YES, you do have to wash your microfiber cloths – even if they have silver in them!
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.
As for washing and laundering your Norwex and e-cloth ® microfiber cloths (regardless of whether they have silver in them or not), 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- If your antibacterial microfiber cloth with silver starts to stink, try following the steps in my “How to Cure Stinky Cloths” post.
- If you microfiber cloth starts to get stiff, try following the steps in my “How to Cure Stiff or Crunchy Cloths” post.
- 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. It may be worth reading my post: How to Keep Your Cloths Stain-free.
- 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.
- 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.
- Wash and dry (yes, you can put your Norwex and e-cloth ® microfiber cloths in the dryer) your microfiber cloths with non-lint items.
- 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, consider yourself lucky ’cause you can get it cheaper and often with free shipping!
Update June 2015: I got a “too good to pass that up” deal on Nellies Laundry Soda at Costco earlier this year. The price was way cheaper than what I’d pay for my beloved Charlies Soap up here in Canada. After a few months of using Nellies on all our laundry, I can tell you that it’s been working great – even on my e-cloth® and Norwex cloths.
Cleanin' Up 
this is mostly copied from Suzanne’s norwex website. Plagiarism?
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I no longer keep this blog up as I went back to the engineering world 5 years ago. I don’t plagiarize but have had issues with others taking info from my blog and using it as their own (e.g., someone took my wool dryer ball tutorial and copied even the photos!!). Take a look around my blog and you’ll find lots of good info. I no longer sell norwex or ecloth and I’ve kept this blog up – for which I don’t get any sort of advertising revenue from – so I have nothing to gain. All the info on here is stuff that I figured out on my own or spent time talking with manufacturers about.
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This is very helpful! What kind of dish soap do you recommend?
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Sarah – As long as you use very little, any dish soap is fine to rinse the e-cloths with. Dish soap is one area that I haven’t gone “green” with. I use Sunlight because my husband purchased 2 giant tubs of it years ago and I’m still trying to work my way through it. I’ve also used blue dawn because I’ve had it in the house for other cleaning experiments.
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This was extremely helpful!
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Glad to help, Barbara.
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So with all the bad bacteria in the cloth wouldn’t you want to wear gloves?
With either cloth e/n
Say you have a cut on cuticle or hand?
Can’t get my head around that one for some reason
I bet in the lab they wore gloves !!
What’s your thought??
Thx
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Weird question possibly, but do you usually wear gloves when you wipe your counter? I’m not a glove wearer. Have never had an issue. The cloths HOLD ON to the bacteria and only release it (for the most part) when they are laundered/rinsed in hot water. Wipe a surface like you usually would and then wash your hands is how I would go about it, but if you’re worried, sure – wear gloves.
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Hi, Kate!
I was wondering if Sal Suds is safe to use on either e-cloths or Norwex?
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Hi Molly – I’m not familiar with Sal Suds but essentially ANY detergent is safe on e-cloths and Norwex as long as it doesn’t have bleach or fabric softener in it. Detergents without fillers (typically non-big name detergents) are better as they have less ingredients to potentially coat the fibres.
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If you use Norwex laundry detergent can i wash all norwex clothes if need to be washed?
GFS 🙂
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Yes, all your Norwex cloths can be washed together.
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I’m glad i found this. While i do follow some of the recommended guidelines, like boiling and no fabric softener, i tend forget from time to time. What keeps me from the Norwex consumables is purely economic. I would love to purchase all of them but the prices are outrageous, in my opinion, especially on their essential oils. They’re mission has definitely had a great effect on me, i’ll Admit. I’m slowly learning to part ways with products that contain harsh chemicals while at the same time be thrifty about it. I’ve begun making my own liquid laundry soap, dishwasher soap, toilet bowl cleaner. Instead of buying refills for my swiffer wet jet, i put homemade cleaner in the bottle instead! I know someone had mentioned the alleged presence of “fillers” in diy cleaning supplies but anyone who tries to discourage you from using homemade products is just bitter because you one upped them. With commercial products, you really have no clue what is being used to make them unless you spend hours researching their msds (material safety data sheets; all chemicals must have them for consumer safety reasons, anyone who says otherwise is wrong); the ingredients are NOT printed on their packaging in most cases. Anything, even products labeled all natural, will contain chemicals of some sort. However, the difference is whether or not those chemicals are naturally occurring and with a bit of research you will find out which ingredients occur naturally and which don’t. Take the silver in the norwex cloths, for example. Sure, Ag (silver) can be classified as a chemical (a precious metal is more accurate) but i think we’ve all been taught enough science to know that it occurs naturally in the environment, it is not synthesized in a lab. My homemade supplies consist purely of water, baking soda, super washing soda, dr bronners Castile soap, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, citric acid, and 100% pure essential oils. Most of these ingredients are certified organic and/or naturally occurring in the environment and it’s beyond me why anyone would label these things as fillers, that is the furthest from the truth. The only natural product i’m wary of using is borax. It’s listed as a skin/lung irritant and i have sensitive skin. It’s also a main ingredient in pesticides. Please know this just my personal take on borax and only what works for me (after having used it to combat a flea infestation, thanks to my cat and a particularly humid summer, some years ago), it may not work for everyone. My laundry soap vs. theirs or commercial brands cleans just as well, costs me less than a dime per load, and lasts me a month. For the price of the biggest container of gain, i get 6 months worth of diy cleaning ingredients. I’ve found essential oils AND organic wool dryer balls on Amazon that cost 50% less than Norwex; i recently bought Woolzies brand essential oils gift set with six bottles of oils for $10-$15 less than 1 bottle of Norwex oils. So don’t listen to anyone who says that diy cleaning supplies are not worth it. I’ve saved a ton in the 4 months I’ve been doing it and my skin has never been better. The only way i’ll buy their consumables is if i became a consultant (I am seriously considering it).
Anyway, when following their guidelines i’m a little skeptical about some of them such as using only norwex brand dish soap or laundry soap over any and all other brands. I love dawn but it damages my skin something fierce. So, i tried theirs and i wasn’t impressed. I feel like you have to use more than even other all natural brands. However, i wasn’t defeated. I recently discovered Lemishine products. The dish soap, in particular, has 100% all natural ingredients, comes in a decent size for the price, gentle on my skin, it’s actually cheaper than dawn, Palmolive, and even other all natural products, and works just as well anything. I don’t use half as much as i was with the norwex brand. Because i was so impressed, i recently bought their color safe bleach (same size as Clorox 2, more than half the price), their dishwasher detergent booster to make dishwasher tabs with, and their appliance cleaners (a one time use packet costs a little more than $1). Now I’m working on my fabric softener addiction. I’ve been using my wool dryer balls more (with a few drops of essential oils on each) but i still find that only downy reduces static cling to my liking (obviously there is something in it that does this). I’ll get there though :). Anyway, i just thought I’d share with other like minded people my own adventures in green cleaning, after reading this.
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Amanda – thanks for sharing and kudos to you on your homemade cleansers. I’ve made my own face and body soaps for years and always find it a satisfying process. You’re right, knowing what’s in your products gives you peace of mind. I’m back and forth on Borax. I usually have some in the house but depending on the day of the week and what I read about it on any given day, I either love it or fear it. All the best in your home-made journey.
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Laundry soaps don’t have ingredient declarations on them. Can ANYBODY tell me an over the counter laundry soap to use on norwex cloths?
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Cathy, there’s a link right in this blog post to a site listing all sorts of suitable detergents.
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My skin is very oily but I do love my Norwex bath cloth. The problem is that even when I wash it with Dawn I don’t get all of the oil out of it. How can I get it completely clean?
“Oil Slick “
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I’d suggest trying the “cure for stinky cloths”. If you search the blog, you should find it no problem.
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Thank you so much for this article! And your blog, actually. I ended up purchasing an e-cloth home cleaning starter pack and have been liking it so far. I also bough a the body cloths from norwex because a friend was selling them. And, I inherited some misused enviro and body cloths (norwex) from my sister-in-law.. She had been using the body cloths to clean in the kitchen and my husband used it to clean up raw chicken 😐
Anyway, the detergent list was very helpful in this quest of mine! Thank you!
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Glad to help, Liane.
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Is Oxiclean laundry detergent safe for Norwex cleaning cloths? I’ve washed them & I hope I didn’t ruin them 🙀
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Mel – I’m sure it is fine. Oxiclean is fine occasionally for ecloths. You may want to contact Norwex directly if you have concerns.
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I just bought the norwex clothes to use on my face. I’ve read through every comment on here, but nothing addresses cleaning this type of cloth. I just have a hard time thinking boiling this wash cloth will get out make up. I have zero experience with this stuff. Have you used them? If I launder them, is a “free and clear” detergent good enough?
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Tiffany – I am sooooooo late getting back to you on this. Sorry. I’m curious, how do your face cloths look?
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This is a difficult form to figure out.
I see 2 people asking about cleaning the Norwex cloths but don’t see an answer.
Help?
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Vicky – I’m not sure what you mean. The instructions above are for Norwex cloths. Just think about how you’ve used your cloth and look at the corresponding directions.
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I just wash mine weekly. I use each cloth a couple of times, rinsing with hot water after each use and generally wash all of my Norwex once a week, alltogether in the washing machine with hot water.
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thank you for this! i wasn’t sure what temperature to use!
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Hi,
Q: Can you use Nellies Dryerball Fragrance Sticks (mix of soy wax & fragrance) when drying Norwex cloths and towels?
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Bruce – My instincts tell me not to use the sticks – I’d be afraid that the wax would be coating the fibers of your cloths/towels which would greatly impact the performance of the cloths.
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How do you know when cloths are past their prime and will no longer get the bacteria?
My daughter has a screen porch and screens have never been washed. She lives in woods on a canal and stuff gets very mildewy. I was thinking she should use bleach. She has just started selling Norwex. Can she just use Norwex? What about her mop on them inside and out?
I LOVE MY MOP FOR SLIDING GLASS DOORS!
My old microfiber mop does not reach stuff in grout lines – either the dust mop or the regular mop head? Noes Norwex or Ecloth?
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Vicky – your cloths should last years and continue to remove bacteria for the same time, but a good sign that they’re not performing as designed is if they are absorbing much less liquid than they did when they were new. If that happens, you can try a deep clean (boiling – search my blog for “crunchy cloths” boiling instructions) with a bit of detergent or baking soda. That should rejuvenate the fibers and you’ll find the cloth absorb well again. You can boil a couple of time if they still feel crunchy or aren’t absorbing properly to continue to loosen the fibers. If you get to the point where the cloth simply won’t “get better”, I would suggest using it for cleaning tasks that don’t require removal of bacteria (eg., mess wipe ups, windows, car, etc.).
On your daughter’s screens, the Norwex cloths may or may not work to remove the mildew. Obviously, she’ll want to wash them well afterwards.
The grout between tiles is a trouble spot for the Norwex and e-cloth mops too. I find the dust pad will get dust out but the damp pad for both mops does not reach down and clean the grout.
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Hi there! I’m new to this Nowex stuff. I love it so far and I’m so glad to have found this site. I do have a question, though. When rinsing the cloths out after using them, is basic blue Dawn dish soap ok to use, or do I have to buy the special free and clear kind of dish soap?
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Casey – yes, basic blue dawn dish soap is ok. Be sure to only use a little though and that it all gets rinsed out afterwards. Soap of any sort, if not all rinsed out, will coat the fibers (and the silver if you’re using Norwex cloths) and can lead to very stinky cloths.
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How can you be sure that you’ve really rinsed out all of the soap residue? And is it harder to rinse out regular blue dawn or palmolive than it would be to completely rinse the norwex dish soap out? I’m really waffling on how important the norwex consumables (UPP, blue diamond, dish soap) are to the care of the cloths right now, because it can be such an outlay of money initially. I’m wondering how bad or hard it would be on my cloths to just use my regular stuff for a while (Charlie’s soap, palmolive, etc) and gradually build up norwex consumables. Thanks!
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Jamie – your Norwex consultant is going to tell you differently but I can tell you that you absolutely don’t need to use Norwex detergents and soaps with your Norwex cloths. In laundering, you can use any detergent that is free of bleach and fabric softener BUT… it’s best to use a detergent that has little or few fillers. Charlie’s soap is excellent. I used it on all my cloths for 6 years and only switched from it to Nellie’s last year because Charlie’s is prohibitively expensive here in Canada. (Costco has great deals on giant bins of Nellie’s).
The key is to make sure that whichever soap/detergent you use is well rinsed out of the cloths. Detergent and soap coat the fibers (and silver in Norwex) which leads to stinky, crunchy, repelling cloths. So use as little soap as possible and rinse it out of the cloth afterwards.
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Nellie’s soap from Costco is great price for the volume you can get!! my bucket is over a year old and only 1/3 gone since you only use small amount, no smell in my washing machine since no fillers like other soaps. works great on my clothes and e-cloths.
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Lorraine: do you use the Nellie’s Oxygen booster too? It was also on super-sale and I bought some but have only used it occasionally and not sure if it’s doing anything yet or not.
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I was just at a norwex party and we were told to boil your cloths about once a week. That’s it. Do not use anything with dyes, bleach, fragrance or chemicals on your cloths. This means if you are using dish soap as suggested it should meet the requirements above. Remember it is microfibre that is very very fine (is it 1/16 of a strand of hair?) so it doesn’t need to be cleaned after every use. Your cloth is clean for much longer than a normal cloth.
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You are correct that it doesn’t have to be laundered after every use. But it should be at least rinsed well after every use.
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Remember, though, that basically everything is a chemical. There is not a cleaner or detergent in the world that has “no chemicals”. Norwex cleaners and detergents use chemicals too, it’s just a matter of whether the chemicals used are ones that you consider safe or not. Obviously just using the microfiber cloths is not using chemicals (although I think silver could be considered a chemical) but to clean them thoroughly you will be using a chemical.
That said, I really like Seventh Generation products, especially their laundry detergent and dish soap, and you can get them at nearly any grocery store these days. Although typically for dish soap we just have some good ole blue Dawn around. I like dish soap to be a little bit scented so I can tell if I’ve rinsed well enough.
I don’t use microfiber to clean just yet, (I will be soon, hence finding this article!) but I know there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about chemicals, so I thought I’d chime in 🙂
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I am a consultant and these crazy, made-up instructions drive me insane. Follow the use and care guidelines in the catalog or on the website (or here on Kate’s blog). I have used mine for 2.5 years and never boiled them. I also wash in the washing machine after dirty jobs.
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Finally a comment that made me laugh out loud. Thanks Jennifer!
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I accidentally washed my antibacterial norwex cloths and the wet/damp mop head with other clothes/items. I did use the norwex laundry detergent and didn’t dry them with the other load. Are they ruined?
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Lana, really the only thing that will “ruin” the cloths is bleach. Almost everything else is fixable. You can wash your Norwex or ecloths with any other items but it is best to wash them alone or with NON-LINTY items. The reason being that the cloths will pick up a LOT of lint in the wash/dry, making them less effective. Just wash them again – preferably in hot water to open up the fibers – and then put them in the dryer to get rid of any lint.
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So, I have both norwex and ecloth. LOVE them both! I make my own liquid laundry soap using a bar of Dr Bronners Pure Baby Soap, 1 cup of Borax and 1 cup of washing soda. It was so concentrated that it ended up making 10 gallons of detergent for me, yeah! Anyway, a Norwex consultant told me that my homemade laundry detergent is full of ‘fillers’ and that it is the worst thing to use on my laundry. I think she’s ignorant and may be a little bit of a mind-numbed zombie;). Is it worse to use my laundry detergent or should I buy a true ‘green’ one?
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I’d be interested to hear what “fillers” she thought your detergent was full of 😉 Seems to me like it’s essentially filler-free and I’d definitely use it on my cloths. Truth is, you can use any detergent on your microfiber cloths (as long as it doesn’t have bleach). The problem with “fillers” is that they attach to the fibers and can lead to “stinky” cloth issues. The stink can usually be cleared up by boiling cloths and/or washing with baking soda in hot water. We all still highly recommend detergents without fillers but if you haven’t got it, don’t stress it. (Not that this is a concern for you with you lovely homemade detergent).
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So can you use Dawn dish soap for those rinses in between launderings with the Norwex enviro cloth? I understand whatever soap you use, you’ll want to rinse well to get the soap out…. So just trying to save some money on dish soap. Norwex’s is pricey!
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LG – you can use any soap/detergent for rinsing – as long as it doesn’t have bleach in it. Just remember to rinse all the soap out afterwards, otherwise your cloths may get stinky. So less soap is better.
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I have the bath towels and they are no longer soft the feel rough and not as absorbent as they used to be. How can I restore their softness?
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Carol: your towels will get stiff/rough when they’re coated with stuff like:
1) Calcium/magnesium/lime if you’ve got hard water
2) Detergent if you use too much detergent or if the rinse cycle doesn’t have enough water. This is most often an issue if you’re using a detergent with fillers.
3) Fabric softener. Remember: fabric softener is a no-no with microfiber. It coats the fibers. If you accidentally wash/dry towel with fabric softener, don’t worry. It will come out in the next wash or 2.
I would suggest that since your towels are already stiff, the next time (or couple of times) you wash them:
1) Use a minimum amount of detergent. If you’re using a commercial detergent with fillers (like Tide etc), try using half or 3/4 the amount you typically would use. If you’re using a non-filler detergent (you’ll know it’s non-filler if the instructions say use 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per wash) go with the recommended amount.
2) Wash in hot water
3) Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle
To prevent your towel from getting stiff in the future:
1) Launder your towel regularly, preferably with hot water. The microfiber needs the combination of hot water and good agitation to be properly cleaned. I don’t believe a hot wash is necessary EVERY time, but certainly it should be done once in a while.
2) Add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. I just put it in the liquid softener dispenser. Keep a jug of vinegar by your washing machine.
We have hard water at our house AND I regularly line dry my towels but the vinegar has kept my e-cloth towel nice and soft.
Please let me know how this works out for you. I’d appreciate hearing either way because if it doesn’t work, I’ll think about other options.
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Hi Kate,
With the general purpose cloth that you use in the kitchen… Do you use the same cloth to wipe bench tops / tables as well as spot cleaning on the floor? I have small children and we constantly have food mess on the tables and floors! Do I need to rinse in hot water between tables and floors? Thanks and love your blog.
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LS – Good question. I typically use the same cloth for everything. Counters, stove, sink, table, and spills. I recommend rinsing it in a bit of hot water after every use. How well you rinse it will depend on what you wiped. For instance, if I’m just wiping up crumbs off the counter I may not rinse it, but if I’m wiping crumbs and damp spots from veggie/fruit peelings, dripping tea bags etc, then I rinse it under the tap. If I’ve used it to wipe up spilled milk, I rinse under the tap to get the milk out and then put the plug in and swish it around in about an inch of water in the sink. If I’ve used to to wipe up anything greasy, I do the same as for milk but add a bit of dish soap to the sink water to release the grease. Same with spills on the floor. If I’ve wiped up raw meat juices, or the garbage can, I rinse under the tap in hot water and then put it with the laundry.
My boys are messy eaters so I usually have a General Purpose cloth on the table when we eat. I use it more than I like during meals on the floor and table but I don’t rinse it during the meal (unless I’ve had to sop up a glass of spilled milk or something). I just keep using different bits of the cloth and then do a good rinse afterwards.
Hope this helps.
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I use Ecos lavender (has a soy based softener) for my laundry. Is that safe for Norwex cloths or does the softener affect them? I also have Oxi Clean fresh scent. Any help on what detergent is ok will be very much appreciated. I don’t want to pay for Norwex detergent! Thanks!
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Katie – if you read through the article above, you’ll see I’ve posted a link to a page that has many, MANY alternatives to the Norwex detergernt that will be safe for your norwex and e-cloths.
As for softeners (eco or not), when used DRY, microfiber cloths rely on static to attract dirt and dust so I advise against any detergent with a softener in it. ALSO, softeners attach and coat the fibers, making them less effective, even when damp – and make the cloths prone to getting stinky.
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I’m not sure if this is best place to ask this question, but I’m new to microfiber and want to try the e-cloths because of the affordability and I hear they work the same as the Norwex anyway. So, I am wondering how many cloths do you have and use? Do you have one for the kitchen, one for mirrors/windows and one for bathroom? Or do you have more than one in each room to use when you are laundering the others? I think I may be a little confused, just not sure what to get and how to use them really. I like to get reviews/suggestions from people who use them regularly and love them. Thanks for your suggestions.
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Sydnee – I can completely understand your confusion. Even though using e-cloths is so easy, it’s hard to know where/how to start.
I would say that the ideal number to start with would be 8 General Purpose cloths and 2 polishing cloths (unless you have a large amount of shiny surfaces like windows, mirrors, granite, glass stovetop, stainless appliances etc. – then you might want 4).
I like to have 3 or 4 General Purpose cloths out at one time: bathroom, kitchen, spot messes (spills, art projects, etc) and general cleaning (wiping tables, light switches, dusting, etc.). With 8 General Purpose cloths, then you can have 4 out and 4 spares for laundry day or for “emergencies”. If you have 2 or more bathrooms, you may find you need a couple more. But if you’re just starting out, I’d say start with 8 General Purpose cloths and then if you find you need more – or a few of the specialized cloths – you can get them later.
You’ll use the Glass & Polishing cloth for anything shiny. You can use it on it’s own for light cleaning of the surfaces but for large, or dirty areas, do the heavy cleaning with the General Purpose cloth and then follow-up with the Glass & Polishing cloth for a streak-free finish.
I also recommend the dusting cloths. You can dust with the General Purpose cloth but the dusting cloths work better. Again, if you’re not sure, start with the General Purpose cloth and then look at the “specialized” cloths (or ask me) if you find you need them.
As I write this, the General Purpose and Glass & Polishing cloths are both on sale 2 for 1. Check this sale page. That’s a great price and I highly recommend getting those. However, some people like to colour-code their cleaning, in which case you may prefer the Starter Pack.
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Do you keep your general purpose cloths separate for different areas? i.e. use a particular cloth for the toilets that’s never used anywhere else. Or use whichever cloth for whichever area (once they’ve been washed of course)?
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Jodie, I don’t keep my General Purpose cloths separate but I know lots of people do. HOWEVER: I do have 3 cloths (2 Cleaning Pads and 1 Bathroom Cloth) that I use exclusively in my bathrooms. I use them for the sink, tub/shower, mirror and toilet. Generally I wipe down the counter/sink/mirror daily and the shower/tub and toilet once or twice a week. Once I’ve used it on the toilet, I put it away to be laundered.
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Hi, I have been searching around for a good, natural cloth diaper & all around laundry soap that cleans well, keeps whites white and gets stains out as well. I heard about Charlie’s soap and wanted to purchase, but wanted to gather more information/reviews first. So I’m glad to hear you use and love Charlie’s soap for everyday laundry and tough messes like cloth diapers. I wanted to ask, do you also use Charlie’s soap oxygen bleach for whites, and the booster to help get stains out of the diapers. If so, how do you like them? And do you use any other Charlie’s soap products? Or just their main laundry soap? Would you mind sharing your detailed laundry routine with me? I just came across your blog through a Google search, so I apologize in advance if you covered this already. THANK YOU!!!!
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Sydnee – I’ve only ever used the regular laundry detergent and it has always done a great job. I have a Buncha Farmers stain remover stick (all natural soap-like stain remover that you rub on stains before laundering) that I use on most stains. For berry/fruit stains, I pour boiling water on the stain from 6 or more inches above. Stain instantly gone 🙂
I probably could benefit from a “booster” of some sort but we don’t have a lot of whites to worry about.
That’s about if for my laundry routine. Unless you’re wondering about laundering cloth diapers? We’re out of diapers now (hip-hip-hurray!) but we were washing them every 2-3 days. In between laundering, I put them in an old bucket with a lid. I had a diaper sprayer to remove “solids” first. Then, because I have a water-guzzling top-loading machine, I used 1 Tbsp of Charlie’s per load. I very occasionally had a stink issue (either too much or too little detergent) which I’d sort out by adjusting the detergent and a little baking soda and/or vinegar if required.
Hope this helps.
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Hi! I’m loving your blog tips. I borrowed a friend’s norwex and love it but the cost. Phew. Glad to hear e-cloths work just as well. A couple questions:
1. Can I use the store brand version of Tide or Gain on my cloths, or should I pick up something “crunchier” for the loads with my cloths?
2. Also, what do you do about dryer static? I saw norwex has the wool dryer balls…
3. Do you always wash your bathroom stuff after use or can you use that a couple times before laundering?
4. The mops. Can I rinse the wet pad and hang dry and use the next day or should I use new mop pads daily?
5. Does you ecloth site have an affiliate program?! 🙂 I’m a blogger!
THANKS in advance!!
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Really, any detergent in small amounts as long as it doesn’t have bleach or fabric softener in it. I don’t do anything about static. Better if the cloths ARE static. But I have a post on here about how to make wool dryer balls. Just search for it. I’m not convinced that they take much static away or hasten drying, but they were really fun to make.
I use one cloth for each bathroom and launder them once a week. Generally, I’m just using it to wipe around the sink and mirror on a daily basis. I rinse the cloth well in hot water and a bit of soap after each use. Once a week, I clean the entire bathroom – toilet last – then launder the cloth.
Yes, you can rinse the mop pad and use again. I usually rinse in hot soapy water then rinse again to remove the soap. Then hang to dry.
No, no affiliate program. Sorry.
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My daughter sells Norwex. She does a very interesting demo with detergents. Unless it is a free and clear one which most of the major brands have now, there is so much filler in them it’s awful. And all that filler builds up in your cloths and then they loose their “power”. She puts some regular detergent, not free & clear, in a quart jar with water and a ton of sediment never dissolves or disappears even after a couple years.
I use Costco organic detergent for clothes but use the Norwex powder for Norwex. You only need a very small amount.
I use them a pretty long time, dry them and save til I have several to wash. Put in a small bucket and cover with hot water and 1/4 scoop of detergent. I usually have lots and Norwex towels too. I soak overnight, drain n rinse and then wash in hot with another quarter scoop Norwex detergent. Wash alone without clothes. The lint from other things can really wreck them.
This sounds hard but it’s really not. Just an easy routine to get used to.
I so love my Norwex and want to keep them good as long as I can.
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After I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added
I recieve four emails with the same comment. There has to be a
means you can remove me from that service? Cheers!
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Just click on the “unsubscribe” or “unfollow” link at the bottom of the message. I can’t do that for you.
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My dust mitt leaves a white film when I dust. What do I do? Will the boil method help? Am I not cleaning it right?
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Patty – what do you think the white film is? Is it dust? Microfiber cloths should not be leaving anything behind. Did you just start using the mitt recently? And if so, did you use something like Pledge in the past? if that’s the case, it’s possible that the mitt is picking up some of the pledge and leaving some of it behind. You’ll want to get rid of all that Pledge/polish. You can do that by using a slightly damp microfiber cloth. you’ll know it’s gone when the cloth stops “dragging”.
Are you using the dusting mitt dry or wet?
If you can give me more details on the “film”, I may be able to help more.
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I too have had issues with stinky cloths, and am trying your method now of soaking them in HOT water in my sink to see if that does the trick. I do have a question, however about Oxyclean……I make my own detergent, and it does have Oxyclean in it. Is this a problem for the Norwex cloths? Thanks so much for all your info….it has been so helpful!
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Kim – please let me know if it works for you! As for the Oxyclean, e-cloth has done some tests and found that it’s OK to use it. BUT, I don’t know for sure about the Norwex cloths. I would suggest contacting their customer service and asking them about it directly. If you hear anything back, I’d be interested and grateful if you could post the info here.
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I have been unsure about these cloths because of the washing requirement. My husband and I wash our own clothes and he has jeans and I only have my work clothes that I wouldn’t want to wash in hot water. I have wondered about throwing them in a wash cycle by themselves, since I have an HE washer which calculates the water need for the load, so it shouldn’t be wasteful, and it sounds like this would work based on previous comment above. Right? Besides we wash everything n cold water so I will have to wash them separately. I hope that isn’t a problem.bawa
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HI Betty Ann. YOu can wash your e-cloths in cold water. We recommend hot water because the heat opens up the fibers to release more dirt/grease/grime. If you are washing your cloths in cold water, I’d highly recommend boiling them occasionally (except the e-cloth dusting cloth and dusting mop pad) with a bit of detergent or dish soap to give them a deep clean.
If you’re doing a small wash in your HE washer with hot water, make sure to use very little detergent to make sure that it’s all rinsed out.
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I took my norwex towel with me on my bike to watch a water ski show. I sat on it in the grass. Now the grass won’t come off. Any suggestions?
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Karen – Do you mean grass clippings or grass stains? If it’s grass clippings, they should come out if you put it in the dryer. If it’s grass stains, you can try washing in very hot water (even add a pot of boiling water to the wash) along with some baking soda and add some vinegar (1/4 cup or so) in the rinse cycle.
I’m not certain that will work but hopefully. Please let me know what happens. If it doesn’t work I’ll see if I can come up with something else.
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Help! My husband used the Norwex cloth with the Greenworks cleaning spray. Will the cloth be ok, and what do I need to do to save it?
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DiAnna – Oopsie! Darned husbands, eh? To be honest, I don’t know what is in the Greenworks spray. I’m going to assume (but possibly incorrectly since you just never know with these so-called “green” cleaners these days) that it does not contain bleach or ammonia or anything “destructive”. If that’s the case then just launder your cloth and all the cleanser should be rinsed out and you’ll be ready to go. If that’s NOT the case then the fibers may have been destroyed a bit and you’ll probably notice that the cloth isn’t performing as it should. Sorry I don’t know for sure. You could try contacting Norwex customer service (NOT your consultant as he/she likely won’t know) and see what they say. If you get an answer, I’d love it if you post it here!
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Thanks so much for the reply! I did contact the Norwex lady, and – exactly like you said – she wasn’t sure. I’ll contact Norwex customer service and will post their reply.
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Here is the response I received from Norwex customer service. Thank you again for your advice!
“The cloth may be okay, you will need to test it to find out if any damage was made. If anything, the cloth may feel filmy afterwords. If this is the case, some chemicals may have gotten trapped in the fibers. You can try boiling the cloth for up to ten minutes to deep clean the cloth.”
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DiAnna – thanks for posting that! I wonder how they mean for you to test it: “you will need to test it to find out if any damage was made…”
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Can I use Oxyclean to wash my cloths? I also have Borax. I’m confused!
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Sharon – I’m so, so, sooooooo sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. Borax is fine to wash your e-cloths with. We’re doing some testing on Oxyclean and I’ll post here once the testing is done. I’d hoped to have the info by now but apparently these tests take time. e-cloth is a very thorough company, indeed!
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Any results yet, from the testing with OxyClean? Did I miss an update? Thanks for all the great information!
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Sara7venus – yes, I posted it somewhere on the blog but couldn’t tell you where 😉 Sorry. In any case OxyClean is fine for your e-cloths.
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I also love Norwex products. I started using them and am amazed what you can do with just water and not chemicals.
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Help ladies! My husband threw towels in with my Norwex cleaning cloths:( How can i restore them. I washed them again in the machine with borax and vinegar and detergent……any suggestions?
thanks so much!
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Hi Rebecca – by “towels” do you mean bath towels? Did your microfiber come out all linty? The lint will come out over time. If you boil the cloths in a big pot of water, the fibers may open up enough to release the lint. Otherwise, you could try vacuuming them. Or use a comb or brush to brush it out. If on the other hand you’re referring to fabric softener sheets, don’t worry, the softener will come out after a few washings.
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yes, it was bath towels. they feel stiff actually. i will try the boiling.
thanks so much!!
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Rebecca – OK, they should be all right then. The only reason you don’t want to wash them with towels is that the microfiber will collect all the lint. My cloths get stiff sometimes too. I generally just add a bit of vinegar to the wash and that seems to help fine. Good luck!
Kate
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I hope you are still answering questions. I just started getting into the Norwex products and I want to know if the laundry detergent can be used in my HE machine? It doesn’t say HE on the container and my Norwex lady said I can but then after we both read the back she wasn’t sure. I’m a little leary and would hate to ruin my machine!
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Hi Sue – Yes, it can.
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I have a husband who tries to help with laundry but he seems to always forget the “rules” So I made a cheat sheet and have it on the wall above the machine. Any load that has mine or my daughters clothing in it even 1 sock can not have any fabric softner in it including sheets, towels and blankets. We both have major allergies to soaps and scents and softners. I have been making my own deturgent for a couple of years as has my mother and sister. and it works in HE mechines you just put it in the barrel with the cloths not in the dispencer. Its 2 Cups WASHING SODA 2 Cups Borax 1 bar or Castille soap and 1 Bar Fells Nappa. Grate the soap, I use a micro grader since I dont have a food processer, then add the soda and borax. You need only a tablespoon per load like the norwex soap and it cleans just as well. You can use a little more if needed for really dirty clothing. I also wash everythng but sheets and towels on Cold and it washes out just fine in cold water. I have not used vinager though does this really help kill bacteria and soften clothing even more? We just use the dryer balls.
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Hi Brenda – thanks for the recipe for the homemade laundry soap. I make my own hand/body soap and have been meaning to try the laundry soap but just haven’t gotten my act together yet.
I occasionally put vinegar in my wash. I’m not sure that it kills bacteria but it definitely makes my towels come out softer.
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Hi everyone! I was reading this blog to look how many textures and types of microfiber cloths are out there (I had one to dry my face after taking off make up, until it got lost by the cleaning lady in a hotel… ). This post was really useful! Unfortunately I have to bring your attention to few little things that despite being consider ecological cleaning options might do more damage than benefits: Borax is a derivation of Boric acid, a substance that is consider irritating and dangerous (Here in Europe its use is forbidden in detergents. Also the same EPA who previously suggested its use now bring the attention to the danger borax could have even for hormonal system and fertility! “. Borax, commonly considered a safer DIY ingredient, actually presents concerns for potential human health effects.) ” (from http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/protectingyourhealth.htm#householdgoods). Also using vinegar as softener sure works great in make you laundry fluffy! But its a really strong acid that can ruin your washing machine (as well as your dishwasher if you use it for that too), decreasing the life span of a big and much more polluting (when tossed) object than the use of softener! for a greener and gentler option for vinegar use citric acid: it has the same functions but it is less aggressive on metals. I think lemon has too few citric acid to make the function (plus other compounds which I am not sure which effect they might have on the fabrics.) Prefer pure citric acid!
hope thius might help and sorry for the bother! 🙂
xo Betta
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Betta – thanks for taking the time to comment and for your wonderful tips.
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I fear I may have permanently stunk-up my Norwex cloths. 😦 Some of the ones I’ve used a lot still stink after they’ve dried from a boiling session (10 minutes, with vinegar and a bit of dish soap.) Could this be because I didn’t wash them frequently enough when I first got them? (I would wait sometimes 3 weeks between boiling or washing them—I know, looking back that wasn’t such a good idea. I was confused about how often I needed to wash them.) It’s disappointing to grab a “clean” one off the shelf, sniff it, and get grossed out. Any ideas?
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Hi cjpb – Sad news about your Norwex cloths. Yes, perhaps 3 weeks between launderings is pushing it a little. What kind of detergent do you use? Sometimes it’s the detergent. It builds up on the cloths and doesn’t get fully rinsed away. Most commercial detergents have a lot of fillers in them. If you try a good, “green”, non-filler detergent that might help. I’d suggest doing a super “deep” clean in your kitchen sink with a good detergent (you’ve read my post so you know I use Charlies. A Norwex consultant is going to tell you to use the Norwex detergent but… Cha-ching, it’s expensive). Put about a tablespoon of detergent in your sink and dissolve it in hot (preferably boiling). Add the cloths and gently agitate with a spoon a bit. Fill the sink right up so the cloths can move around freely and are completely covered. And just let them soak there for a while. Afterwards, rinse them really well to make sure all the soap is gone. Hopefully this helps. Either way, will you let me know? I’m interested.
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I’ve used Arm and Hammer mostly. However, I usually just boil on the kitchen stove, not throw them in our machine to wash, since we share the machines with other people in our building and we have little ones, so it’s hard to get to our laundry in the basement in a timely manner. 🙂 When I boil, I use a bit of Dawn soap (not a lot) but I don’t do the post-boil rinse, so that could’ve contributed to the stink factor. I really like your deep clean soak idea in the kitchen sink. I’ll find a greener detergent, try the soak out, and let you know. Thank you!
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I’d recommend using your washing machine more often. The cloths need the heat and the agitation to release the dirt and grease. Alternatively, you could just do it in your kitchen sink and agitate with a wooden spoon or something.
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I’m happy to report that your ideas worked. 🙂 I found a good detergent, did a deep clean in the sink, and now make sure to wash them in the machine on a regular basis. So glad I didn’t give up on them! All thanks to you!
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Yeah!
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cjpb — I was curious which type of detergent you decided to use to do the deep clean?
Kate — Would this deep clean method be good for the e-cloths without silver?
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Dayla – yes, it will work for any e-cloth.
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Dayla, I used Ecos.
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Thank you both!
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you don’t have to use fabric softener or dryer sheets….read online about using vinegar in your fabric dispenser, that is what I do. I also learned about using safety pins on clothing, when drying clothes in the dryer. I adapted & used a clean/old sock…put about 4 safety pins in it and throw that in the dryer with wet laundry. On a load that has items that I know tend to be really static-y (certain blankets)…I’ll add 2 socks with safety pins…placing those socks in 2 different areas within the wet load you can read a little more here (I am unsure if this was the 1st place I learned about the safety pin idea) http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/2011/02/14/a-laundry-experiment-10-ways-to-reduce-static-cling/
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Priscilla – thank you for the comment. Good tips for sure. I’ll just add that you may not want to use these tips with your e-cloth products – particularly any that you use for dusting – as they need the static charge to work properly.
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Thanks Kate, good tip! so far, I put the cloths on a drying rack to dry instead of in the dryer
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I follow the exact same guidelines with all of my cloths. I have the norwex dusting mitt and I have never gotten it wet, I take it outside & beat the dust out of it. I also wash my cloths (a bunch of them!) inside a lingerie bag on the heaviest & hottest setting on my washing machine, without any other clothes or towels,( they will suck up & not let go of fibers from other stuff) Sometimes I add white vinegar & water to the rinse cycle, if they seem a litle stiff. I have only had one of my cloths ever smell & it was after being used & left balled up in the sink overnight. I washed it in the machine right away & it hasn’t smelled since. I also do not dry them in the dryer, I hang them all up to dry. I have a towel bar thingy that I hang my current kitchen cloth on to dry between uses, that towel gets changed out every 3-4 days depending on how dirty it gets, of course if i am cleaning up raw meat or eggs it gets washed with dishsoap & then added to my next norwex laundry load. These are just what I do based on what I’ve read all over the Internet. Sorry for such a winded response!
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Jessica – thanks for taking the time to comment. Great tip about the vinegar. Personally, I put mine in the dryer once in a while to fluff them up a bit – especially the more plush ones like the mop pads, bathroom cloth/mitt and dusting cloths/mitts.
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I also use vinegar in place of fabric softener in my washing machine, does vinegar leave a build up on the cloths, that I would need to be concerned about?
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Priscilla – I use vinegar with my cloths on a regular basis. I’ve never noticed a buildup. If you’re ever worried about it though, just throw them in a pot of boiling water with a bit of dish soap or laundry detergent. Boil for 10 minutes then rinse.
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What are your thoughts on washing the microfiber cloths with cloth diapers? Ours aren’t particularly fluffy anymore (prefolds have been used for many many months) so they shouldn’t create the lint like towels do. I find that to be the easiest way to launder the cloths since it avoids the hubby accidentally using the wrong detergent, or putting in a dryer sheet (which I’ve continually reminded him we don’t use anymore ;)!).
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Well Cloth Diaper Guru, I’ve got to admit, this is an interesting question :). I know what you mean about unfluffy prefolds. We’ve got some that have been used for years and they’re generally lint free. It would be convenient to wash them with diapers since, as you say, you’d be using the same “no additive” detergent and you’d be washing on HOT presumably. I just don’t know though. My little guy has some pretty disgusting poos and even with a pre-rinse and then a wash in our mega-water-use, non-HE machine, I still occasionally find bits (eg., raisins, blueberry skins, who knows whats) that have been “processed” and “washed”. I’m pretty sure my microfiber cloths would attract those bits.
So, I’m going to say no. I know they’d be clean, I just can’t wrap my head around it.
What detergent do you use? You could simplify and use the same detergent for all your laundry. We switched to Charlie’s Soap before my first son was born and have been using it exclusively on EVERYTHING for almost 4 years now.
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We use Rockin green for the diapers, and either “eco sprout” or “Nellies all natural laundry soda” for the rest of the laundry. I’ve had such a struggle with laundering the norwex stuff though, because my hubby always wants to use a drier sheet on the regular laundry even though we have a ton of nice and expensive drier balls lol! If the cloths get washed with the diapers I know they are “safe” because he knows the rules of the diapers ;). We do use a diaper sprayer so that removes any “bits” of poopies!! I’ll agree with you though, that microfiber cloths really need to be washed separately from diapers…
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Darned husbands. What if you just got rid of your dryer sheets? 😉
Oh, the bless-ed diaper sprayer. We had one, and needed it badly with our first son who pooed a pasty mess no less than 3 times/day until the day he was potty trained – and then miraculously he switched to a once-a-dayer. But our sprayer broke a couple of months ago and I was slow to order a new one (it’s on the way now thankfully) so I’ve been living without. Once you’ve had the good life with a sprayer, it’s hard to deal without.
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Yeah I don’t know if I’d survive without the sprayer! I do have to give the hubby some credit, he makes a good effort with the laundry but there are so many “rules” about laundry now :).
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We got our new sprayer in the mail on Friday. Thank GOODNESS! I ordered it off ebay for $8 and it’s just as good as the one I paid $40-something for a few years ago.
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Wow!! Sweet find! We paid $40 for ours new, but it has been a life saver. I also like it for rinsing out the potty chair :D.
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