Wicker furniture is beautiful and has a classic, natural beauty that works with many different decorating styles. Wicker furniture is popular both for indoor and outdoor use making it a very versatile choice for furniture for your home. Wicker is a great choice for storage cabinets for linens or clothing since it allows the air to circulate and keep everything fresh. Nowadays wicker is used in everything from simple benches to elaborate headboards and dressers, patio furniture and storage chests. No matter what your need you can probably find the perfect piece of attractive wicker furniture to fill it.
Wicker furniture is lightweight and easy to move around which makes it a great choice if you live alone or can’t lift heavy objects easily. Even by yourself you can rearrage your funiture without breaking a sweat.
While wicker furniture is quite durable in many respects, in others it is quite fragile. Without proper care wicker furniture can quickly deteriorate until it is no longer usable, so it is quite important to care for your wicker furniture the right way.
While wicker furniture is often sold to be used outdoors it doesn’t stand up very well to the elements so it is important to take extra special care of outdoor wicker furniture. Wicker should not be left outside on a permanent basis. Instead, bring it inside or at least cover it at night. If it is going to rain you also need to bring it inside or cover it. Never leave wicker outdoors during the winter since it can quickly deteriorate and quite literally fall apart.
Most waterproofing agents won’t work on wicker, with the exceptions being marine paint or varnish. Because wicker requires so much care when used outdoors you may prefer to get imitation wicker furniture made from plastic or some other material for outdoor use. These pieces can still be beautiful but are not nearly as high maintenance as real wicker.
Indoors, wicker furniture usually just requires an occasional cleaning and to be kept away from heat sources. Try to place your wicker furniture where it is out of the sunshine and away from anything that produces heat such as a fireplace, radiator or heater.
The easiest way to clean wicker furniture is to use a vacuum. Because it has so many little holes it can be difficult to try to clean with a cloth, however a vacuum can suck the dirt out of even the tiny little spaces between. Use a brush attachment on your vacuum and work with the weave of the wicker.
Wicker cracks and splits when it dries out so you need to keep it moisturized – especially if you live in a dry climate. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the furniture occasionally to replace moisture and keep your wicker from cracking.
If your wicker is very dirty or dusty you can consider rinsing it down with a garden hose. However, be very gentle with it and do not do this often since it can be damaging to the wicker. Before using the furniture again after washing make sure that it is completely dry.
Wicker furniture can be a beautiful addition to your home and with the proper care can last for years to come.
