The purpose of the material is for it's springiness and ability to fill volume and be a little soft too. The other main consideration is that if you are going to rinse these off every day w/ water. it has to stand up to water and not break down and come out to be breathed in. If it is made of cotton, I'd say no. You can test it by soaking it and pulling on it a little. Also, if you just want to build a bunch of these and start trying to nail size, shape and tuning (bending) form, then don't worry about longevity for now. Good Luck