Woven baskets are found in almost every room in most houses. Some are pieces of art. Available in various colors and styles, they corral miscellaneous household items and help organize many areas of our lives.
Cleaning them isn’t something we think about doing all too often. It’s not part of our weekly housecleaning routines. Yet dust, grease, and debris can find their way into woven baskets, and from time to time they require some serious housecleaning all their own.
Cleaning, Not Destroying
It’s as easy to clean woven baskets as it is to destroy them. Take heed not to mistakenly do the latter. Don’t be tempted to spray an all-purpose household cleaner onto one of your baskets, as the moisture and the harsh chemicals may ruin it instead. You certainly can’t clean your baskets with soap and water either. That result would be disastrous.
Easily Clean Your Woven Baskets
There are two simple household items that will make cleaning your baskets a breeze. You no doubt have these items on hand already.
Stuff your woven baskets tightly with crumpled newspaper and place them inside a paper or plastic bag. The newspaper will help absorb any moisture in the baskets and will help eliminate any unpleasant smells, too.
Follow this with the second step in cleaning your woven baskets. Throw away the crumpled newspaper, but keep the paper or plastic bag—with your basket inside. Before sealing the bag this time around, sprinkle a liberal amount of table salt into the bag. Seal the plastic bag or tightly fold over the paper bag. Now shake the bag. Shake it many times. When you think you’ve shaken it just about enough, shake it a few times more. Can you hear the salt clean your basket?
Empty the bag over a trashcan to catch all of the salt. The salt will have removed any dust or debris from your woven baskets, rendering them clean. It works its way amidst the weave and combined with the vigorous shaking pushes dirt particles out of the baskets and into the bag.
Now that your woven baskets are fresh and clean, it’s time to put them back to work organizing and decorating the many areas in your home. Remember to put the task of cleaning your baskets at least twice a year, along with your housecleaning list to ensure you keep them in good condition.
Do you have other recommendations for cleaning and keeping baskets looking like new?
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