If you recently purchased wicker furniture in the past or simply considering it there are ways that you can make a really good purchase better. When you extend the life of your furniture to the maximum you will get all the benefits from your financial investment. It may last long enough to pass along to your children or as a charitable donation if you so desire. But once you've paid for it the idea of shelling out more funds for more furniture might not be appealing.

First decision that you will need to make is whether or not you are going to go natural or synthetic. Of course synthetic is cheaper and looks just like wicker but it won't last you nearly as long as the natural stuff. If you want to get the maximum value for your furniture then you will need to spend a little bit extra. And in the grand scheme of things it isn't really all that much when you consider how long it is going to last you.

To extend the life of your wicker you will need to provide cleaning and general maintenance and upkeep. This is not the strenuous detail that you would take with normal furniture. All you really need is a cotton cloth. It can be an old t-shirt that you no longer have a use for and get it damp to be able to wipe the dust and clean. You won't need to buy any harsh chemicals. So you might want to decide upon how often you will clean. You won't need to be obsessive but once a week or once a month depending on how dirty your furniture gets is fine.

If the paint is starting to look at little dull or has a few paint chips you might want to consider repainting it. It will look new again and give it a fresh look. Once you've decided to paint it you don't have to stick with the same color as before. You can pick something that matches your wallpaper or other furniture that you have. This really works if you are going to do a total remodeling job inside your house. This will be another component of that.

For those of you that like to use wicker as all weather furniture you might need to help extend the life by getting furniture covers. It is okay to use outside but the chances for sunlight damage are greater. Another way to combat this is to treat it will an oil based paint. However, some wicker is pre-treated for UV protection. This might be something that you might want to inquire about if you haven't yet purchase wicker. This will be an added value to you.

You can get the maximum value from your wicker furniture if you take proper care through maintenance and upkeep. You can also update the look by re-painting your furniture as needed for new décor or from sunlight damage. Either way you will be able to enjoy your wicker furniture for many years to come.