About 15-20 years ago, researchers in Norway were looking for an effective means to reduce the proliferation of “super-bugs” most often found in hospitals. The researchers found that microfiber products were an effective alternative to traditional chemical antibacterial products as they not only removed 99.9% of the bacteria but they also didn’t contribute to an ever escalating set of resistant bacteria.
After these microfiber products began to be used in hospital settings, microfiber products were introduced to the home market in Norway. Norwex home products was founded originally in Norway and is the combination of two words, Norway and Experience.
Here are some of the ways I use microfiber products like an Enviro Cloth:
Cleaning bathrooms and kitchen counters and sinks, carpet stains, windows, dusting, mini-blinds, stainless steel, microwaves, tubs, toilets, showers, floors, dishes, cars, etc.
NEW CONTEST: This week I am asking people to post all the ways you use Norwex Microfiber Cleaning products other than the ideas I have listed above. I have prizes for for 10 posters of original ideas.
Prizes will be: Spirinetts (Rust proof stainless steel pot and ovenscrubbers), Spirisponges (Silver coated spong to use on Teflon, indoor grills, porcelain, marble, burnt on foods, bathtub, rust spots on sinks, flat top stoves, etc.), and Dish Cloths (Use anywhere scrubbing action is required such as cleaning soap scum from tubs,dough off counters, bugs off cars, paint off windows, cleaning hand beaters, cheese graters, microwaves, etc).
I will also be awarding a Grand Prize to the most complete and creative, best overall posting of how microfiber products have revolutionized your household cleaning. The Grand Prize will include a Norwex Bath Towel, and a matching Norwex Face Cloth (wash cloth). ($40.00 value)
February 5, 2008: Contest winners are:
Heather J
Janet Duff
Kimborlee Eddy
Kelley
Debbie
Melissa Noakes
Colleen Steffen
Julie Martin
Heather
Breanna
Grand Prize Winner is: Jaly Gross Here is her prize winning post:
I am a homeschooling Mom of 2 busy little boys. They went to Grandma’s for the weekend and all I did was clean. Here are the ways I used my microfiber cloths this weekend:
• Cleaned light switches and switch plates: it even got the grime out of the letters in the words ON/OFF!
• Cleaned eyeglasses.
• Shined stainless steel, chrome, mirrors, candle holders(you know the soot that gets inside), everything is shiny! NO WATER SPOTS!
• Cleaned the white, top part of my dishwasher that is textured and white and NOTHING gets it clean – but my cloth did!
• Shined the fronts of all my bathroom cabinets- they were yucky! It took no time, just a little water on a cloth and a little elbow grease (very little). Soap drips, toothpaste, finger smudges, everything 2 little boys can leave behind – all gone! Got the walls too.
• Dusted the globes to my light fixtures in the bathroom, for maybe the first time since I have lived here. Again, I little spritz and the cloth just easily wiped away all the grime, it just clings to it like a magnet!
• My 6 panel doors to all the rooms and closets in my house are painted white, I thought they all needed to be re-painted. No, they just needed a good wipe down with a microfiber cloth! Way cheaper and easier and faster than paint!
• This is the best: My husband is doing finishing work in the basement and has been cutting stones for the fireplace facing. Therefore the whole house has this really fine dust everywhere, some places a lot more than others. Therfore I have been dusting everything in sight with my microfiber cloths. SO I got to my foyer and on the console table is this really pretty fabric runner made out of different fabrics that I really fear will be ruined if it goes in the washer. So I pick up the candle sticks to dust them and there are circles where they had been on the fabric. Its really dusty. I am bummed that I have no choice but to wash it. So, then I thought, try the microfiber, it might work on fabric. And of course, IT DID. No more circles – it looks good as new!
• Cleaned the dust out of the baskets that sit on the bottom shelf of the console. Unbelievable how it gets into those crevices.
• Dried my dishes.
• Cleaned my telephones and remotes.
• Cleaned residue left from a sticky price tag.
• Cleaned the tv screen.
• Shined my shoes!
• Cleaned the chalk board and white board.
• I think my house will be a lot cleaner now that I have microfiber in my life.
Everything is so shiny and I cleaned things I never clean. Its just so quick and easy, its actually fun! When the kids got home I let them use them too, they had a great time helping me! Can’t wait to try it on the car!
Congratulations to all the prize winners and their creativity!
I can see using those to wipe down car seats, door handles in the house, as well as tucking one in my purse to wipe down those icky shopping cart handles. I am all for the last one I mentioned as I have to sit my 15 month old in the child seat and he likes to chew on the handle. Nasty! I try to wipe it off with a wet wipe, but I know it doesn’t kill all the germs.
(I’m adding your contest to my daily contest roundup for Wed. on my blog too).
Well, I’m not sure if you have to actually own these to participate. But, if I had some, I would use them to clean my wicker furniture that sits on my front porch. My cats rest on these and leave their hair, and the dust from our road is a real issue. I think these cloths would definately help the furniture be more sanitary and nicer for company to sit on. I’llhave to look into purchasing some!
Besides chemical-free cleaning, which is necessary with a household member that has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, microfiber clothes are great for scratch-free cleaning of eyeglasses and laptop screens.
Also, since you don’t need chemicals, they are great for getting children in the habit of cleaning and helping around the home.
This morning I used one of the cloths to clean the toilet bowl. I wrapped the brush part of the toilet brush with it and got the bowl sparkling clean, especially the underside part. It cleaned much better than just the brush alone.
Two uses that have been revolutionary for me are: 1. I no longer use glass cleaners I simply spray my windows and mirrors with water and wipe them down with the cloth. Because it is a micro fiber there is never any streaking. Some of my tables have glass inserts on them and now I don’t worry about little kid fingerprints or worry about if any chemical is getting on my childrens hands as they MAKE the fingerprints. 2. Cleaning my hardwood floor without chemicals. I use one wet cloth and one dry cloth and the results are a shiny (non filming) floor and a good shoulder workout.
I use microfiber cloths to clean the glass on my wood stove. It will get ash and burnt on black from the logs touching the glass or being to close. I have tried just regular washcloths and had to scrub till I was wore out but it was still not clean. A dab of water and a microfiber it is clean in no time.
I also use them as diapers for my son. Just fold them till they fit and you have a great diaper. I also have used them to clean up the baby explosions the best washcloth ever.
The Enviro Cloth is probably the best cloth I have ever used for cleaning the edges and creases of my washing machine and dryer. It collects all of the “crud” from inside the washer’s seams and parts. As far as the dryer, you can remove almost all of the lint from behind your filter with just this cloth and your hand. No need to pull everything apart and get your vaccume out. Plus, I feel like the washing machine can be such a germ magnet, the ease of cleaning it makes me feel like we are more germ free.
And.. yes, Laura, these clean your car better than ANY other cloth or product around!
Hi, What an interesting giveaway contest! I have been researching microfiber clothes because I have friend and relatives who swear by them. I have found out that a well-made microfiber cloth should be very soft and absorbent! Also, one is never supposed to use fabric softener when washing the clothes. I have purchased a couple and have found them useful and more “green” to use than paper towels! They are excellent at cleaning a camera lens. I am still iffy about using microfiber on my computer monitor screen. They do well on glass surfaces. What I found really interesting about the microfiber clothes is their use in hospitals. I love a mom and a brother, four months apart in 2000. Both had Staph infections! Along with all the other precautions that hospital employees need to take, the microfiber cloth is helping to reduce staph germs.
If you immerse the cloth in disinfectant and then clean the hospital room,
it is more effective and reducing staph infections! My friend is an infectious disease control nurse. All in all, they are a wonderful product! Cindi
These sound great. We live in the desert and these sound great for wiping down the dusty outdoor furniture. I also use them at work on my desk, keyboard and computer screen. Giving the TV screen an occasional wipe can help too!
Well, I too would use them as diapers also as a blankie- my son likes to cart his everywhere and this way I would not have to worry about germs!
I would love to use a cloth or two for tanning. I could use a good towel for tanning as well as for cleaning. My two year old is messy and she loves to get into my makeup, they would be great for cleaning faces with makeup on them. Thanks for letting me enter!!
I don’t use them to clean. We have a pool and this past summer I was doing loads and loads of beach towels. One day we had 13 boys in the pool and no one brings their own towels, get the picture? Anyway, I figured if a microfiber towel can dry a car they can dry a body. So I bought a bunch, and sure enough, saved me a ton of money I am sure and they dry themselves quite quickly!
I’m going switching to more organic cleaning—less chemicals.
Please put my name in the hat for this drawing
I use similar microfiber cloths for cleaning the linoleum floor. Have you ever noticed the bumps and raised areas on the linoleum to create the patterns? Then you’ve seen the crud that regular mopping does not remove. I discovered by washing the floor with microfiber cloths gets the floor REALLY clean!! Much better if you’ll have your husband use his biceps 🙂
I bought the Mother’s Helper package of Norwex cloths from Urban Homemaker so I got a window cloth, a cleaning cloth, and dust mitt. The day mine came in the mail, I headed to the car with all 3 wet cloths. The windows were left sparkly and streak free. I dusted the dash with the wet dust mitt, then hit the dirt with the wet cleaning cloth. It did wonders on our dash, steering wheel, and especially all the vinyl in the back of the van where my 3 boys sit. My husband was amazed when he saw the van! We now keep a window cloth in the glove box to clean the windshield when condensation forms.
Inside the house I was most pleased with how the cloth cleaned my refrigerator (the top was awful–greasy dust) and my painted walls. I couldn’t always clean the walls to my satisfaction as I didn’t want to use chemicals that would damage my paint job. Now I just swipe with it with my Norwex cloth–no more dirt, no damaged paint.
The dust mitt is great for cleaning the fluted shaped glass globes on my light fixtures and for dusting furniture like my old piano that has carved legs.
I plan to get a window and cleaning cloth for my mother-in-law. She has a black topped stove that always looks streaked after she cleans it. She has to use lots of different sprays and lots of paper towels to get it mostly streak-free. I think she’ll be thrilled with these cloths! I sure am. Thank you for letting us know about them.
This is not original, but I am very enthusiastic about it. I was able to teach my 5 year-old how to clean the bathroom all by himself. He uses the window cloth to clean the door mirror for the shower and the sink mirror. He uses the microfiber cloth to clean the sink and toilet. He also makes sure that the area around the sink and toilet is wiped clean with the cloth.
On Tuesday mornings before school, I hand him both cloths and he goes to work while I teach the younger children how to do something by themselves. I love this chemical free stuff!
ps. (This is original) When he is done in the bathroom, I go in with the cloth and wipe down the wallpaper and tile around the toilet. It works great, and I don’t have to scrub with soap and water!
I have the dust mitt, the green cleaning cloth and the yellow drying cloth and I absolutely love them! I am constantly finding new ways to use them. With six children in the house, it gets lots of “wear and tear”. One child’s duty is to clean a bathroom per day (we have three). He cleans the mirrors, counters & sink and toilet with cleaning & drying cloth. No worry about chemicals!. We clean our walls with it, door knobs (which can get very sticky :), tv & computer screens, the marble at our fireplace, all of our windows and especially our sliding glass door! It is also excellent for removing toothpaste from walls and trim. (Don’t ask me how toothpaste gets all over our house ~ I guess the bathrooms are usually full so they brush teeth downstairs in the kitchen or wherever they can!). Jus this week, my daughter dropped a 5 gallon container of ranch dressing we had just purchased from Sam’s. Of course, she was on the carpet when she dropped it and it went everywhere. We tried every known remedy but still had a greasy, dark stain. I tried the cleaning cloth and was amazed! It worked better than anything. I also used the cleaning cloth for the first time on the bathtub soap scum and it worked very well. I had to use a little bit of “elbow grease” but was very pleased. I love these cloths and am saving money for the mop system next!
Forgot to add that I use them to clean the baby’s highchair tray and for wiping down her toys. Before I would spray them with lysol and wipe off but was concerned with a sticky residue remaining that she might ingest. The green microfiber cleaning cloth is great for this and there is no residue!
Well this one will be different. I milk a cow every day. This time of the year she is very uh…muddy, yeah. So I use an enviro cloth to wipe her udder down so I can have nice clean milk. It works the best of anything! The amazing thing is…I rinse and use the same cloth for a week and then throw it into the washer. It rinses well and doesn’t smell. I also like the blue dish cloth for washing eggs. It has a nubby side that cleans them very well. I can see and feel very confident the cloths are cleaning well and sanitizing as they go! I highly recommend them and all of the norwex products.
We use our microfiber clothes many of the ways listed above – cleaning the bathrooms (both 7-year-olds can do it alone and they’ve never been cleaner), hand mopping the floor, mirrors, etc. We’ve also used them to clean colored pencils and crayons off the walls (just water!) as well as nasty marker fingerprints, you know, the kind where the child draws all over their hands and arms and then remembers that they aren’t supposed to so they run their hands all over the walls to ‘get the marker off’. Microfiber takes them right off.
It takes all sorts of sticky stuff off of all sorts of surfaces – floors, high chairs, walls (like the ketchup all over the wall by the garbage can). I’m always amazed at how little effort is required to wipe off something that’s been glued there forever. It’s lovely for getting the brown burnt stuff on my stovetop.
Two of us use microfiber to clean our glasses.
We also use them to sanitize door knobs, counters, toys and other surfaces – we like to use vinegar, hydrogen peroxide or the occassional essential oil. We dust with them too.
I can’t really think of much we don’t do with them!
I love to use microfiber for washing dishes, and there is nothing that dries them better. I use them to dry my hair after a shower. It just absorbs so well, and I drippy hair.
Hi there!
I passed on and awarded you the “Excellent Blog” award. You can read what I wrote about you here: http://homesteadblogger.com/kerimae/85570/
If you participate in these things, then please pick up the award and rules from here: http://ourdevinefamily.blogspot.com/2008/01/made-my-day.html(as my blog is copy-safe).
If you do not participate, please take no offense from my ignorance in this; just know I appreciate your blog and wanted to say thank you.
Blessings,
Keri
A few years ago, I was having severe headaches. I began using microfiber cloths in place of chemicals. Even though I later found out that I had a pituitary tumor, chemicals still trigger headaches for me. That is why I have continued to use them. We have wood heat, so I use them most often for dust on everything, mostly electronics. I have also found them to be the Best way to clean the film that accumulates on the inside of car windshields. They completely eliminate streaks and glare, making driving much safer. My kitchen cabinets are painted an off white and the cloths clean them right up. The best thing is that I can get so much more done because I feel so much better (no headache) than when I use chemicals.
How about a teaching prompt! My son thought it was very fun to use the car cloth and then the window cloth to wash the car windows. So he came up with the idea of starting a car wash business.
He made up flyers with a sales slogan. Something about no soap needed and he could use the customers own water! He did up flyers with different prices incuding washing windows outside or inside the car.
We have not followed throught on the idea but you know… If he could be washing cars and windows…. I could be selling car cloths and window cloths on the side….. Hey maybe this IS a good idea!
I’ss see if I can get time to post on my blog about his idea and include a picture of the flyer he made up. Not sure I’ll have time today.
I have the best idea! I have five boys and we have five rooms in our home…each boy gets a room and a cloth each morning. We alternate rooms each weeks. This way mom gets much needed help without worrying about all those chemicals…and they can’t say it didn’t get clean:)
I like the way they clean fan blades without leaving spots on the cheap laminate wood! I also rubber banded one to my broom and slid it, cloth side up, under my furniture where my hand cannot go. I brought it out to find a “hair-net” of cobwebs from under there. NO WAY would I ever just stick my hand under there in case the spiders are still at home.
They also worked great on electronics and computer screens. Also, on the rungs of my staircase… there’s a tedious job that, when done with spray cleaner, is impossible to get all the cleaner wiped off effectively. Too many nooks and crannies.
My cat loved the way they felt and would pick one out of the clean laundry and start kneading it with his claws. Bad cat! Now I don’t have any more of them since the last one I had was used to check the oil in the van. Bad Dad! but quickly forgiven :o)
Although our baby raising days are over, I’ve always thought it would be such a good idea to use a lot of sewing scraps to make up diapers. If you could use your pretty scraps for the outer surface, you could use the microfiber materials for the absorbent inside layers. I’ve even seen free diaper patterns on the internet. Today’s diapering mama’s maybe not like the idea so well, but some of those new patterns are so easy there is no folding involved to apply them and they can be so cute, coordinated to outfits even. I know I would have used them had I known of any such fabric as this. Just a thought!
I am a homeschooling Mom of 2 busy little boys. They went to Grandma’s for the weekend and all I did was clean. Here are the ways I used my microfiber cloths this weekend:
• Cleaned light switches and switch plates: it even got the grime out of the letters in the words ON/OFF!
• Cleaned eyeglasses.
• Shined stainless steel, chrome, mirrors, candle holders(you know the soot that gets inside), everything is shiny! NO WATER SPOTS!
• Cleaned the white, top part of my dishwasher that is textured and white and NOTHING gets it clean – but my cloth did!
• Shined the fronts of all my bathroom cabinets- they were yucky! It took no time, just a little water on a cloth and a little elbow grease (very little). Soap drips, toothpaste, finger smudges, everything 2 little boys can leave behind – all gone! Got the walls too.
• Dusted the globes to my light fixtures in the bathroom, for maybe the first time since I have lived here. Again, I little spritz and the cloth just easily wiped away all the grime, it just clings to it like a magnet!
• My 6 panel doors to all the rooms and closets in my house are painted white, I thought they all needed to be re-painted. No, they just needed a good wipe down with a microfiber cloth! Way cheaper and easier and faster than paint!
• This is the best: My husband is doing finishing work in the basement and has been cutting stones for the fireplace facing. Therefore the whole house has this really fine dust everywhere, some places a lot more than others. Therfore I have been dusting everything in sight with my microfiber cloths. SO I got to my foyer and on the console table is this really pretty fabric runner made out of different fabrics that I really fear will be ruined if it goes in the washer. So I pick up the candle sticks to dust them and there are circles where they had been on the fabric. Its really dusty. I am bummed that I have no choice but to wash it. So, then I thought, try the microfiber, it might work on fabric. And of course, IT DID. No more circles – it looks good as new!
• Cleaned the dust out of the baskets that sit on the bottom shelf of the console. Unbelievable how it gets into those crevices.
• Dried my dishes.
• Cleaned my telephones and remotes.
• Cleaned residue left from a sticky price tag.
• Cleaned the tv screen.
• Shined my shoes!
• Cleaned the chalk board and white board.
• I think my house will be a lot cleaner now that I have microfiber in my life. Everything is so shiny and I cleaned things I never clean. Its just so quick and easy, its actually fun! When the kids got home I let them use them too, they had a great time helping me! Can’t wait to try it on the car!
Dry microfiber cloths will clean off any greasy film on kitchen things. I bake bread and the scale, timer and mixer I use had a greasy film on them. It wouldn’t wash off, so I tried a dry microfiber cloth and it came right off.
Ok I just came up with another one. I just went down to my 16 yr olds room and guess what he was doing with the Cleaning Paste? Using it on his stone to sharpen his knives….. said it works great!
Life with boys!
I am always trying something out of the box. I consume and store lots of fresh vegetables. I like everything as natural as possible with no chemicals. I do not trust plastic bags or tupperware, especially the new plastic that is supposed to be antibacterial. I use glass bowls with lids. I used to use paper towel in the bottom of my bowls to absorb moisture – this keeps prolongs your vegetables shelf life. Then I found out paper towels have bleach in them that can leach into your food. Now, I use microfiber clothes. They work great. Try them and you will be suprised to see how much longer your vegetables last. You can also the cloths to line your refrigerator drawers.