Blackberry fibre; rough and ready for your dishes

Make your own eco-friendly scrubby

I’ve been on the hunt for a biodegradable alternative for scrubbing dishes.

In the past, I’ve used any old mesh pot scrubbers, but now I try avoid them since I’ve realized they are made out of plastic that shed microparticles into the environment. I’ve also used those long-handled wooden scrubbers, the ones with a replaceable natural bristle brush head. In theory, you can pop in the compost after its lifetime. But in practice, you will have lumps of wood in your compost that take years to truly break down.

Then I saw a post on the Wild Basketry Facebook page;

“Are there useful plants in the UK for making pan scrubs? … I've been crocheting them with cotton but it's too soft and bad for the environment.”

Da-Doing! Why had I not thought of crocheting a pan scrubber from blackberry fibre before?! I would happily shell out several dollar bills for a biodegradable pot scrubber, so why not just make one?

If you’re new here, I’m an artist who uses basket making techniques in my work. Learning about harvesting natural materials led me into basketry, and by extension my entire current art practice. Blackberry fibre (Rubus armeniacus) was my gateway into a whole new world of art material. Around the west coast of Canada, we call this plant Himalayan Blackberry and its about as invasive as a plant can get. The fibre is easily collected (at a certain time of year) and is quite rough. I made this video a few years ago to explain the harvesting process.

Immediately all sorts of reasons not to try this whizzed through my head.

Wouldn’t it get smelly? Probably, but so does any pan scrubber or dishcloth, no matter what it’s made out of.

Wouldn’t it fall apart or get bits everywhere? Maybe, but how will I know unless I try?

Any scrubber will eventually start to get an odour from bacteria. To counter this, I will soak it in vinegar then maybe dip it in boiling hot water and it’s good to go again for at least a few weeks. So why not try one made out of blackberry fibre and see how it holds up?

If you search for “natural material pot scrubbers” you’ll get a collection of things usually made from the following fibres:

• Jute (genus Corchorus,)

• Sisal (Agave leaf fibre)

• Coir (coconut fibre)

• Loofah sponge (gourd/squash family)

• Esparto grass (found in the Western Mediterranean region)

Examples of natural bristle brushes. Images blatantly stolen from the internet.

How different from these above fibres could blackberry fibre really be? I’m no scientist, but I’m betting on blackberry fibre to be food-safe because other parts of the plant are edible, and even the leaves can be used to make tea.

I decided to go for it using previously dried blackberry fibre I had collected a few years ago. In basketry, its important to pre-dry all natural material because of the initial shrinkage. Does it matter for a project like this? Probably not so much, but I used what I had on hand.

Method

I soaked the pre-dried fibre in warm water for about 20 minutes, then I let the fibre mellow in a damp towel for about an hour before I used it. At this point I noticed the soaking water was light brown. Ah yes, I forgot about the tannins! I realized my new scrubber would definitely will be giving off tannins for the first few scrubs. I decided that I would simply treat it as I would a tea bag and not leave it sitting on a white surface. After a couple of days (I just checked), warm water is running clear through my homemade scrubber pad when it’s squeezed.

It ain’t pretty— I didn’t even bother trimming the flyaway bits—but it works great! I’ve been using it for about a week and so far I’m very happy with it.

Just a heads up, it’s not an easy material to crochet with. As you can see in the video, I I had to physically pull the material over the end of the crochet hook more often than not. And it’s messy, your hands will get a little bit stained from the tannins. I didn't use a pattern—I can barley crochet—I just went at it freeform. I have no idea why it ended up in a square-ish shape, I thought I was aiming for a round shape. Shrug.

If you’re not into all the work (I ain’t judging), here’s a great post with a bunch of links to purchase eco-friendly scrubbies that somebody else has gone to the trouble of making for you. Of course, you can also use something like a pre-made jute or sisal twine to crochet your own.

* Common sense caution: If you decide to explore different fibres to make pot scrubbers, be sure to research if they are food-safe fibres.

I’ve since made another style of scrubber (below) using a doubled-up cordage technique. The thinking was I’d use it where I need more stiff scrubber action. After about a week and and a half, I do find I reach for the flat crochet scrubber pad way more than this one. But that’s the beauty of making my own shapes, I can try until I hit upon one I like the best. I might just move this thick cordage one into my studio to use as a fun mark-making tool.

Blackberry fibre cordage doubled up and whip wrapped with waxed linen.

I will definitely make more of the flat crochet scrubbers. And when they fall apart, I can pop them on the compost pile without an ounce of guilt.

What do you think, would you try this out? Or is it just a little too high on the “cottage-core” spectrum. I’d truly love to hear from you in the comments. And let me know if you have any additional questions. Talking about plant fibres is puts me squarely in my happy place and if I can answer it, I certainly will.