HOW TO CARE for your indoor rattan and wicker furniture?

Rattan furniture is very durable and will only require some regular cleaning to keep it looking beautiful.

RECOMMENDED REGULAR CLEANING:

It is recommended that a gentle bi-weekly or monthly cleaning is the best way to protect your furniture and keep it looking its best. We recommend vacuuming with a brush attachment to remove dust. For surface cleaning, dilute a small amount of dishwashing soap in some warm water. Remove excess bubbles from the top of the water, dampen a cloth and gently wipe the furniture's surface without getting the wood too wet. Be sure to get into crevices and grooves with a toothbrush or other small soft brush on a periodic basis.

Care for stains or other major damage immediately. Use detergent and a cloth to scrub out stains as soon as they occur. For more serious damage like cracking or splitting of the wood, warmed linseed oil applied to the split will help to heal the crack and return lost moisture to the area.

Rattan can easily be touched up with premium wood stains, gloss lacquers or furniture touch up pens, all available from your local home improvement centers.

Additional advice: Place rubber stoppers underneath the legs of the furniture. Keeping a bit of rubber between the wood and the floor will prevent unnecessary damage and splitting of the rattan. Remember to keep the furniture indoors! Although rattan can handle humidity it is not an outdoor furniture and should not be left outside. For best results keep your rattan indoors and preferably out of direct sunlight and the furniture will last long and look better.

HOW TO care for your outdoor furniture?

Outdoor “wicker” furniture is made from a variety of materials, including aluminum, PVC and extruded resins. This furniture looks like traditional indoor wicker and rattan, but is constructed with the proper materials to be used in all weather conditions. This furniture can easily be maintained by dusting with a soft cloth and cleaning with a mild soap and warm water, rinsed and then left in the sun to dry.

Your outdoor cushions and material will withstand spills and some water exposure but will wear down more quickly if left outside all the time to absorb great amounts of water. See the section on fabric care for specific instructions on how to clean your upholstered rattan cushions.

How to decorate with rattan furniture?

1. If you are thinking about creating a relaxed, breezy feeling room then rattan furniture is the way to go. Rattan is perfectly suited for a sunroom or lanae area enhancing the openness of the space and instantly transforming it into a tropical setting.

2. Perhaps you’d like to consider adding a rattan piece or two to your living room or dining room area. Rattan is often considered by designers to be ‘transitional’ in that it can be added to your existing furniture setting to produce an elegantly casual touch. Consider adding a rattan chair to your living room. Breaking up an upholstered setting with the natural look of a rattan lounge chair and ottoman will transform it from traditional to inviting.

3. Mix and match your dining area. Try adding rattan chairs around a traditional wooden table to create instant elegance with a casual and relaxed feel.

4. To accessorize your new setting choose oversized tropical plants and a seagrass area rug to center the theme of tropical elegance. A toss cushion or blanket decorated in wild animal prints or tropical floral prints will finish off your room with flare.

5. Keep wall art to a minimum but think about choosing natural themes that reflect the feeling that you are creating with your rattan furniture.

6. Window coverings should be kept light and airy. A breezy off white panel drape or bamboo blinds will be the perfect finishing touch to your rattan furnished rooms.

From the in-house design team at Boca Rattan.