How to Repurpose a Shower Pouf

The other day I was in the shower about to grab my shower pouf, and I couldn’t help but stare at it for a second. I started thinking, “Huh… I wonder how long I’ve had this thing.” (Because I am the kind of person who will use and use and use something until the moment it is no longer functional).

My pouf was nearing its breaking point, and I swear it had nearly tripled in size since I bought it.

Lately, I have been trying to reduce my plastic waste, so I felt guilty at the thought of throwing it in the trash. So, I decided to repurpose it!

The first thing I decided to make was a new dish scrubby. I’ve been crocheting my own multi-purpose scrubbies for a while now, but I usually use Red Heart Scrubby Cotton. I figured the loofah material would make a great textured yarn for washing dishes (or whatever else!).

Once you break down the loofah, these scrubbies work up super fast. The main crochet techniques used in the pattern below are the Magic Circle (or Magic Adjustable Loop), the slip stitch, and the half double crochet stitch.

Things You Will Need

• One old shower pouf

• Scissors

Tutorial

Step One

The first thing you want to do is grab your loofah! If you don’t have an old loofah lying around, here is a tutorial for creating a scrubby out of pre-cut tulle.

Step Two

Next, pull the loofah apart so you can see the string holding it together in the middle and cut the string. Here is what mine looked like right after I took the center rope out.

Step Three

If your loofah is anything like mine, you are going to want to clean it at this point. My loofah had some soap and general gross-ness in the center. I used my kitchen sink and some dish soap to scrub the loofah clean. Once your loofah is clean, set it somewhere where it can dry. I wrapped mine in a towel and squeezed out as much water as I could, and I let it air dry on the towel for a few hours.

Step Four

Once your loofah is dry you can continue taking it apart. My loofah was comprised of a long cylindrical mesh tube, with another one in the middle. This is what it looked like.

Step Five

Now just take apart your loofah so that you only have one piece in front of you.

Step Six

Next, using a sharp pair of scissors, cut the loofah longways through the center. The goal is to make one big, flat sheet of this mesh material. Once you cut it, this is what it should look like flattened out.

Step Seven

Now you will need to cut out strips to tie together to create the yarn, or you can cut in a zig-zag to prevent having knots in your work. Make sure that your strips are between 2.5”-3.5” wide. Here is what each one would look like.

This is what it will look like if you make three separate continuous cuts through the length of the fabric. It will produce four separate strips that you will need to tie together.

If you do not want to have knots in your work or have to mess around with tying the strips together, you can also cut your fabric like this, which will produce one long strip.

Step Eight

The only thing left to do now is wind your loofah yarn up to prevent tangling and begin crocheting!

And that's it!

Happy Crocheting!