How To Care for Your Sisal Basket
Our sisal baskets are made by the women who live in the community we serve with our microlending program.
These unique baskets are made out of sisal which is grown either on farms belonging to the basket weavers, or else purchased from sisal estates in the coast province of Kenya. The leaves of the sisal plant are used to obtain a fibers which is rolled to twine, and then be woven to a basket.
The Taita women from the Kasigau Weaver’s Group dye the fibers themselves and then roll the twine on their lap. Making baskets is a very labour intensive art. The baskets come in a number of different colours and patterns, with each design entirely created by these artistic Taita ladies!
Sisal is famous for being an extremely strong and hardy material; it is resilient even to salt water!
But there are ways to care for your basket. Here's how:
- Care should be taken when exposing your basket to full sunlight, since this will cause the colors to fade.
- Whilst a splash of water will not harm these baskets, drying your basket out if it is made wet is highly recommended. Otherwise the basket will loose its shape.
- Sisal is a natural product, and if it remains damp for a long period it will go moldy.
- If you use your basket as a plant pot, you need to line it with a water proof bag.
If you have any questions about how to care for or use your basket, don't hesitate to reach out!