Cleaning varnished rattan is essential to preserve the beauty of your rattan chairs, armchairs, or tables. Rattan is a material derived from palm-like shrubs. In our societies, it is a raw material used to design furniture and other decorative objects such as rattan chairs, armchairs, or tables.
Do you want to give your varnished rattan a new lease of life? Maison Louis Drucker gives you some tips for cleaning and maintaining your varnished rattan to ensure its longevity.
Perform regular cleaning...
To effectively maintain your varnished rattan furniture, we advise you to clean it at least once a week and/or once every three months.
Start by cleaning it using:
- A handheld vacuum cleaner;
- A sponge;
- A little warm, slightly soapy water;
- And a dry cloth.
The vacuum cleaner will allow you to clean accumulated dust. Don't hesitate to inspect the furniture's crevices to ensure you have thoroughly removed dust from these areas. Afterward, clean the rattan with a soft, dry cloth.
Once every three months, deep clean your varnished rattan. After dusting it with the handheld vacuum cleaner, use a sponge moistened with a little warm, soapy water. In two liters of warm water, add two teaspoons of liquid soap or powdered soap, then mix everything until you obtain a homogeneous, frothy solution. You can replace the sponge with a soft-bristled brush.
After cleaning your furniture or decorative object with this solution, rinse it using cold plain water and a sponge.
Then, apply a solution composed of:
- Half a liter of water;
- Two tablespoons of linseed oil;
- And one spoon of turpentine.
Clean lightly, rinse, and let the furniture air dry. Avoid exposing it to the sun, as this could cause its fibers to burst.
These cleaning tips can also be applied to rattan with mold stains that have turned black.
...Then restore shine to your varnished rattan!
Over time, varnished rattan furniture or decorative objects tend to dull. To restore their shine and clean varnished rattan, use a sponge, hydrogen peroxide, and plain water. Soak the sponge in hydrogen peroxide and clean your rattan. Then, rinse and air dry it.
Sometimes, the lack of shine is due to the creaking of the rattan fibers. When your rattan furniture or decorative object creaks, it means that the fibers are becoming drier. To remedy this problem, apply half a glass of paraffin oil to the forks with a paintbrush and let it dry.
After a year, you can reapply a layer of clear varnish to your rattan to give it even more shine. It will then be like new!
Caution: if you are advised to use baking soda, please note that it is not suitable for varnished rattan furniture. However, other products such as soda crystals can be used to clean varnished rattan furniture, but in very small quantities.
Finally, rattan furniture and decorative objects are pleasant to look at when regularly cleaned and maintained. Now you know what to do to extend the life of your varnished rattan. For any custom furniture needs, discover our wide range of unique rattan models or contact our Maison Louis Drucker experts directly!
