Natural sponge

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The classic natural sponge hygiene back to the fore in vegetable version, thanks to its characteristic wing loofah and fruit, even in the world of design.

Natural sponge
Arch. Valentina Caiazzo
Arch. Valentina Caiazzo

Bath sponges



I wonder how many of us have some natural sponge in their bathroom, I remember a summer trip or received as a gift from a friend. Soft and fluffy, natural sponges are actually marine animals belonging to the family of the Porifera. Or rather, our bath towels are actually derived from the scaffolding skeleton of this species, which is so elastic and resistant at the same time, because it is made by a particular material: the spongina.

Natural sponges are generally harvested by divers when the dimensions exceed 7 - 8 cm, through the use of special tools and special networks, leaving even a small part attached to the root, in order to promote hair growth.
Once harvested, natural sponges are washed and purified in order to remove limescale deposits and impurities. And once trimmed with simple scissors, can be put on the market.

Usually we are used to seeing different colors. If the sponges are really natural, they will have a shade Brunata, tending to brown, while the yellow light, in reality they undergo further treatment, which is the 'oxygenation.

Vegetable sponges



But perhaps not everyone knows that natural sponges there is also the vegetable version. And 'the loofah. A climbing plant belonging to the family of cucurbits, such as pumpkin, the fruit of which, however, is very similar to the classic zucchini and the peculiarity that, once mature, it dehydrates completely, becoming also extremely lightweight and fibrous.

The loofah is a plant native to Asia but now widespread a bit 'everywhere in tropical areas or relatively warm climate, its cultivated mainly for the production of natural sponges, for the hygiene of the person or the classic domestic cleaning or dishes.

Among the main variety, Luffa cylindrica is perhaps the most widely used. The stems can reach up to 5 meters in length, but the name is derived from the fruits, which are elongated and cylindrical in shape, with three lodges within which enclose the various seeds.

The sowing of loofah is to be carried out in March, with constant and abundant watering. The fruits are edible only at the beginning, when, in the juvenile stage, the interior is still spongy and fibrous.

And the luffa cylindrica found in Italy and precisely in the climate of Sardinia, its ideal habitat. And here's who made it a business from the craft section. The team Sponges Plants, or husband and wife, they began to cultivate a loofah already fifteen years ago, then transforming the fruit in vegetable sponges in small laboratory Samassi, by hand, or with the help of a sewing machine .

Directed mostly to the field of hygiene and home, their sponges travel through the channels of the herbalists and pharmacies, although over the years have tried to make something different, such as pillows, pot holders or small meetings, taking advantage of the quality and the properties of the fruits of loofah.

Natural sponges and design



In addition to being washed in the washing machine with the classic laundry, actually vegetable sponges, they also have good thermal insulation capacity and sound absorption. And some people have thought to use them for creations and experiments in the world of design.
I'm talking about Fernando Laposse , the young Mexican designer, fresh out of college at Central Saint Martins in London.
His creations Loofah Series: a set of objects and experiments, concerning the loofah, with other different materials, typical of the world of furniture, such as wood or concrete.

Nothing spectacular: here the protagonist is the vegetable sponge, shaped and built to perfection, which furnishes itself with its simplicity and its fibers. There are reading lamps, desks and even booths and vases.

But of lamps and loofah had already made ??mention of a few years ago, the creative studio Israeli Shulayim, focused on ecology, recycling and eco-sustainability. Taking advantage of the fiber and the translucency of the fruits of loofah, had created the hanging lamps natural and particularly scenic.

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