When and how to Launder / Wash your Norwex or e-cloth ® Microfiber Cloths

YES, you do have to wash your antibacterial microfiber cloths with silver!

Last week alone, 8 people asked me how often and how to wash their Norwex antibac microfiber cloths. So if you’re confused, trust me when I say you’re not alone. Interestingly, it’s NOT a question that I get about e-cloth ® microfiber. I’m certain it’s the darned antibacterial silver in the Norwex cloths causes so much confusion.

So before we start, if you haven’t already done so, please read my post on how the antibacterial silver in Norwex (and the Professional e-cloth ®) works.

OK, that’s out of the way.

As for washing and laundering your Norwex and e-cloth ® microfiber cloths, a little common sense and your best judgement go a long way. Lets hope this helps you out.

Disclaimer:

Keep in mind these are my suggestions. They’re not set in stone. I have no idea what you’ve been cleaning or how frequently. This is the method that works for me so please don’t come after me if this method doesn’t work for you (unless you think I’ve made a mistake here or should add something).

How and When to Clean your Norwex and e-cloth ® Microfiber Cloths

1. If you’ve used your microfiber cloth for light cleaning (eg. wiping the table, a small spill, the stove top, the outside of appliances, cupboards, etc.) rinse the cloth out in HOT water with a bit of dish soap. Give it a good rinse afterwards with HOT water to get the soap out (the rinsing of the soap is especially important for microfiber cloths with silver in them). Then hang it to dry and you’re good to go again.
2. If you’ve used your microfiber cloth to clean areas where the bacteria level is high (like around the toilet, to clean raw meat juices, the garbage can, etc.), you need to wash it in your washing machine. YES, EVEN THE MICROFIBER CLOTH WITH ANTIBACTERIAL SILVER. I always rinse it in my sink in HOT water with a bit of dish soap first for good measure (because it could be days before I actually throw it in the wash). Like I said above, rinse again to get the soap out.
3. If you’ve been dusting with your microfiber cloth, just brush it off or shake it out (outside) and you’re good to go again.
4. If your antibacterial microfiber cloth with silver starts to stink, try boiling it for 10 – 15 minutes with a bit of dish soap (again, rinse the soap out afterwards)
5. If you microfiber cloth starts to get stiff, try boiling it for 10 – 15 minutes with a bit of dish soap (again, rinse the soap out afterwards).
6. If your microfiber cloth starts to look really dirty – this is normal and mostly unavoidable over time. The microfiber grabs the dirt and just doesn’t like to let it go. Hot water will open the fibers and release more of the dirt/grease so try boiling it for 10 – 15 minutes with a bit of dish soap (again, rinse the soap out afterwards). This is why I recommend always washing in HOT water.
7. In my opinion, you should be laundering your microfiber cloths – with or without antibacterial silver – at least once a week. By “laundering”, I mean a proper wash in the washing machine on the HOT setting.
8. No, you do not have to use the Norwex Ultra Power Plus detergent to clean your Norwex cloths (or any other microfiber cloth). Ideally, you’ll use a detergent that dissolves easily and has no fillers – especially if you’re washing a microfiber cloth with antibacterial silver in it because it’s important that the silver not end up coated after it’s washed. You want all the detergent to wash out of the cloth. The Norwex detergent is good. The problem I have with it (and this is no secret) is it’s price. If you’re looking for a good, non-filler, concentrated detergent that dissolves easily and rinses away completely, look no further than one of a million cloth diapering sites. Here is a good link that provides a lot of information on detergents that are reasonably priced and easily accessible. In my opinion, if it’s good enough for cloth diapers, it’s good enough for your microfiber cloths. That being said, you can use ANY detergent as long as it does not contain bleach or fabric softener. If your antibacterial cloth starts to get stinky (which may happen if soap is not being rinsed out), refer to number 4 above.
9. Wash and dry (yes, you can put your Norwex and e-cloth ® microfiber cloths in the dryer) your microfiber cloths with non-lint items.
10. Do not use bleach (it destroys the fibers) or fabric softener. If you accidentally wash or dry your cloth with liquid fabric softener or a dryer sheet, DON’T WORRY. You haven’t ruined the cloth. It may not work perfectly the next time you use it (especially if you’re dusting since it won’t have any “charge” to it) but the softener will be washed out over the next few washings.

I’m writing this in a bit of a hurry as a certain 10 month old is waking from his nap so it’s entirely possible that I’ve left something out here. If you have anything to add, please do! I love to get comments and I’m sure they’ll be helpful to others too.

I’ll just add that it’s no secret that I use Charlie’s Soap for ALL of our laundry. It’s a little pricey up here in Canada (unless you order the mega-box, for which you pay an arm and a leg in shipping) but well worth it. If you live in the states, the cheapest I’ve found it is at www.marmeedear.com. Their 4 gallon bucket deal is amazing – especially since it has free shipping!

e-cloth ® Rated Best Washable Microfiber Cloth & Mop by REAL SIMPLE & Featured on the Today Show!

I’m going to be famous! OK, I’m not going to be famous. But e-cloth ® is. If you haven’t already heard, the e-cloth ® Deep Clean Microfiber Mop will be featured on the Today Show (May 4, 2012 – 4th hour)!

Why?

Because it’s a darned good mop (see my e-cloth and Norwex microfiber mop reviews here) and REAL SIMPLE Magazine rated e-cloth ® as Best Washable Mop as a part of their “The Definitive Cleaning Products Road Test” article!

Actually, e-cloth ® was rated #1 in Three Categories by REAL SIMPLE:

1. Best Washable Mop (ecloth ® Deep Clean Microfiber Mop)
2. Best Microfiber Cloth (ecloth ® General Purpose Cloth)
3. Best Scrubber (ecloth ® Washing up Pad)

Thank you REAL SIMPLE and the Today Show for telling the world what I already knew: e-cloth ® is Number 1!

Sorry Norwex.

e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth Review – Finally a Dusting Cloth that Picks up EVERYTHING!

In a Nutshell: If this was a mitt, I’d give it 5 stars. This cloth goes above and beyond the call of dusting duty. It picks up very fine particles like drywall dust and pet hair clings to it like a magnet. LOVE IT!

I started using the Norwex Dusting Mitt a couple of years ago and have come to appreciate the “handiness” of the mitt, so when I pulled the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth out of the package I was a bit disappointed.

It’s thin and it doesn’t have the typical microfiber feel. To be honest, it just felt like a piece of fleece fabric with a nicely finished edge.

But hold on a minute folks. The e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth is one good duster and the fleecy feel is the key!

Note: I’m going to focus this review on the e-cloth ® dusting cloth but will do a bit of a e-cloth versus Norwex comparison at the end. So if that’s what you’re looking for, scroll down.

How Does the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth Work?

GEEK ALERT: a few facts for you science-minded folk:

1. the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth is 100% polyester microfiber.
2. Polyester has a negative electrical charge. This is important because… wait for it… are you ready? drum roll, please….
3. most airborne particles like pollen, dust, and smoke carry a positive electrical charge
4. The negatively charged e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth pulls those positively annoying little dust particles right in and the millions of little microfibers hold onto that dust and DO NOT LET IT GO.

How is the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth Different from Other Microfiber Dusters?

Well, most other microfiber dusters – including the Norwex Dusting Mitt – are made of a polyester/polyamide mix. Polyamide carries a positive charge so… you guessed it… it actually repels some dust.

Kate’s Home Dusting Tests

I could spend a week dusting my house and when I was done, I’d have to start again. Never have you seen dust like there is in my house. So the question was, where to start? I’ve used the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth all over my house but of course only occasionally think to take a picture.

Test 1: The Stairs

I know not everyone dusts their stairs but I find it easier than sweeping or – God forbid – vacuuming them. My stairs are a major collection point for dust and dog hair. Need proof?

Dust and dog hair on my stair case.

Here’s a revealing snapshot of one of my stairs 2 days after I vacuumed it. Go ahead and click on it for a gross zoomed in view. Now you see what I’m up against. Why would I haul the vacuum out every 2 days when I could just dust this mess up?

So, I tackled the stairs with the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth and this is what I found:

1. It picked up pet dander, drywall dust (have I mentioned we’re renovating?), some bits of I don’t know what, a piece of sand and a lot of dog hair.
2. It got all the dust in the corners around the spindles and along the wall
3. Mostly I was impressed by the actual picking up (instead of corralling) of the dog hair. See it on this picture? Go ahead and click on it. You can see how I had the cloth folded into 4 and the hair is all over the cloth, not just along the edges. This is a big improvement over the Norwex Dusting Mitt (take a look at my Norwex Dusting Mitt review) and my Swiffer duster that’s been sitting unused in my cupboard for 2 years. Granted, this could be a factor of the kind of dogs we have (coarse-haired Labrador Retrievers). I can’t say how it would work on fluffy cat hair or that from a Golden.

Test 2: Ceiling Light Shades

This is a job I don’t do often. Ummm… Now this is embarrassing…In 11 years of living in this house, this is the 2nd time I’ve cleaned these shades. Possibly it’s because I find the fixture hideous and try not to look at it. Possibly it’s because I’m lazy. In any case, they were D-U-S-T-Y, dusty.

My hideous and dusty lamp shade. Yes, that IS a dead fly on it.

The e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth did a really good job on these. It glides smoothly over the glass and picked up all the dust, even in the crevasses – I didn’t have to work the cloth at all to get into any of those little grooves. It just got the dust somehow . It took about 20 seconds to do each one and as far as I could tell, the dusting cloth was picking up all the dust – not letting it fall away.

How do I know this you ask? Well…

Ideally, I would have dusted these right on the fixture because I was pretty confident that the Dusting Cloth wasn’t going to let a lot of dust drop to the floor. But I had a bit of time on my  hands the day I tackled this job so I decided to do a little experiment and compare the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth to the Norwex Dusting Mitt.

So I took all the shades off and put them on some black paper so I could see if the e-cloth or Norwex mitt let any dust fall off the shades as I was dusting.

They both did a really good job although it took a bit more work with the Norwex Dusting Mitt (maybe because of the whole electric charge thing I talked about above) and the darned piping on the Norwex Dusting Mitt (see my review of the Norwex Mitt for a rant on this most annoying design flaw) picked up some of the dust and then promptly let it fall off the mitt. You can see the little balls of dust in the picture, below.

The e-cloth Dusting Cloth didn’t let any dust fall off the shade.

And here’s where my genius (or lack of it) comes in to prove it. See the picture on the right? Click on it to zoom in. Now see the dog hair on the left? That fell off my sweater. And see that little speck on the right? That’s a sesame seed. That came from my 3 year old son who was eating granola and sneezed the instant I snapped the picture.

If I had bothered to tamper with the results, don’t you think I would have taken the time to move that bloody sesame seed out of the shot? Trust me – the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth did not let any dust fall.

Test 3: Blinds

I’m really taking one for the team here folks. I don’t do blinds. We had blinds in our old apartment and when we first moved in I stupidly decided to clean them by throwing them in the tub. I sliced my hands to bits and spent hours cleaning that mess.

My one set of blinds before dusting with e-cloth

So when we moved into this house and I saw the blinds, I quickly took them all down. All but one. And it’s been hanging there, uncleaned, ever since. Just so I could do this test. Hee hee.

This set of blinds is so neglected that I haven’t even used my Norwex Dusting Mitt on it and I hear it’s great for them (so obviously there won’t be any comparison here).

The blinds AFTER dusting with e-cloth

I spent 2 minutes cleaning the blinds with the e-cloth ® Dusting cloth and here’s what I noticed:

1. I didn’t cut my hands
2. the cloth slid easily over the blinds and across the string and picked up pretty much all the dust except right beside the string. I didn’t spend any extra time or effort trying to get that though
3. there didn’t appear to be any dust on the windowsill when I was done
4. the blinds looked and felt clean when I was done
5. the e-cloth was still looking pretty clean so I dusted my favorite piece of pottery and the table in the hall afterwards

Starfish pottery bowl made & dusted by me.

What does the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth Dust Well?

To be honest, I haven’t found anything that it doesn’t dust well. Aside from the examples above, I’ve used it with great success to dust:

• pictures and frames
• the stereo (remember to turn the stereo off 15 minutes before you dust to get rid of the static charge it generates)
• wooden furniture
• fabric and glass lamp shades
• the top of the fridge
• ceiling fans – and you don’t have to worry about dust falling to the floor
• crown molding, baseboards, doors and trim
• cobwebs and spider webs
• the ceiling and walls (unbelievably I often find dog hairs on our walls)
• knickknacks
• baskets
• the back of the TV (again, turn your TV off 15 minutes before you dust and WARNING: do not use the dusting cloth on the screen. Use the e-cloth ® screen cleaning pack instead)
• inside your car – try it on the dash!
• am I missing anything here?

How Does the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth Compare to the Norwex Dusting Mitt?

• Well, obviously the e-cloth is not a mitt. Comfort wise, I’m partial to the mitt but admittedly I only ever use one side of it because I just can’t get used to dusting with my left hand. The mitt may be better for people with arthritis.
• The e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth is 100% polyester microfiber that feels like fleece. The Norwex Dusting Mitt is a polyester/polyamide mix that has that typical microfiber feel.
• The Norwex Mitt is more plush than the e-cloth ® dusting cloth, but it doesn’t get dust out of grooves or corners as easily as the e-cloth (likely due to that whole electrical charge thing)
• the e-cloth® Dusting Cloth picks up hair from my dogs. The Norwex Mitt absolutely does NOT.
• There are some types of dust in my house that the Norwex Mitt won’t pick up but the e-cloth ® Dusting cloth will. It may be plaster dust from our ceilings, I’m not sure.
• They both make dusting a whole lot easier and without the use of chemical sprays
• Norwex offers a 2 year warranty. e-cloth ® offers a “300 Washings” (about 6 years) warranty
• The Norwex mitt costs $16.99. The e-cloth Dusting Cloth is $9.99 for 2.

Pros:

• the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloth picks up dust. What else could you want?
• no chemical sprays or polishes are required
• when it’s full, you can shake it out or brush it off and continue using it
• it’s washable and guaranteed for 300 washes!
• it’s got a natural electrical charge that attracts dust so you don’t have to work to get dust out of corners and grooves
• it picks up dog hair
• you can dust ceiling fixtures (lights and fans) without worrying about dust falling on to the floor/counter/bed/your breakfast…

Cons:

• it’s not a mitt

For more information or to purchase a 2-pack of the e-cloth ® Dusting Cloths, visit eclothUSA.com or eclothCANADA.com

Enjo versus Norwex versus e-cloth – Real, honest reviews by real people.

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Cruising around the net looking for real, honest, reviews of Enjo, Norwex and e-cloth can be a frustrating experience. Just when you think you’ve finally stumbled upon one, you realize it has actually been written by someone who sells Enjo, … Continue reading →

e-cloth ® General Purpose Cloth Versus Norwex Enviro Cloth Review – Which is Better?

This gallery contains 7 photos.

IN A NUTSHELL: The e-cloth® General Purpose cloth is half the price of the Norwex Enviro cloth but matches it’s performance 100%. The e-cloth ® General Purpose Cloth seems to get into tiny cracks better than the Norwex Enviro cloth … Continue reading →

Contest: Win an e-cloth ® Mop!

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Congratulations Mandy Tew! Winner of the e-cloth ® mop. Thanks to everyone who entered and for all the great green cleaning tips. To make your tips more visible to others searching the net I’ll likely put a post together that … Continue reading →

My Laughing Baby – This is what I’ve been waiting for!

I try not to post too much about our kids on here but once in a while, I just can’t help myself.

When I was pregnant with our first son, I saw a video on youtube with an hysterically laughing baby and I couldn’t wait to see my baby doing that. But it never happened. Zander was the calmest, quietest baby there ever was and laughing just was not his thing.

But Remy. Well, he’s a different story. Still calm but a little more vocal. And when he laughs, he LAUGHS!

A few weeks ago, Remy saw his first bubbles and I finally got what I’ve been waiting for.

SUPER DAD Went Back to Work – The End of Parental Leave

Well, I had high hopes for an outstanding post to celebrate? remorse? the end of Mark’s Parental Leave but time has slipped through my fingers and my brain is mushy.

We are amazingly fortunate to live in Canada where we get a full year of leave when a baby is born and even more fortunate that Dad can take up to 9 months of that time.

It’s been a wonderful 9 months. Because Mark was home, Zander got all the attention that a 2.5 year old needs and deserves when a new baby is born and Remy got all the attention that a newborn and growing baby needs.

But mostly, it’s been wonderful because I got all the help that I needed. I freely admit that while I can hold my own in a meeting full of grumpy male developers, engineers and construction workers I struggle with being alone with 2 small kids.

Getting a few well deserved minutes of rest in the hammock.

So hats off to Mark (he’s going to kill me for posting pictures of him here), who went back to the office today after 9 months of:

• changing, washing and hanging diapers
• making better meals than I ever do
• roughhousing, rocking and soothing
• potty training
• getting up in the night (Super Dad!)
• swimming, tumbling, singing and playing
• bike rides
• renovating
• cleaning
• grocery shopping
• dog walking
• I better stop before people start wondering what I was doing while Mark did all this…

Thanks for all your help Mark. You ARE Super Dad to me.

winter fun

e-cloth 2 for 1 Spring Sale – WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

Our e-cloth ® Spring Sale has been HUGELY popular and supplies are dwindling quickly!

• 

These are our BEST SELLING CLOTHS!

4 great spring colors. At this price you can have one for every cleaning task! Just a few ideas (beyond the obvious bathroom/kitchen/livingroom cleaning):

• keep a General Purpose Cloth and/or a Glass & Polishing Cloth in your car for quick wipe ups, get the haze off the inside of your
  

  e-cloth 2 for 1 Spring Sale
  2 Glass & Polishing Cloths for $7.99

  windshield, dust off the dashboard, clean up spilled coffee…

• keep a General Purpose cloth in your stroller for those unexpected messes. They’re great for collecting cracker crumbs out of those little creases
• you’ll definitely want a Glass and Polishing cloth in your bathroom! Your mirror will never look better.
• Hate cleaning your bike? Try wiping it with a General Purpose cloth.
• Put a General Purpose cloth in your camping kit
• Should I go on? I could, but someone is waking from his nap and I’ve got to go. Which reminds me, a General Purpose Cloth will come in VERY handy in your diaper bag.

Top 5 Reasons to Use the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth Instead of your Dish Cloth to Wipe your Kitchen Counter

OK, so you’re in the kitchen finishing up the dishes and tidying things up after a meal or some cooking. If you’re like me, the very last thing you do is wipe the counter.

Regular old dish cloths are meant to be used in the sink, with a lot of water and some soap. When you wipe your counter with them, you’re spreading your breakfast/lunch/dinner all over your counter.

The e-cloth Kitchen Cloth is my "go to" counter wiper-upper.
Just don't look too closely at the wrinkles on my hand... please...

Here are my Top 5 Reasons for Using the e-cloth ® Kitchen Cloth to wipe the counter instead of the dish cloth:

5) the e-cloth kitchen cloth has a little non-scratch scrubby corner that is really good at scraping off dried up food bits. The scrubby corner is like a little pocket, lined with microfiber. So if you don’t need the scrubby bit, just flip it inside-out.

4) the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth is AMAZING at wiping up grease. Instead of spraying cleanser or soap on your counter and then having to wipe all that off, just dampen the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth and wipe. If you haven’t tried e-cloth products on grease spatter, you’re in for a very pleasant surprise.

3) the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth is super absorbent. If you’ve got a messy dish washer (kids or husband?) that splashes water around the sink, or if you’re dealing with spilled liquids, the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth will sop it up (actually it can absorb up to 7 times it’s weight in water!)

2) the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth picks up food bits and holds on to them. So instead of trying to “corral” the food bits, you just wipe them up. It’s way easier than with your dish cloth.

and… drum roll please. The number one reason why I use the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth instead of my dish cloth to wipe the counter is…. Are you ready for this?

1) the e-cloth Kitchen Cloth PICKS UP and TRAPS BACTERIA. In fact, it picks up over 99% of bacteria (and we’ve got tests to prove it). And your kitchen, like it or not, is full of it. Your dish cloth does NOT pick up bacteria – it spreads it around.

The e-cloth Kitchen Cloth can be purchased on it’s own ($7.99US) or with the Kitchen Pack ($14.99US), which comes with a Glass & Polishing Cloth.

If you’ve got a polished counter (like Granite), you may want to consider the Kitchen Pack with the polishing cloth for a streak-free finish. The polishing cloth is also great for windows, mirrors, faucets, stovetops, anything SHINY!