Sunday 5 November 2017

Thank goodness for rag rugs

Last winter I spent time making a rag rug with cotton/polyester dresses, skirts, table cloths, old cushion covers, duvet covers, etc.  It is in the conservatory replacing an ordinary shop brought one my grandson had vomited on when he arrived for a visit at Xmas.

Luckily, most of this week's visit's vomit in the conservatory landed in the shoe tidy, missing my trainers, and only a bit on the rag rug. A quick sluice off and a quick wash at 30C in the machine and a hang on the line overnight in a Force 6 wind and the rug was back by lunch time!


That said, I will be glad when he grows out of this!

I have an idea for another rag mat. I have accumulated quite a lot of old fleece coats and tops which I am cutting into strips and joining into long lengths on the sewing machine.  These are very worn and thin, reinforcing the current eco concern that the fleece fibres are entering the world's water courses. (see  link to  Guardian article )
So I will not be washing the fleece mat; but how will I dispose of it if the fabric is so toxic?


5 comments:

  1. From what I understand, it is the stuff that comes off in the wash and goes down the drain that is what is causing the problem. But, I think you are right in wondering how to dispose of fleece items. It seems to me that no matter what ideas we have for getting rid of the items, would mean they toxins end up in the waterways. Sorry, can’t help. I try to stick to wool, cotton, linen and silk. I often wonder about bamboo material as it is so processed also.

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  2. Plastic soup in the oceans caused by the fibres that come off fleeces and other man made materials is one of the WI's topics for action next year. Using plastic to make fleeces was hailed as a way to stop pollution on land but has ended up polluting the sea instead!

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  3. I have believed for a long time that recycling adds to pollution. The energy alone used to convert plastic bottles to fleece is enormous. I don't know what size your new rug is but would it be possible to put it inside an old duvet cover for washing and then the fibres would be trapped in the cotton and could be put into the bin? I sometimes despair of all the damage that we continue to do to our world but folks generally think I'm a bit weird eg choosing to walk a distance of 1.5 miles to a meeting rather than use the car. Sadly, we have no grandchildren, but we do our best to secure the future for all thise coming along behind. Catriona

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  4. I often wonder what will be left of our world in a few generations.

    God bless.

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  5. Plastic was hailed as such a fantsstic invention but now its the arch enemy that would be extremly hard to live without. Almost everything we buy these days comes in plastic of some description.

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