dry it, you need hard n strong sunlight to do so. If you will try to wash and later dry it in oven, it might get on fire or burn.
4- Company matters – If it comes from a very good company on a good price with quality assurance than only it is worth buying.
5- Extra use – When you buy it a face issues with it later, you keep it in your puja room for storing haldi kumkum rice kapoor etc. or you can keep art and crafts material in it like sequins, tiny pearls etc in it.
Just check yourself other points as well. Like how moist or dry your kitchen is? How you have plans to use it as well.
It is majorly quite expensive online. Try yo buy it from stores or through any relative in India for cheaper value and brand assurance.
*Each 20 spice boxes ordered online will cost a tree his life. Save trees.