Top Tips for Maintaining Rattan Furniture

More and more homeowners are investing heavily in their gardens both for pleasure and to help increase the value of their home when it's time to sell up. One key area of investment over the last 10 or so years has been that of garden furniture and in particular rattan garden furniture.

Although rattan furniture has grown in popularity to due to it being a stylish addition to any garden many people are still slightly off put by how to clean the modern sofa sets. Here's some top tips for maintaining your rattan furniture without having to spend hours upon hours maintaining it.

Looking After Rattan Garden Furniture

Rattan Garden Furniture looks fantastic, there's no two ways about it however if it's not maintained properly then it can soon look dilapidated and scruffy, that's why it's essential you keep on top of the maintenance side of things and it's recommended that you give it a once over at least once every 2 months.

Luckily rattan furniture is easy to maintain, there's no expensive cleaning equipment necessary and all you need is a bowl of warm water and some washing up liquid. All it needs is a vigorous wipe across all of the furniture to remove any dirt and dirt. Make sure you remove the cushions first!

The first thing to stress if never leave rattan or wicker furniture outdoors during the winter. Although wicker is grown outdoors, by the time it's made into your chair it is very much dead so it can be easily damaged inclement weather especially snow and driving rain. The less you exposure your rattan furniture has to the elements the better.

Whilst rattan can be quite hardy it is very sensitive to humidity, air that is too dry can cause it to crack, while too much humidity can cause mold, mildew, and warping. The fibers in rattan will deteriorate with exposure to UV light, becoming dry and brittle so whilst they can be kept in the sun moving them into the shade from time to time and covering them when not in use is a very good idea.

Ideally you want to be storing your rattan furniture in a garage, cellar, or shed. Clean it first with a vacuum before putting it away and even though its indoor cover it with a garden furniture cover to prevent mildew. Store the cushions separately too.

Our Top Cleaning Tip

Due to the nature of rattan garden furniture there are lots of little crevices and groves; these can be quite difficult to reach with a cloth so our top tip is to use an old tooth brush to get into those hard to reach places. It might sound a little tedious but it's worth doing and will prolong the life of your furniture.

Use the Instructions that came with it

Any piece of rattan furniture you buy should come with a set of instructions that gives you some information on the best way to maintain it. Make sure you stick to them, many customers have come to us after wrecking their furniture by using industrial strength chemicals on their furniture despite the instructions telling them otherwise.

Try Using Car Wax to Prolong the Life

Once you have given your furniture a good clean with the washing detergent, another top tip is to add a layer of car wax to the rattan, (don't do it if the instructions say otherwise).

This layer of wax is a great way to add a protective layer to your furniture as well as giving it a shiny finish that makes it look as good as new. Some waxes even have been treating to protect against UV light so the benefits are two fold.

Photo Credit