Coconut trees are very useful! As well as being able to eat the fruit and drink the milk, other parts of the nut and tree have domestic uses. For instance, coconut husks and shells are dried and used as fuel for cooking, and ropes are made from the fibres of the husk by soaking them in water. These ropes are used in constructing canoes, in building houses and making fishing nets. The leaves of the tree are used for sleeping mats, roofing and baskets. Wherever coconut trees grow - Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific islands - these products are found.

Scrubbing brushes, such as the one shown here, are made from the thick outer husk of the coconut. This husk protects the coconut itself. Brushes are used for washing dishes and scrubbing the floor and for polishing shoes. When used with beeswax, the brushes make floors shiny.