Did you know that you can grow your own bath sponges?
"Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the pumpkin, squash and gourd family.” Wikipedia
Luffa plants are from southeast Asia, and can be grown in places with a long warm summer. The fruit can take a long time to grow and toughen it’s inner fibers (about 150-200 days), but after that time, they are ready to become sponges.
Explaining it simply, you peel the skin, wash the insides, hang them to dry, then you are done.
“Getting all the seeds out can be a challenge, but the drier the sponges are, the easier the seeds will fall out. Save the best ones for next year. You can also cut open the sponges in any shape you want to remove seeds or make a loofah fiber mat.” luffa.info
When done, you can use the sponges for bathing, washing dishes, and even as industrial filters.
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Not so far. Mine flowered but now it's dying off and I see zero pods. :)