Revitalizing a Rattan Chair with DIY Furniture Polish

As I mentioned yesterday, this entire weekend was filled with lots of running around for my other job as a vendor at The Pickers Market. I was so excited to find a few pieces of furniture at the estate sale on Saturday. One of the pieces was the media cabinet I shared yesterday and the other was this vintage rattan chair. I know!

I’m normally a wicker sort of girl because my style leans towards a cottage style but this chair was too pretty to pass up. I immediately loved the lines and the frame but it was filthy..ok, really filthy…

…and it desperately needed cleaning. Cleaning wicker or rattan is fairly easy in that you don’t want to completely soak the reeds or fibers with water and chemicals. The first step of the process is making sure you’re eyes/nose/mouth/face are all protected with a mask and safety goggles to keep out the dust, dirt and debris particles.

Next use a vacuum cleaner with the brush attachment and vacuum up as much of the dust and debris as you can.

If you still find dust bunnies or debris tucked into the crevices that the vacuum cleaner can’t or didn’t reach, use a soft bristled brush or compressed air to get the pieces out.

I used a lint free soft cloth that was slightly damp to gently wipe down the reeds and fibers.

After I wiped down the chair, I made an easy DIY Furniture Polish Revitalizer. You can use this formula on solid wood furniture (not floors) when the wood or reeds look thirsty. Wicker is a bit too fibrous for this formula so I don’t use this polish on my wicker pieces. It also doesn’t work well on pieces that are shiny (think shellacked, lacquered, veneer or previously coated with a thick top coat) as the formula doesn’t penetrate those types of finishes.

Here’s the recipe:

3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon vinegar

Pour the ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well.

Use a lint free soft cloth to apply the polish directly to the reeds or wood. The polish should penetrate the fibers. Make sure you wipe off any excess polish.

Here’s a look at our console table made from an old door using the polish. The portion on the top has not been treated and the portion on the bottom is using the polish.

And here’s a closer look at the rattan chair. The portion on the top has not been treated and the portion on the bottom has the DIY furniture polish on it…

This is the entire chair after I used the DIY Furniture Polish…

It makes a huge difference right? I haven’t decided what to do about a chair pad yet. This chair is headed for the store so I need to make a new one.

See you guys back here tomorrow. I’m sharing a vintage mirror frame makeover and it’s really pretty. Until then, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo