What is Natural Coir Fiber?
Coir fiber, or coco fiber, is a 100% natural material that is harvested from the husks of coconuts. Although coconuts are grown all over the world in abundance, most of the coir fiber we use today comes from India and Sri Lanka. These tough and rough fibers are great for making front entrance mats due to their durability and ability to effectively scrape off excess dirt and debris from the bottoms of shoes. In addition, coir fiber provides excellent moisture resistant properties to help keep your interior floors safe from moisture that could cause slip and fall accidents.
Benefits of Natural Coir
Coir is an extremely durable fiber. It is flame-retardant, moisture resistant and tough enough not to break off or degrade over time. Because of this, they are ideal for making outdoor front entrance mats where they can help scrape off dirt and debris from your shoes. Additionally, natural coir fiber is a biodegradable material which makes most coir products eco-friendly. Last but not least, coir is super easy to clean; just simply vacuum or shake the mat to remove dirt and debris trapped within the fibers.
History of Natural Coir
Natural coir fiber has been in use since the ancient times by multiple cultures. Ropes and cordages were some of the most popular uses for coir fiber due to its toughness and durability. For example, in about A.D. 60, a Greek sailor documented the production of coconuts in East African villages who used the fiber to build their boats. Additionally, Arab traders further expanded the use of coir to the region that is now known as Sri Lanka by teaching the residents there how to extract the fiber from the coconut husks.
Natural Coir Today
Today, coir is widely used all over the world and is most popularly used as door mats or boot/shoe scrapers, brooms, rugs and other upholstery. Rubber-Cal offers a whole line of natural coir mats and boot/shoe scrapers. In addition to 100% natural coir mats, to further enhance its non-slip abilities, some coir mats are rubber backed to help keep the mats in place when in use.