Thursday, May 29, 2008

COIR- Help! I'm allergic to doormats!

This week was a big DUH moment that proved my theory that coconut will find me no matter where I go! I decided I wanted a new doormat, so I started shopping for them. I wanted an awesome one, so I went to fun import stores and all they have are bristly brown ones with various designs, called "coir". As I'm digging through these, my hands start itching like they are on fire. It wasn't until I started checking prices on the labels that I read that coir is actually coconut husks. As you can imagine, I changed my mind about getting a cute doormat! I'll have to keep you posted on alternatives as it seems that other than a rubber or carpet one, these coconut husk ones are here to stay and very prevalent. These are also called "cocoa mats" and come in full-sized rugs, too.
So, if you're not going around touching them, what is the harm? The fact of the matter is, they flake off tiny coconutty particles all over your house when you rub your feet on them. Then, you'll be wondering, "why am I wheezing when I sweep the floor?" Could it be your doormat?

3 comments:

Harmony said...

er... not sure if this is exactly household items, so this might be better placed elsewhere, but I think another thing to be aware of is the lubricant used on condoms, and other personal lubricant in general. Much of it contains glycerin and since the companies aren't required to disclose the ingredients there's no telling what's in there...

ingodslove said...

We have a set of coir/latex pads that go under our all natural wool mattress as extra padding. Coconut coir could show up in the bedroom too.

Unknown said...

Maybe you're allergic to latex, which is in coco mats in large amounts as a binder