Bamboo rugs, towels softer than cotton

CHICAGO, March 16 (UPI) -- Bamboo is not just for bowls and furniture anymore -- the plentiful stem is being processed into rugs and towels for the U.S. market.

Jeff Gold of ANJI Mountain Bamboo Co. displayed the first shag rugs made of bamboo at the International Housewares Association show in Chicago.

"It's really the most sustainable resource out there," Gold said, with some varieties growing a foot a day. The variety used for ANJI's rugs grows 12 feet a year and when it's harvested, four new shoots appear where the original was.

"You don't even have to plant it."

The rugs are 80 percent bamboo and 20 percent cotton and colored using a non-toxic dye. The bamboo is broken into fibers, which are then turned into pulp and finally into yarn. A 4-foot-by-6-foot rug will run $300 to $400 once it hits the stores.

Surprisingly, bamboo can be very soft and absorbent. Mu Kitchen products is offering a line of bamboo towels billed as more absorbent than cotton.

The annual trade show runs through Tuesday at McCormick Place. It is not open to the public.