My first boss swore by bacon grease for wood conditioning.
Whole shop smelled like breakfast for a week. Client's dog would not leave the finished table alone. Had to redo the whole thing with real oil. Never forgot that lesson.
Disagree a little, honestly. Some clean lessons stick just fine if they come at the right time. It's more about the person learning than how messy the lesson was. I've seen people change from one clear conversation and others need to crash and burn a few times.