Amy O'Neill Houck said ... You can buy nylon mesh and cut it into strips and crochet that--but it still wouldn't be machine washable, I suppose. Maybe it would go in the dishwasher tho?


shanalee said ... made one using flax yarn, doubled. it was definitely scrubby!


TakeWrning said ... try more of a hemp twine. I have a shower scrub-glove made out of it, and it works really well.


Kuky said ... I have brains on the mind. It looks brainish to me too. :)


stacy said ... I didn't know you could crochet a scrubie! It reminds me of the brains bag that Craft posted a few days ago - I thought that bag looked so cool.


Sara said ... Tulle.
Buy a few yards at the fabric store, cut it into strips and crochet away - you'll get something almost identical to what you've been buying. If you want to keep it a little more organic, carry a hemp or linen yarn along with it on a larger hook.


lucykate crafts... said ... i did laugh out loud at the idea of a crochet brain : )


Regina said ... Well, it definitely looks like a good try. It would make a good water bomb with the handle for flinging!


normanack said ... Perhaps you could use nylon monofilament thread? (Quilters sometimes use it.) Or fishing line? But it might be an exercise in frustration.

Do your current plastic scrubbies get worn out, or do you not want to put them in the machine? I throw my daughter's in the wash, but admit that I throw it out after awhile, too.


Linda said ... I can see why this would be so heavy. With the worsted weight heavy cotton thread and dense single crochets. I am trying to think of a substitute thread, maybe the cotton used for doilies instead. You would have to modify the pattern. But the crochet size 10 thread would be much lighter, washable and possibly lighter. I'm going to try that.

I can understand about the nylon ones not lasting. For me it is the string that is tied around the nylon scrubbie, not the nylon itself. Still I like the idea of making something of my own.


Cory said ... I just throw my nylon scrubbie in the bleach whites load and through the dryer as well. Mine one was bought at Bed, Bath and Beyond so it was a little more expensive that a dollar, but I have been using the same one for several years with occasional washings. I feel as though I have gotten my monies worth out of it. Hope you come up with an acceptable solution. Take care, Cory


Jude said ... I would have been excited about that too cause I think those nylon ones look awful and I agree - they are expensive for what they are. You need to become a school teacher - you always end up with a few in gift packs at Xmas! There are some great ideas in your comments from the others though!


Hannah said ... I made a knit scrubbie once.. and let me tell you - it failed miserably. It wasn't "scrubby" at all, and it also smelled horribly.

Maybe you should just invest the dollar in buying a scrubby. :P


kristin said ... HA!! i actually knit a washcloth out of twine...the itchy, scratchy kind you tie boxes up with for recycling...not sure WHAT i was thinking!! my skin was raw after one use. i like sara's idea and may try to use tulle. as usual, a great story from you :)


SheltonDHW said ... Walmart & Joann's sell a craft yarn that is for needlework on the plastic grid stuff. It is mad eof nylon. That is what I make my scrubbies out of.


Tasha said ... Is there some reason for throwing out the scrubbies that I don't know about? A month's worth of use seems like far too soon to throw them in a landfill... Could you soak them in a bleach or vinegar solution if you're worried about them being dirty, or wash them as others suggested?


*karen said ... I agree with those who suggested tulle or nylon mesh. I knit a bath glove for myself and the result was what you described. Good thing I didn't give it to a friend as a gift like I'd planned. I've been meaning to try again with some tulle.h


Dale Smith said ... GREAT idea. But... I knit my dishcloths from cotton and, after a while, no matter how often they are washed, they get that stale smell (almost a musty odour). I would like to knit the shower scrubbie from something that will decompose in the landfill, but will be pleasant to use!


AmberCake said ... Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap leaves no residue so they don't get icky, plus it's great soap, plus the label is entertaining.

I think you could wash them in the machine, or buy the $6 ones and wash them in the machine.

Same goes for shower curtains, even the plastic kind.


Angelina said ... Using tulle is a good idea for making something really similar to what you're buying, but I wonder if you'd end up saving in the end? I wonder how much yardage it would take to crochet or knit tulle into a scrubbie?

I never got used to using scrubbies in the first place, I'm a soap-on-a-washcloth kind of gal myself.


Sarah said ... Another vote for tulle!
My Great-Gran used to make these from tulle a looooong time ago but in those days they used them for scrubbing the bath rather than the body. I'm not sure exactly how she did it, but it was a sort of run-the-thread-through-the-tulle-and-gather-tightly-to-make-a-big-flower sort of an affair.
She also make lots of tiny versions of these flowers and sewed them randomly over a larger piece of tulle to make a table cover to keep flies off party food.
She rocked!


ymc said ... just passing through while on a hunt for something else...but being a crafter myself, i couldn't resist. my mom crocheted a scrubby-like thing out of acrylic yarn, as well as kitchen sponges--both work very well and lasts quite long! I LOVE the brain-on-a-string, though!


~M said ... Oh, and whatever you do...don't wash one of the commercial scrubbies and dry it at the laundromat! MELTY, MELTY, MELTY!!!! Yeah, you don't want to know HOW I know! UGH!


Rae Ann said ... I came across this while trying to find a pattern to make a shower puff. I made it out of 3 inch tulle. I haven't used it as I am going to put it in a gift basket. It looks really cool, but seems like it could tear your skin off if you rubbed to hard. Thanks for the pattern link! I'm working on the back scrubber (using tool also) that was on the same link.

 
Rae Ann said ... Oh and on the subject of saving money..youwouldn't. A roll of tulle is $1.59 and it takes two to three rolls. I am not sure exactly since I didn't have any full rolls and made a multi-colored one out of the rolls I had left. I think you can buy a scrubby for $1.00, but I think this homemade one would last forever!