How to Clean and Care for a Tunisian Couffin

A handwoven couffin is built to last — but like any natural material, palm and esparto reward a little care. Treated well, a Tunisian basket will serve you for years and only grow more beautiful as its fibers soften and deepen in colour. Here is everything you need to know to keep yours in its best shape.

Everyday cleaning

For daily dust, simply shake the basket out or wipe it with a soft, dry cloth. For anything more stubborn, use a barely-damp cloth with a drop of mild soap, wipe gently along the weave, and stop there — natural fibers do not like to be soaked.

Never submerge a couffin in water or put it in the washing machine. Excess water swells the fibers, loosens the weave and can leave the leather handles stiff or stained.

Drying is everything

If your basket does get wet — a rainy market run, a splash at the beach — the single most important rule is to dry it slowly and completely. Reshape it by hand, then let it air-dry away from direct heat and direct sun. Radiators and hot sun can make palm brittle; patience keeps it supple.

Storing and reshaping

Store your couffin somewhere dry and airy, never sealed in plastic where damp can build up and invite mildew. If a basket loses its shape, fill it loosely with soft cloth or paper for a day or two and it will remember its form.

A little leather balm on the handles once or twice a year keeps them soft and prevents cracking. With these small habits, your handwoven Tunisian basket will outlast almost everything else in your home.