What is a Luffa plant and why is it important?

What is a Luffa plant?-Billy of Tula's Endless Summer

Our biodegradable sponges are made from the Luffa Plant. But why is this important?

As Wikipedia describes this wondrous plant:

Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). In everyday non-technical usage, the luffa, also spelled loofah, usually refers to the fruits of the species Luffa aegyptiaca and Luffa acutangula. The name luffa was taken by European botanists in the 17th century from the Egyptian Arabic name لوف lūf.

In simple terms, the luffa is a plant in the gourd family. You may be more familiar with loofah sponges for bathing. They tend to be on a stick or a rope. This is because they are great for exfoliating. Well, why can't your dishes have some exfoliation too?! To make these sponges, the luffa is dried and cut into sections.  Being all natural they are biodegradable once you have warn them out.

Which means sponges made from the luffa plant are the earth-friendly alternative to the traditional dish sponge.

Did you know that

• most sponges you have been using are made from some form of plastic?
• the recommended period of use for these traditional sponges is only 2 - 4 weeks?

No Tox Life's dish sponges are considered zero waste as they are biodegradable and compostable. You do not need to send them to a commercial compost facility! You can just add them to your compost. Loofah is strong enough to scrub your dishes but also gentle so it doesn't scratch delicate items.

A few notes on the care of a loofah sponge as it is not the same as your traditional sponge:

• When you are done using it, it helps to rinse it and squeeze the remaining water out of it.  As it is a natural product, if you leave it soggy you could have bacteria and other growth.
• To combat bacteria and growth it is advised to rinse your sponge in boiling water every other week.