Wonder Cloths
Most of us don’t give much thought to our washcloths and kitchen sponges, but Toockies are no ordinary scrub cloths. Conceived as an alternative to disposable towels and synthetic scrubbers, Toockies are made with 100% organic cotton. The densely knit ribbing is surprisingly great at picking up small crumbs when you’re wiping down the countertops and dislodging baked-on food when you’re scrubbing pots and pans. In the bathroom, used as a personal washcloth, Toockies really get your skin clean without leaving you feeling scrubbed raw.
The inspiration for Toockies spans generations and continents. The design is based on vintage knitted dishcloths that traditionally were given as gifts to homemakers. Anna Marie Stauss knew them as Toockies, named for her mother-in-law’s cousin, and they were a staple in her home. Anna Marie wanted to spread the word about these hardworking kitchen cloths, and she also wanted to find a way to help women who desperately need a source of income. (Anna Marie grew up in a small fishing village in the Azores, where her mother did embroidery work to help support the family.) She joined forces with Jaya Basu, and together they connected with 270 women in Nababpur, India, who’ve been trained to knit the Toockies in fair-trade conditions, providing a critical source of income for their families.
Toockies work hard, last long, and empower women. Everything about these wonder cloths feels good to us.
Anna Marie
In answer to feelings of powerlessness when confronted with the plight of woman in poverty and the ever growing consumption of plastic disposable products filling our lands and seas as they make their way to them, I started the Toockies project with a burning desire to provide sustainable solutions beginning with just one simple little scrub cloth. That was my call to action. I would never have guessed that a hand knit cotton cloth would become a vehicle for transforming the lives of so many beautiful women who otherwise wouldn't have the means to help support their families and begin to transform how women in the US clean their homes and reduce landfills. I am proud and humbled at the same time with what Toockies have become. I am here to answer any questions you have.
Elen Freelander
5/30/2012 1:51 PMYou have manifested a wonderful vision, and brought into existence a way for a group of women in Nababpur, India to earn a fair wage by making a really good product - wow! It's hard finding words to describe how great this is, in so many ways and on so many levels, without sounding goopy or disingenuous, but what you've accomplished is a truly good thing. It is impressive, and inspiring to me personally because I , too, have a desire to help both people and the planet, and specifically with a fiber product.
I would love to talk with you further about this, but for this comment now I will just make a suggestion for Tookies: make them out of HEMP! If you Google hemp you will learn all about how it is the best fiber for too many reasons to list here, but good for the environment, for impoverished farmers and farms, easy to grow, long-lasting fiber, heat, mold and mildew resistant, OMG it's just perfect in every way for cottage industry-type projects! I hope this makes you want to look into it. Regardless, I wish you, and Tookies, the best of luck!
Sincerely,
Elen Freelander
Katherine – Grommet Team
5/30/2012 3:41 PM@ Elen Freelander - we love your passion, too. It's people like you and Anna Marie who are are affecting positive change in the lives of many and we commend you for your efforts. I will put you and Anna Marie in contact with each other.
Anna
6/10/2012 1:27 PMI was just curious about bacteria build-up on these. Do you wash them in the washing machine after each use in the kitchen or can you re-use them several times (for general cleaning or dishes)?
Anna Marie – Special Guest
6/13/2012 12:28 PM@ Anna: Bacteria builds on anything that is left out after cleaning especially if wiping surfaces that had meats on them however, unlike many of the alternatives such as sponges and plastic scrubbers, these do machine wash and become more absorbent with frequent machine washing. The reason we sell these cloths in 2, 3, and 6 packs is so that you can replace them after use with a clean one while the used ones are waiting to be washed with the other laundry at the end of the week. I highly recommend that every house hold have 12 scrub cloths to cycle through during a week.
I keep 3 in the bathroom and the others in a stack near the kitchen sink. You can just rinse and hang cloths that do not come in contact with meats and toss in the wash at the end of the day but if you are using them to clean your counter after cutting up chicken you would really need to replace it with a clean one for further cleaning to avoid cross contamination. Please keep this in mind when using any clean tools…if you can wash to refresh a cleaning tool, it is a great product!
If you want to just run the cloths under hot water to rinse please use your judgement as to the level of contaminate that may have been in contact with the cloth. Personally, unless the cloth has been in contact with meats I rinse under hot water and reuse until the end of the day when I toss it in the laundry and get a clean one out for the next day.
Heidi
10/23/2012 12:39 PM@Anna Marie Stauss
I'm curious as to whether you can use bleach in the wash when you wash these.
Chew-Hoong – Grommet Team
10/23/2012 2:04 PM@Heidi Rubinstein: You can use bleach to strip away any stains and machine wash/dry in any cycle, using any cleaning detergent.
Tamara
10/5/2012 12:41 PMWould like to know if there is an ETA on the out of stock "Multi-Purpose Scrub Cloth", Set of 6.
Thank you!
Chew-Hoong – Grommet Team
10/23/2012 1:50 PM@ Tamara: You can order them now .
Dawn
11/17/2012 7:09 PMGood Evening. Follow up on availability - has there been any time frame offered for when the His and His/Hers sets will be available again?
Thank you -
Desmond – Grommet Team
11/17/2012 10:30 PM@ Dawn I have just sent a message asking when the Men's will be back in stock. As soon as I hear back, I'll post the answer here.
Desmond – Grommet Team
11/18/2012 7:05 PM@ Dawn the "His" will be be back in stock by December 3rd. Thank you for asking. Thank you for your business and for supporting over 1000 small companies whose products we are helping to launch to the world. Our team is always working tirelessly to discover companies that are worth your trust, and want you to have a flawless experience. We take it this work personally.