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SideDoorSoaps

SideDoorSoaps

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The other day a woman had lotion and offered it to another lady we were with and she declined saying she doesn’t use any chemicals on her body anymore and hasn’t used soap in over a year. She only washes with Norwex. Say what!?

Norwex has these microfiber cloths that are supposedly antibacterial because of the silver that is woven into the cloth. Norwex claims that their microfiber products can remove up to 99% of bacteria from a surface when the cloth has been made wet with just water. I found that on a website.

Now I’m down with reducing chemicals and the amount of plastic I have in my life but I’m pretty skeptical about a cloth that claims removal of bacteria with just water. Also, how is microfiber actually made? Is that an environmentally conscious process? Anyone here use Norwex?
 
Perfect timing. I was just invited to a Norwex online party for this Sunday! I think my friend is mainly interested in cutting waste. I wondered the same things about the cloths. I will be curious to see if anyone here has experience with them.
 
Just my opinion, but this company is just another MLM using scare tactics to sell to the mommy blogger types. They sell everything from dish towels to sheets, with claims they have less chemicals. A shampoo that I looked at wasn't anything special & certainly not chemical free, and actually a lot less crunchy than I would have suspected.
And, the "BacLock" products don't remove bacteria from what it's used to clean. It claims it's an "antibacterial agent" that keeps the towels from getting bacteria, mold, and mildew growth after use, so you don't have to wash them as often. o_O
 
I have several Norwex products. Not any of the soaps, but just the cloths and the floor cleaning system. I do really like the two cloths for cleaning windows, using just water. My windows look great (when I clean them LOL) I also use the dusting mitt. The floor cleaning system is good, but I do use a floor cleaning product with them (although you're not supposed to) because just water was not cutting it for my floors, I have mostly hardwood (real, not laminate) and two ceramic tile floors. The cloths are machine washable but you are not supposed to wash them with towels. I'm not sure why. As for the antibacterial properties, I wouldn't trust that at all. I own the things I own because my DIL used to sell Norwex. :)
 
I know nothing about Norwex, but I use and like microfiber cleaning products. I buy from a company called Microfiberwarehouse.com. There is a difference between cheap microfiber and the good stuff, but there's no way to know which is which by just feeling it, IMO. The best solution is to purchase from a company who sells decent microfiber.

Microfiber cloth is able to pick up grease and dirt more easily than regular cloth, so you don't always need soap or other cleansers to get the job done. You don't need the Norwex "magic" to get this benefit -- any good microfiber cloths can do this.

I swear by the smooth surface microfiber glass-cleaning cloths for washing windows and eyeglasses. I use their regular cleaning cloths -- ones with a short fuzzy nap -- for wiping counters, washing dishes, and general cleaning (and I have a few of these cloths in a different color that I reserve for myself for bathing.) They pick up water and spills efficiently and leave the wiped surfaces drier than using a regular cloth. I also like that they dry a lot faster than a cotton washcloth.

The reason why you're not supposed to wash microfiber with other towels is the microfiber will pick up lint from regular towels. That can reduce the microfiber effectiveness. I still wash microfiber and regular towels together, because I never have enough microfiber for a dedicated wash load. But I don't use fabric softener, another no-no.

Microfiber isn't for everything. Never use these cloths for wiping up fibrous stuff like wood shavings. The fibers tangle with the microfiber pile, and you can't get the cloth clean again.
 
I use the microfiber cloths for washing and polishing my windows and mirrors. They do a great job. I just rinse them out in plenty of clear water when I am done using them. That gets them clean enough to use on windows and mirrors.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts! I know that Norwex is expensive and I can’t really justify that for cloths that have claims not really substantiated. I use regular microfiber and I do like them for cleaning but they aren’t like top of the line. I didn’t know that they should be washed separately!
 
I love microfiber cloths. If well-made, they are really and truly great at cleaning up germ-ridden surfaces with only water. I have several Norwex cloths because I happen to have two family members that are Norwex reps.

Are Norwex cloths well-made microfiber cloths? Absolutely! Do I think their interwoven silver is of any benefit? Nah....I'm not convinced....because if not properly washed, Norwex cloths with silver will get just as stinky and bacteria-laden as any other microfiber cloth without silver (ask me how I know :cool:......or you can just do a Google search on *help, my Norwex cloths are stinky!* and see how big of a problem this is).

Do I think Norwex has the absolute best micofiber cloths out there above all others? To date, I have not found any reason to believe that they are better than any other well-made microfiber cloth out there......but they certainly are the most expensive! lol I've chosen to not get into it with my 2 family members that are Norwex reps about it, though, because they are really gung-ho about their Norwex, and well....life is just too short. lol

Anyway, I've found that there are other microfiber cloths out there just as good as Norwex (and all without silver), and much less expensive to boot....E-Cloths being one of them, which you can buy at Ace Hardware and online from Amazon. For what its worth, I also use E-Cloths in my home, and they do just as wonderful of a job. As a matter of fact, I prefer using the E-Cloth window cloth over the Norwex window cloth. I find it works much better with less effort. I also like using the E-Cloth bathroom cleaning cloth over that of the Norwex enviro-cloth for general cleaning. It's plusher in comparison, which I appreciate.

Here's a wonderful website that I found that's run by Dr. Annie Pryor Ph.D, a biochemist who has done several simple, in-home testing of several different brands of microfiber cloths (including Norwex and E-Cloth), and she has posted her testing procedures and results so that you, too, can do the same kind of testing in your home to see how they stack up against the others in removing bacteria with just water: http://www.dranniesexperiments.com/cleaning-cloth-testing

Also, she's done before/after laundering tests on different brands of microfiber cloths and gives instructions on the best way of washing/cleaning them based on her test results of how many colonies of bacteria she's seen get left behind on the cloths after using different methods of washing. How you clean them is very important, because they are truly so good at picking up germs/bacteria and holding onto them that they need extra care when it comes to laundering them. I follow her laundering instructions, part of which is to wash them separately.


IrishLass :)
 
It's funny, I avoid microfibre because i don't like how it feels on my hands and I don't like how I need to wipe after using them because they're not absorbent. I've tried a number of brands over the years but maybe I never had really good ones. The MLM piece alone would scare me away...if your product is any good, why can't you sell it, rather than making money off the backs of the people below you? I'm looking at you, doTerra and Young Living....
 
MGM said:
It's funny, I avoid microfibre because i don't like how it feels on my hands and I don't like how I need to wipe after using them because they're not absorbent. I've tried a number of brands over the years but maybe I never had really good ones. The MLM piece alone would scare me away...if your product is any good, why can't you sell it, rather than making money off the backs of the people below you? I'm looking at you, doTerra and Young Living....
Click to expand...

I can't speak for other microfiber cloths, but Norwex and E-Cloths are very absorbent. You know they're losing their efficacy when they are no longer as absorbent as they once were. Also- they lose their ability to absorb if you you use fabric softener when washing them or dryer sheets when drying them, because softeners coat the microfibers and prevent them from doing their job.


IrishLass :)
 
I have a friend who is 92. He swears by colloidal silver. Apparently there is some research suggesting it does have antimicrobial qualities on skin. My friend eats silver pieces, which I think is a bad idea no matter what. It turns you blue. There is ozone cleaning, but I am of little faith in Norwex. Have a friend who sells it—also to the paranoid mommies.
 
Just a bit of info...I too use norwex and other cloths but if you look of microfibre you will see that the process of making it is not earth friendly nor is it easily biodegradable. So the lady who washes only with the norwex product and thinks she is living healthy will eventually be done in by the poisoned earth :p
 
Gaisy59 said:
Just a bit of info...I too use norwex and other cloths but if you look of microfibre you will see that the process of making it is not earth friendly nor is it easily biodegradable. So the lady who washes only with the norwex product and thinks she is living healthy will eventually be done in by the poisoned earth :p
Click to expand...

I didn’t think the process was very environmentally friendly either. At least with some plastics they are recyclable but I’ve not every heard microfiber being so. I’ve used mine (they aren’t high end) til they were threadbare and then we throw them in the rage box for the guys to use for oil spills and whatnot in the garage.
 
I've heard of Norewex and their claims are dangerous! Silver does not kill bacteria the way they claim, it suppresses the ability of bacteria to multiply. A wash rag woven with silver would be good to prevent it from becoming riddled with germs or a smell, but cleaning with only it and no soap would simply smear around the germs that are already there.

My boyfriend's cousin is a Norwex seller and after she gifted him a bag of their laundry detergent for Christmas I decided to look more into the company. It's an MLM that has there sellers doing all kinds of dangerous behavior to back up their untrue claims. One woman even placed raw chicken on a plate, wiped the plate with only the microfiber rag, then licked it! She is lucky that most commercially sold chicken is heavily regulated to prevent salmonella, but if she had an infected piece of chicken the rag would have done nothing to help her.
 
"Here's a wonderful website that I found that's run by Dr. Annie Pryor Ph.D, a biochemist who has done several simple, in-home testing of several different brands of microfiber cloths (including Norwex and E-Cloth), and she has posted her testing procedures and results so that you, too, can do the same kind of testing in your home to see how they stack up against the others in removing bacteria with just water: http://www.dranniesexperiments.com/cleaning-cloth-testing "


@IrishLass, Thank you so much for that link to Dr. Annie. I spent a good amount of time reading all about her micro fiber testing, and then moved right on to her other testings :). It was quite fascinating and informative.
 

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