How do you restore stained rattan of vintage Parisian bistro chairs? Well, it’s a common concern of café owners when they look for French bistro seating for their eateries. French-style chairs are great for cafés, but they’re also prone to stains. Especially the rattan of the chairs can develop skin oil stains from prolonged use and poor maintenance. Having dark and ugly oil patches on the chairs can also ruin the mood of your café and make your customers spend less time there. While using simple steps, you can get rid of them. Wondering how? Well, continue reading the blog to know that.

How to remove skin oil stains from rattan-woven café chairs?

Dated back to the early 1900s, these chairs can bring a French impact to your café. But dark skin oil stains on your Parisian café chairs can damage the French colonial feeling. Well, the following can help you remove it:

Using Heat Method:

To apply the heat method to restore your Parisian chair’s rattan, you’ll need,

a) A hairdryer

b) Brown paper or a soft, clean cloth

Once you gather the items, proceed with the following methods:

1. Lay the cloth or a piece of brown paper over the stained rattan of your Parisian café chair.

2. If you’re using cloth, ensure that it’s not a microfiber one, as they can’t withstand heat. If you’re using the paper, crumble it several times to make it pliable and able to touch all the grooves of the rattan.

3. Now hold the hair dryer a few inches away from the cloth/brown paper and move it slowly to the affected area.

4. The heat from the dryer will melt the skin oil and the cloth/paper will soak it up.

5. Rotate the cloth/paper to a clean area every time it soaks the oil.

Using Soap Method:

Another effective method to remove oil stains from rattan is the soap method. For that, you’ll need,

a) A mixing bowl
b) Gentle dishwashing liquid
c) Clean water
d) Soft, dry cloth

Once you’ve all these, start with the following procedures:

1. Mix a little amount of dishwashing liquid with water in the mixing bowl and stir it to create suds.

2. Take the suds off the water surface using a dry, soft cloth without getting much water on it.

3. Squeeze the cloth to remove the excess water.

4. Now rub the cloth with suds on the stained rattan for a few minutes.

5. If there’s any area you can’t reach with the cloth, use a toothbrush or nail brush on them in the same way.

6. Continue repeating the process until the stain gets off.

Using Powder Method:

You can also use the powder method to remove the oil stains from the rattan of your French café chairs. And for that, you’ll need an absorbent powder (select one from the following),

a) Baking Soda or
b) Corn Meal or
c) Corn Starch or
d) Talcum Powder

Once you’ve chosen the powder, proceed with the below steps:

1. First, move the Parisian café chair with oil-stained rattan into the sunlight.

2. Take your chosen absorbent powder from the above list and sprinkle it generously on the stained rattan.

3. Leave it like that at least for 1 hour. If the area is windy, wrap the powdered portion with plastic wrap to keep the powder in place.

4. After an hour, brush off the powder or vacuum it up.

5. Repeat it if the stain remains. And for stubborn stains, leave the powder overnight.

Are you planning to buy new Parisian bistro chairs for your café interior? With a vintage look and feel, these chairs can enhance your café décor. All you’ll have to do is buy the right chairs from the right furniture seller.