Coconut Scourer

This bristly hedgehog of a scourer is made from a fibre called coir. Coir is derived from the husk of the coconut, which is the fibrous pulp found between the leathery outer skin and the soft and edible inner pulp of the nut. Sturdier brown coir (extracted from ripe coconuts) is commonly used to make scourers like this one as well as in stiff brushes, doormats and upholstery padding, whilst finer white coir (from unripe coconuts) can be woven into fibres for making rope, string and fishing nets, or used for finer brushes. Coir is also used in the horticultural industry as an alternative to plastic plant pots and as an alternative growing medium to peat.

By comparison to other vegetable fibres like cotton, jute, sisal and hemp, coir has one of the highest concentrations of lignin, making it strong but inflexible. The tensile strength of coir is lower than jute, for example, but coir has really good resistance to microbial action and salt water damage. This makes it particularly suited for use in marine environments, for example in nets for harvesting shellfish and in sailors’ ropework. One of its earliest uses is thought to have been in the production of ‘sewn’ boats and lashed canoes, where planks of wood were bound together with coir ropes to make seagoing vessels to explore the Indian and Pacific Oceans. We also have an example of a coir rope fender in the collection that was made in the Institute of Making workshop by Des Pawson, one of the world’s leading authorities on knots and sailors’ ropework.

Global coir supplies are largely produced in India and Sri Lanka. The softer and finer coir fibres used for matting and carpets needs to be ‘retted’ in ponds, backwaters and lagoons for up to a year. Retting is a biodegradation process whereby the gummy materials that bind the fibres together in the husk are degraded and the fibres are loosened, improving their softness, colour and spinning quality. This retting process is associated with health and environmental impacts in coconut growing areas, and results in the release of organic substances and chemicals that render the water bodies where it takes place unsuitable for fish and normal flora and fauna. Various methods for controlling the effluvia from this retting process are currently being explored.