Protecting the wicker from the sun and humidity in summer is essential to retain its natural beauty and lengthen its duration over time. Here’s how to do with few practical and simple precautions to implement.
The wicker, let’s face it, has a certain charm. There is something in its intertwined plot that immediately recalls images of quiet gardens, sunny verandas and relaxing afternoons in the shade. But as soon as the heat and summer humidity arrive, all that charm is likely to vanish. The sun beats, the rain arrives when you least expect it, and in a moment you find yourself with discolored chairs or worse, moldy. So what can be done to avoid all this?
A small trick today can save months of beauty and functionality. Protecting the wicker is not an exact science, but a set of attention. Like when you care about something and you don’t want to see it ruined. No complicated ritual: only good habits and a little attention to what the material “asks”.
Protect the wicker: cleaning and drying as the first step
Even before thinking about miraculous products, it is better to start from the bases. The wicker must be kept clean, but without exaggerating. A soft brush, a blow of vacuum cleaner or a splash of water are enough to remove dust and crumbs that slip everywhere. If there is any stain, it is better to focus on warm water and neutral soap, with a barely damp cloth. There is no need to drown everything: the wicker is not made for the bucket water.
Once clean, the most delicate time comes: drying. Better to leave it in a shady corner, where you turn some air. Direct sun? No thanks, he risks drying the fibers too quickly and ruining them. Like when you leave in the sun a wet linen shirt: in the long run it is unguarded, stiffens and loses softness. Something similar happens with the wicker.
Protective treatments and small tricks
Here is the point: once clean and dry, the wicker needs a shield. There are waterproofing sprays and paints with UV filter designed for him. A couple of light hands and you’re done. There are also those who prefer linen or lemon oil, which also give a nice perfume. But be careful: not all wicker react in the same way, better always do a test on a hidden part.
Then there are those small, almost trivial gestures, which, however, make the difference. Type:
- Keep it away from the sun in the hottest hours
- Cover it with light and breathable sheets when you don’t use it
- Lift it from the ground in case of strong rain
- Bring cushions and small accessories to shelter when a storm arrives
It seems little, but put together these precautions keep wicker in shape all summer. And then they become almost automatic, such as watering plants or closing the shutters.
Protect the wicker: shadow, ventilation and periodic maintenance
The sun does not forgive, but even humidity jokes. If the wine remains wet too long, it can swell, deform or worse, make molds appear. Better then place it in areas where there is natural shadow, perhaps under a pergola or a light sail that leaves the air pass.
The roofs? They must be designed for the outside, breathable but resistant. The ones too closed do more damage than anything else: they retain humidity and create a greenhouse effect that the wicker just can’t stand. Better technical materials, light and easy to remove and put.
And every now and then, a controllatin is not bad. Every two or three weeks just take a look: is there any fiber that has detached himself? Any point that creaks? A passage of cloth, a touch -up with the protective spray, and go. So you avoid bad surprises, as chairs that give way just when guests arrive.
Protecting the wicker in summer is a bit like taking care of something precious without making an obsession. Just observe it, listen to it and treat it with the same attention that reserves for beautiful things.
And he, in return, will continue to make every outdoor corner special, season after season.
Photo © Stock.adobe
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