From Coconut to Coir

By Awake! correspondent in India

NEARLY everyone knows the coconut. But what is coir? It is a bonus that comes along with each coconut.

Surrounding the delicious white coconut meat is a hard shell. Protecting the shell is a thick fibrous husk, which some might consider mere waste. Here in southern India, where coconuts are plentiful, the husks are separated from the nuts and soaked in water for up to eight months. They are then beaten by hand to soften them and then machine-​shredded into fluffy, golden fibers called coir.

Coir can be dyed different colors. It is then hand-​twisted into strings and spun into coir yarn. Handlooms and power looms transform coir into attractive doormats, mourzouks (heavy coir rugs), carpets, floor mattings, and wall panelings.

Coir products are in demand worldwide and for good reason. Durable coir is unaffected by moisture; is resistant to moths, rot, and fungus; is static free; and is flame resistant. It also proves to be excellent insulation against temperature and sound. Imagine​—all that from just a husk that is commonly thrown away as being worthless!

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Husks are soaked in water for up to eight months

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Doormats are made from dyed coir