It may come at no surprise to many of you all that I am luffa obsessed! If you’re new here and not sure what a luffa is, be sure to check out my full growing details here. No it doesn’t come from the ocean, it is a vine grown gourd when dried out turns into a fibrous sponge! I started growing these in my backyard back in 2021 and now they are a staple to grow every year. I did find some XL (it was 3 foot long!) luffas at the grocery store last year, and a lot of the below crafts are using those. I get so much satisfaction from being able to grow your own sponge!
In this post I’m going to share 10 useful and unconventional ways to use luffas that go beyond just a sponge. I show you how you can incorporate the entire plant into some fun upcycles. Let’s go!
1. Make your own sponge. You can easily cut out any shape you want. Start by cutting out two equal shapes then just stuff some little bits of luffa inside both shapes. Then hand sew the entire thing together. I personally like to use 100% cotton cooking twine. You can even go a step further and dye the luffa. I’ve had success with using hibiscus to get a nice red/pink color. Eventually this color will fade over time. However I like how it doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals. Which means it’s still fully compostable at the end of its life. Makes for a great gift as well.
2. Cut out stamp. When cut out in small pieces you even have a little stamp, which makes for an eco friendly craft session. It doesn’t give the smoothest edge for a stamp, but it does still do the job. Don’t throw out your stamp after finished, see the below step and what you can turn it into.
3. Decor party banner. After stamping attach some twine and now you have some cute party decor.
4. Use in floral arrangements. I originally found this arrangement in Trader Joe’s and I knew I couldn’t pass it up!
5. Mood lighting. I recently discovered I could add some little LED lights inside a luffa for a cute little lantern look. You’ll want to look for litle wire, flexable fairylights. The battery pack is hidden inside the luffa. (Plus I use rechargeable batteries). I just had to cut out a little hole for it to sit inside. I have this one on my bathroom counter and I love it.
6. A lamp. Yes you heard that right. This may be a little out there but when your luffa obsessed this is the perfect project! This is my vanity bathroom light. I simply removed the existing glass shades and cut the inside of the luffa. The LED lightbulbs then rest inside the luffa. It’s fits snugly inside and doesn’t fall off. I’m not too worried about starting any fires and here’s why. First it’s an LED light, so they are soft to the touch. Second this is a bathroom light, which means it’s rarely used throughout the day compared to other lights. Of course use your own caution when doing this project. I personally love this project and it makes me smile every time I go into the bathroom!
7. Jewelry holder. The fibrous sponge of a luffa is perfect for holding things like dangling earrings. It’s sure to be a statement piece.
8. Wreath. Don’t throw out those vines after they have died back. I like to save mine to make some fun wreaths. Simply wrap and weave the vine to make your desired shape. Sometimes the vine can be a bit brittle and break. To avoid that try soaking your vines in water to help with that. Don’t forget to add a little luffa decor on your wreath.
9. Cat toys. Using your dried out vines again. Wrap the vine to form a little ball. We have a few neighborhood cats that like to hang out with me while I’m gardening. This is the perfect cat toy for that.
10. Seed starter. Add some soil and you can start seeds. You’ll need to make a little removable piece to add to the bottom so the soil doesn’t fall out. Also be sure to cut the inside of the luffa to make room of the soil. Its a one of a kind compostable planter! Yes you can even directly sow into the ground.
And for an extra bonus if you have kids you can make some fun play binoculars for them. I would recommend to add some ribbon on the end so it isn’t sharp against their skin and/or eyes. Makes for a cute Valentine 😊
Hope you enjoyed these ideas! Which one was your favorite? Don’t forget if you’re interested in growing your own luffas, check out my post here.
Hi Amber! Thanks for the great ideas on how to use luffas! We grow them in our 4-H Garden & Bee Club garden! One great use we have found is to slice the luffa into rounds, put them into silicon soap molds and fill each mold up with heat & pour soap. These little soaps make great scrubbies to get off sticky stuff like the propolis you might get on your hands when working with your bee hives!
Hi Adele! So happy to hear you grow luffas as well 🙂 Great tip on adding to the soap, I’ll have to try that out. Happy bee keeping 🙂