DIY Compostable Loofah Scrubbers

Did you know that loofah is a type of cucumber? For some reason, I always thought they grew in the ocean. Actually, they are the dried-out fibers of fully-ripened Luffa fruit. When left to dry on the vine, they lose their flesh leaving just the fibers, skin, and seeds. Once the seeds and skin are removed, you have loofah!

A few weeks ago, I had the joy of being invited to attend a tour of the Forest Lawn area, during which we stopped at many businesses that are part of the Forest Lawn BRZ. One of the stops was at Green Cedars Food Mart, a grocery store specializing in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African groceries, including some of the best home-made hummus we've ever tasted. Squirreled away at the back of the store was a pile of massive loofahs.

Using just the tail of this one $7 loofah, I cut out five pieces. Three are rectangles for the kitchen and bathrooms, plus two for showering. With these, I can clean the stove, wash dishes, scrub the bath tub, shower, and bathroom sinks; plus, they are great for scrubbing in the shower. And after they're all worn out, they can go in the compost bin and I still have plenty of loofah left for my next batch.

Today I threw out my last plastic bathroom puff and green kitchen scrubby. I hope to never buy any of those things again.

Do you use natural loofah at home? Leave a comment!