Fixing and Recycling Rattan Furniture

Tips and how to repair and reuse rattan furniture that is worn and antique in order to remain attractive as elements of room decoration.

It is undeniable that rattan furniture offers a natural beauty that can last for several decades, with proper care of course. Rattan is a plant belonging to the species of palm but live like a vines. This plant is easily found in forests in Kalimantan or Papua and makes Indonesia as one of the rattan exporter country to the world.

Prepare rattan before it becomes furniture

To utilize rattan before being made into furniture, first the fibers are separated and dried into a material that is flexible, strong, and easily woven to be used as furniture materials. In the process of drying, rattan should not be too dry to cause this material is fragile and easy to crack. And if it is still wet, rattan will also be easily tenuous and woven becomes uneven. Wet rattan can also invite mushrooms to grow. Therefore, a proper drying process is needed to achieve the right dry conditions.

Fix and Reclaim old rattan furniture

If you take a walk in the antique shop and find a slightly worn rattan furniture, do not hesitate to take it home for reuse. By knowing some problems on rattan furniture and how to overcome them, antique rattan furniture will be re-used.

How to clean rattan and wicker furniture

Handling cracks in woven rattan furniture is a consequence that must be borne by the owner. Check out this article to find out how easy it is.

Naturally, if your rattan wicker table or chair is difficult to clean because its structure is full of narrow crevices where dust and dirt hide. This should be an excuse to clean it often, instead of abandoning it.

Before starting a clean-up activity, make sure you know the type of furniture to be cleaned, whether it is genuine or synthetic rattan. Each type requires a different method of washing. Synthetic furniture is usually more durable when compared with natural ones, especially if placed outside the home such as the original rattan patio tables and chairs. Natural ingredients require a protective coating to make it more durable.

Follow the following steps by type of wicker furniture materials.

1. Get rid of dust with a vacuum cleaner

(Suitable for all types of woven material)

This step should be done before washing the wicker furniture or it could be a weekly routine even if you do not want to wash it.

Use the long-haired tip on the vacuum cleaner to reach the dust and dirt in the webbing crevices.

Avoid pressing the webbing surface too hard so as not to remove the webbing or scratching the webbing material.

2. Take advantage of used toothbrushes

(Suitable for all types of woven material)

To handle certain parts that are not reachable by the machine, use a used toothbrush with feathers that are still upright.

You can wet the toothbrush hairs in order to catch better dust.

If the toothbrush feathers are not stiff enough to get rid of certain dirt tucked into the webbing crevices, use the tip of the stick, wire, or other pointed object. Do it carefully without loosening the webbing.