Caring for your Trugs
I often receive calls and emails regarding their newly aquired Trug care, the answers I have supplied in the past may answer any questions you have.
| Q | My dad is so happy with the trug and has asked me to ask you if it should be treated with anything? |
| A | It doesn't have to be treated at all, but my original trug mentor, always recommended treating a trug with 'Sunflower Oil'. I can offer no explanation for this as I would have expected linseed oil, nevertheless he was insistant that sunflower was the correct treatment. |
| Q | My mum is so pleased with the trug she cannot bear to get it dirty! Is there any way to protect it from discolouration by pollen and dirt? |
| A | Stand it against a wall and blast it with the hose, it will love it (the Trug, not your Mum). Also, I have recently discovered that car accessory shops sell cans of clear spray laquer that is a final application to retain colour and protect a newly sprayed area after repair. This laquer is very hard, very clear and dries in a minute or two. Two or three coats will protect and keep the trug in 'as-new' condition for many years. I have to admit to doing this for different trug uses in my home. I have one in the bathroom for Jaqui's bathing sundries, so it can be washed. Another in the living room is filled with pot pourri (the perfumed oil we use would stain the trug). |
| Q | Do I need to keep my trug in a dry place? |
| A | NO. When any wood is completely dry, it becomes brittle. In fact the ONLY time customers have had a problem it's always due to being stored in a greenhouse. This effectively bakes the trug during high summer temperatures. As with any tree growth, while it has a residual moisture content it is supple, without it, it becomes a twig and easily broken. |
| Q | My dad is so happy with the trug and has asked me to ask you if it should be treated with anything? |
| A | It doesn't have to be treated at all, but my original trug mentor, always recommended treating a trug with 'Sunflower Oil'. I can offer no explanation for this as I would have expected linseed oil, nevertheless he was insistant that sunflower oil was the correct treatment. |
| Q | My mum is so pleased with the trug she cannot bear to get it dirty! Is there any way to it protect it from discolouration from pollen and dirt? |
| A | Stand it against a wall and blast it with the hose, it will love it (the Trug, not your Mum). Also, I have recently discovered that car accessory shops sell cans of clear spray laquer that is a final application to retain colour and protect a newly sprayed area after repair. This laquer is very hard, very clear and dries in a minute or two. Two or three coats will protect and keep the trug in 'as-new' condition for many years. I have to admit to doing this for different trug uses in my home. I have one in the bathroom for Jaqui's bathing sundries, so it can be washed. Another in the living room is filled with pot pourri (the perfumed oil we use would stain the trug). |
| Q | Do I need to keep my trug in a dry place? |
| A | NO. When any wood is completely dry, it becomes brittle. In fact the ONLY time customers have had a problem it's always due to being stored in a greenhouse. This effectively bakes the trug during high summer temperatures. As with any tree growth, while it has a residual moisture content it is supple, without it, it becomes a twig and easily broken. |