Most households have at least one straw, rattan or vine basket of some kind, even if it's just a bread basket. They look lovely for a while, until the dust collects in the gaps in the weave, then they just look old and dingy. You'll see lots of them at op shops and garage sales, discarded because they no longer look nice.
You don't have to pass your older baskets on, they are easy to clean. Simply fill either the laundry sink or bathtub, depending on the size of the basket, with warm, soapy water. Immerse the basket in the water and lightly scrub it with an old nail brush or for smaller baskets an old toothbrush. Rinse, shake the excess water off, wipe over with a towel and leave to dry.
The water will clean them better than ordinary dusting can and the moisture will keep them from drying out completely, keeping the wood from becoming brittle and splitting.
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my tgip for this is too always do this on a hot day...I used to have a settee made of rattan/cane and only ev er washed it with a little soap bubbles but left it outside on a hot day to dry - in the shade though, it used to be thoroughly dry before I bought it inside and it lasted for absolutely yrs and yrs till I sold it in a garaage sale!
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