Rattan garden furniture makes a lovely addition to any garden. It can easily turn your backyard into a peaceful haven where you can entertain guests or sneak away to relax after a hard day’s work. How, though, can you care for your rattan garden furniture so that it will endure summer after summer? We will consider some basic tips on cleaning and caring for this type of furniture.
First of all, be sure to clean the furniture regularly. You want to do this to prevent dirt from building up in the many crevices that this type of furniture naturally has. Monthly and even weekly cleaning is recommended to keep your furniture looking its best.
To clean it, make up a cleaning solution of a small amount of dishwashing detergent mixed with water. Using a soft cloth, merely skim the suds off the top and wipe the surface of the furniture without getting the wood wet. You don’t want your cloth to be too wet, just damp. You can use a toothbrush to gently clean in between the crevices and grooves.
If your rattan garden furniture is not UV-treated, it is best to keep it indoors or at least in the shade, perhaps under an awning or covered porch. If your furniture is treated, you don’t have to be quite as gentle with it. In fact, to clean it, you can even spray it down with a water hose. But make sure that your furniture is treated before you do this as this could ruin untreated rattan furniture.
If you notice stains on your furniture, be quick to treat these so that they don’t set. Scrub them with detergent and a soft cloth to get the stains out. You also want to be quick about addressing any damage you find in your furniture. For example, if you notice any of the wood cracking or splitting, you could apply a solution of boiled linseed oil to re-infuse moisture into the wood. If the damage is substantial, you may need to find a wicker or rattan expert to repair the damage.
To care for your furniture in the best way, do a once-a-year overall cleaning. This will get rid of built-up dirt and keep your furniture from sustaining further damage. This time when you scrub the rattan with soap, you can use a bit more water than you normally do for the once-a-week or monthly cleaning. Then, the key to preventing water damage is to dry the wood as quickly as possible by setting it in the sun, just until it dries, or even using a blow dryer if you are afraid of sun damage.