Re: basket care
Re: basket care

Posted by Tony

In Reply to: Re: basket care posted by on

Posting:

To keep your baskets from "drying out" you shouldn't place them in direct sun light or store them in very hot and dry places like attics. On the other hand to keep them from molding or rotting you shouldn't store them in very damp places like basement/cellars or outdoor sheds. Normally displayed in your home should be fine. Dust is probably the biggest destroyer of fibers. You should periodically dust your baskets with a find bristle brush, like a natural bristle paint brush or you can vacuum them with the brush attachment. The new Swiffer dusters are great for your furniture, but terrible for baskets. They have too many fuzzy fibers that either say behind on the basket or they snag and can break delicate weavers. As far as "humidifying" you baskets you can either leave them alone and let the natural humidity of your home do the trick or if you are in a very dry area of the country you can rotate your basket through the bathroom where the steam from the shower will help. If your bathroom is so humid that you have problems with mold I might not do it then, but otherwise it should be fine. I have also lightly misted my antique baskets with a spray bottle of water too, but just don't sray them to the point of dripping. DO NOT soak or put the baskets in the sink to rinse them off. Not only will this "shock" the fibers it will wash off the beautiful petina that age has given the basket.

Hope this helps.

Good luck,
Tony

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