Coir mats are made from tough and durable coconut husks. These husks are separated into different types of coir fibers, with the longer fibers being used to make these doormats. However, before the different types of coir can be separated and regulated to their respective applications, the coconut husks themselves need to soak for extend periods of time. This soaking allows the husks to be loosened and more easily susceptible to the various processes that make for the easy extraction of the varying kinds of coir.

First, coconuts are collected from family owned plantations (as an aside: feel proud that, when using a coir mat, you are supporting a family-owned small business). Next, the adult coconut husks are left to soak in fresh water for periods of up to 6 months. Juvenile, green coconut husks are placed in saltwater for up to 8-12 months! The purpose of this is to abet a process called “retting.” Retting is a kind of controlled decomposition where natural microbes are cultivated in the husks of the soaking coconuts. These microbes aid in the breaking down of the future-coir mat fibers and are partially responsible for the firm yet comfort able composition these doormats are known for. These microbes help to refine the coconut husk into pure coir and, once the soaking and retting process is complete, the coir is collected and spread out to dry. Drying the wet husks for a sufficient period of time is essential to helping retain the firmness that makes a coir door mat so useful. Because a coir doormat is only as good as the material it’s made from, it’s easy to see why so much time and effort is put into the process of its creation.

Once the coir has dried, it is then taken on to the next step of production: the separating of the fibers from one another and the distribution of the fibers to different applications. The soaking process is a critical step to the creation of coir mats and its importance cannot be underestimated. No doormat made from coir would be the same without this process!