Last updated: August 20, 2026
How to clean wicker furniture depends on one thing you need to settle before you fill a bucket: whether the weave is natural plant fiber or extruded resin. Natural rattan, reed and seagrass absorb water and swell as they dry. Resin wicker does not, and it tolerates a rinse that would ruin a natural piece.
This guide covers how to tell the two apart, a routine for each, what to do about mildew that has settled into the weave, and the tools and products that cause more damage than dirt does. It is the starting point for our care and repair guides, so the bigger jobs link out from here.
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Quick Answer
How do you clean wicker furniture safely?
- Identify the material first. Natural fiber gets damp cleaning only; resin wicker can take a hose.
- Vacuum the weave with a brush attachment before any liquid touches it, because wet dust turns into a paste that sets in the crevices.
- For natural wicker, use a cloth wrung out in mild soapy water, work in sections, and dry it fast with a fan or in moving air.
- For resin wicker, wash with soapy water and a soft brush, rinse, and let it drain. Skip the pressure washer, which lifts strands off the frame.
- Never leave natural wicker sitting wet. Slow drying is what causes the sag, the dark staining and the mildew smell.
Work Out Which Wicker You Have First
Look at a cut end or the underside of a rail. Natural fiber shows a grain, tiny hairs and slight color variation between strands. Resin wicker is uniform in color all the way through, feels slick, and usually wraps an aluminum or steel frame. If a piece has been painted, tap it: natural wicker sounds dry and dull, resin sounds plasticky over hollow tube.
The distinction matters more than any product choice. Everything below follows from it, and so does the answer to whether a piece can live outdoors at all. Our comparison of resin wicker versus natural wicker goes into what each material tolerates over a full year.
| Weave type | How to spot it | Water tolerance | Cleaning routine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural rattan or cane | Visible grain, glossy skin on cane, warm color shifts strand to strand | Low. Absorbs and swells | Vacuum, then damp cloth, then dry immediately |
| Reed, willow, seagrass | Matte, fibrous, often slightly fuzzy where handled | Very low. Fibers fray when soaked | Vacuum and dry brush; spot clean only |
| Resin or PE wicker | Even color through the strand, smooth, metal frame beneath | High. Built for rain | Soapy water, soft brush, rinse, air dry |
| Vinyl wrapped older synthetic | Shinier, sometimes brittle at edges, common on mid century porch sets | Moderate. Water is fine, sun is not | Mild soap, no solvents, avoid stiff brushes |
If you inherited a piece and genuinely cannot tell, treat it as natural. The cautious routine never damages resin, but the resin routine can ruin natural fiber in a single afternoon.
Cleaning Natural Wicker and Rattan
The rule for natural fiber is damp, never wet, and never for long. Vacuum first, wipe with a cloth wrung out until it barely marks a surface, work one section at a time, and get air moving over the piece as soon as you finish. Total contact time with moisture should be minutes, not an afternoon.
The Dry Pass Comes First
Most of what makes wicker look tired is dust packed into the crossings of the weave. A vacuum with a soft brush head pulls out the bulk of it, and a dry paintbrush or a soft toothbrush gets the corners the vacuum head cannot reach. Doing this before anything wet is the single biggest difference between a clean result and a muddy one.
The Damp Pass
Mix a small amount of mild dish soap into warm water. Dip a microfiber cloth, wring it hard, and wipe along the direction of the weave rather than across it, so you are not pushing the cloth into the gaps. Follow with a second cloth wrung out in plain water to lift the soap residue.
Then dry it properly. Set a fan on the piece, or move it to a shaded spot with a breeze. Direct sun dries the surface fast while the core stays damp, which is exactly the condition that leaves natural fiber brittle and dull.
Cleaning Resin and All Weather Wicker
Resin wicker is the easy case. Soapy water, a soft brush to get into the weave, a rinse with a garden hose on a normal spray setting, and then time to drain and dry. A full wash twice a season plus a rinse after pollen or a dust storm keeps most sets looking close to new for years.
What Actually Gets Trapped
The dirt that dulls a resin set is not on the strands, it is in the shadow lines where two strands cross, and a cloth simply skates over those. A soft brush is what reaches them. Pay attention to the underside of arms and the front edge of seats, which collect the most and get looked at the least.
Where People Go Wrong
Pressure washers are the common mistake. The strands on all weather furniture are woven under tension around a frame, and a concentrated jet lifts ends out of the weave and drives water into the frame tubes, where it sits. Use normal hose pressure and accept that it takes a few more minutes.
Getting Mildew Out of the Weave
Mildew shows up as dark speckling in the shaded parts of the weave and as a musty smell that survives a wipe down. On resin, it sits on the surface and comes off with a soapy scrub and a thorough rinse. On natural fiber it has usually reached inside the strand, and the honest answer is that some staining stays.
For natural pieces, brush the surface growth off outdoors first so you are not pressing it deeper, then clean lightly and dry hard. Cushions are a separate problem and often the real source of the smell, since foam holds moisture far longer than any weave does. If the cushions are past saving, replacing the covers or the inserts is usually less work than fighting them.
What Not to Use on Wicker
Four things do reliable damage. Pressure washers lift strands. Undiluted bleach weakens natural fiber and can leave a chalky white cast. Oil soaps and furniture polish build a sticky film in the weave that then collects dust. And soaking, in any form, is the fastest way to make a natural piece sag permanently.
- Pressure washing. Loosens the weave on resin sets and shreds natural fiber outright.
- Strong bleach solutions. Fine for hard surfaces, harsh on plant fiber and on painted finishes.
- Oil based polish or wax. Leaves a residue that traps dirt in the crossings.
- Abrasive pads and stiff wire brushes. They scuff resin and lift splinters on natural cane.
- Leaving it wet. A rinsed piece stood on grass overnight dries from the top only.
How Often, and What Comes Next
Indoors, a vacuum pass every few weeks and a damp clean twice a year is enough. Outdoors, aim for a wash at the start of the season, one mid season, and a clean before storage. Cleaning is also the moment you notice loose ends, cracked strands and a wobbly leg, while they are still small jobs.
If the clean revealed damage rather than just dirt, that is a different task. Broken strands and unravelled ends are fixable on natural wicker with the right materials, and our overview of wicker repair kits explains which reed, cane or binding you need for which failure. If the piece lives outside, protecting it after cleaning is what keeps the next clean easy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use a pressure washer on wicker furniture? No. On resin wicker the jet lifts woven strands away from the frame and forces water into the frame tubes. On natural wicker it tears fiber. A garden hose at normal pressure with a soft brush does the same job without the damage.
What is the best cleaner for wicker furniture? Mild dish soap in warm water handles almost everything on both materials. Dedicated outdoor furniture cleaners help on resin sets with heavy grime. Avoid oil soaps, polish and abrasive cleaners, which leave residue in the weave.
How do you clean wicker without getting it wet? Vacuum with a soft brush attachment, then work the crossings with a dry detail brush, then wipe with a cloth wrung out until it is barely damp. That routine is enough for indoor natural wicker between deeper cleans.
Why does my wicker furniture smell musty? Usually the cushions rather than the weave, because foam holds moisture much longer. If the frame itself smells, it has been stored damp or left wet. Dry it thoroughly in moving air before assuming it needs replacing.
Can natural wicker be washed with a hose? Not safely. Natural fiber swells as it absorbs water and sags as it dries, and repeated soaking loosens the whole weave. Keep hosing for resin and all weather wicker only.
How do you clean painted wicker furniture? Treat it as natural fiber and be gentler still. Damp cloth, no solvents, no abrasives, and dry quickly. Solvent based cleaners will lift or dull the paint film before they lift the dirt.
The Bottom Line
Decide the material before you decide the method. Natural wicker gets vacuumed, wiped with a barely damp cloth and dried fast. Resin wicker gets soapy water, a soft brush and a plain hose rinse. Both are ruined by pressure washers, oil based polish and sitting wet, and both benefit far more from a quick pass every month than from one heroic scrub a year.