Norwex Cloths Worth The Cost

Norwex Cloths Worth The Cost - Environmentally friendly and easy to use

Jane Dunbar
Edmonton Journal - Sunday April 13, 2008

I've tested a lot of cleaning products over the years for this column, and a few remain favorites. Here, just in time for spring cleaning, are some that deserve mentioning again.

One is Sponge Ups, which come in packs of three and still cost only $2.99 at Superstore. These biodegradable sponges are terrific for spills and can be laundered over and over. I often wonder when the first one will wear out so I can use the rest in the pack.

Another is Bounty Paper Towels, which are so durable they can be substituted for dish cloths. I use them when I'm concerned about food contamination. One sheet will wash up a stack of dirty pots and pans and wipe down the counter. Try that with any other paper towel.

Then there are the Norwex cloths that have no equals as far as I'm concerned.

It was Barb who told me about a line of cleaning products she sells for a company called Norwex and wanted me to try these anti-bacterial cloths. The company markets itself as environmentally friendly, as its products reduce the consumption of cleaning chemicals such as the ones we use in the bathrooms and kitchens. I was happy to test the blue microfibre Antibac Enviro Cloth and the silky Antibac Window Cloth.

It's been a year since I started using them, and I remain a satisfied customer.

Washing windows has always been one of the first spring projects I can't wait to get at. In the past I would wipe them off with soapy water and then spray with Windex. The most important step was to polish to a streak and lint-free shine.

That not only took effort but it was essential to have the right cloth for the job.

I tried Windex Glass and Surface Disposable Pre-Moistened Wipes, which come in a sealed package of 25 for around $4.

The results were exactly what I wanted, but one wipe doesn't go very far. It took two packages to do all my windows, leaving me feeling guilty when I saw how wasteful this was. I do however keep a package in my car, as they are ideal for touching up the inside windows and panels.

The Norwex cloths clean windows guilt-free, as no soap or Windex is needed. Just warm water and the microfibre cloth is all it takes to get the dirt off and the window cloth shines them up.

I was fixated on clean windows when I first got them, but their ability to remove bacteria with just water has consigned them to more important chores.

I no longer spray my sink and bathtub with any disinfectant cleaner. A good scrubbing with my microfibre cloth and a rinse of water gets rid of soap scum and leaves them germ free.

I have a bottle of Scrub Free Oxy Complete, so I decided to give the tub a spray to see if it looked any better. I was quickly reminded why I stopped using cleaners when I inhaled the strong fumes and had to don rubber gloves to protect my skin. The results looked comparable, but as a bonus safety feature, the Norwex side was less slippery.

These strong cloths are made to withstand the rigors of everyday use for most tasks inside and outside the home. Toss in the washer and they come out looking as good as new. They are guaranteed for two years, but are made to last for 10.

Besides sparkling windows, when I use the window cloth on mirrors, granite counter tops, stainless steel fixtures, appliances and mirrors, the results are dazzling.

Even though it's not touted as such, I've also used it as a duster. My other dust rags only pushed dust around without picking it up. I tried furniture oils and sprays, but they are expensive and seem to attract dust.

I've tried a few products like Vileda Disposable Dusters, and while the 'electro static' does a great job picking up the dust, it also will not release it. That's why they're disposable.

The Norwex window cloth removes dust without any polishers or sprays.

When I'm done cleaning, I either shake it clean or throw it in the wash.

There are other cloths in stores that sell for less than the approximately $20 you'll pay for each Norwex cloth, but it's hard to imagine getting anything that substantial for less. They're a good investment if you have allergies, chemical sensitivities or just want to reduce the consumption of cleaning chemicals.

All it takes to get them is a phone call or e-mail, as they are not sold in stores.

What’s The Sense Worrying About Scents?

 

originally published in the February 2010 Tuscany Sun Community Newsletter in Calgary, Alberta

Last month, one of our residents wrote in about the fact that scent from dryer vents can be found everywhere and that this was affecting the quality of the air he, and others, are breathing. A number of residents responded positively but more weighed in that they are tired of hearing people complain, especially about something as ridiculously inane as bounce sheets. People who know me know that I tend to be pretty levelheaded. I don’t like jumping to conclusions, being reactionary or alarmist (not that I don’t slip up, sometimes!). But this issue of scents and untested chemicals being introduced into our environment scares me; really scares. It scares me because I’ve been woken up to an invisible threat by an “environmental barometer” in my life; my mother.

After decades of not “feeling well” with various symptoms of chronic pain, colitis, fatigue, muscle and nerve pain, migraines, persistent cold-like symptoms, memory loss and mood alterations, my mother suffered an almost total collapse of her immune system and was fully diagnosed with environmental sensitivity disorder. In short, her body goes into acute distress when she is exposed to some chemicals, especially those that are petroleum-based. She’s not alone. She is one of a growing trend of people that are being seen in many industries (healthcare being one of them and the industry she’d worked in since she was 16) and this illness is one of the many triggers behind the growth in environmental medicine. These people are the frogs of the human ecosystem – our environmental barometers – and are probably serving as a warning to everyone around us, if we’re ready to hear the message. In my mother’s case, she is now at the stage where she’s stable with treatment and with keeping her exposure to the majority of synthetic chemicals to a minimum but, when she comes to visit me, she usually can’t go out for a walk or garden with me in my yard because, if anyone is doing something as normal as drying their laundry, she is likely to go into anaphylactic shock. I know it sounds crazy but this is her life.

Before you stop reading because the extremeness of my mother’s illness indicates it has nothing to do with us and what we are choosing to put into our day-to-day environment, I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned that’s made it easy to change what I bring into my home and, in particular, why I am careful about what my two children are exposed to.

The chemical industry is producing approximately 1000 new chemicals per year and few ever get tested. Concern is arising not necessarily due to exposure to one chemical but due to the combinations of chemicals that we are mixing (synergistic effects) and to the long-term affects of low exposure (cumulative). When I started to investigate these facts and looked at what I had in my home, I found that I was buying products that contained known (not maybe) carcinogens, respiratory irritants, reproductive disruptors and neurotoxins, to name just a few. On the heels of starting my research, The Nature of Things aired the “Toxic House” documentary and one part in particular has always stayed with me. An industrial air quality monitoring system was installed in a number of “normal” households. This system is used in industry to monitor air quality and, if it becomes hazardous to humans, the alarm rings and evacuation of the site ensues. In each of the houses, this system began to sound on every cleaning day due to the levels and combinations of chemicals that were entering the household environment. It was a huge illustrator to me that the very products I was using to keep things smelling fresh, make my home 99.9% germ free and spotless and, most of all, safe for me and my family were products that were quite possibly doing my family the most harm.

Here’s a list of a few of the toxins that can be found in any home on any day:
- Aspartame (artificial sweetener) – neurotoxin
- Styrene (found in all Styrofoam) – carcinogen
- Phthalates (found in most plastic, including most toys) – carcinogen, neurotoxin, reproductive system effects
- Benzene (perfumes, hairspray, shampoo, air fresheners, etc) – carcinogen
- Toluene (artificial vanilla scent) – carcinogen, respiratory irritant
- Silica (cleaners, powdered drinks) – carcinogen, respiratory irritant
- BHT (plastic, food) – carcinogen, immune disruptor
- Carbon disulfide (dry cleaning) – neurotoxin, carcinogen

Some Facts That Worry Me:
- 1 in 2 males will develop cancer
- 1 in 3 females will develop cancer
- Respiratory illness is the #1 reason for children being admitted to hospitals; rates of childhood asthma have increased 400%
- Outside of injury, cancer is the leading cause of death in children between the ages of 5 and 9
- Unprecedented numbers of fatal allergies are being diagnosed – dairy, bees, peanuts, strawberries, fish, etc.
- Cancer specialists are now suggesting the leading causes for many forms of cancer may be environmental contamination.

What I Choose To Do
I choose to limit my exposure to these products, with scents being only one area my family and I have targeted. Based on my family’s experience with increased health and well-being by eliminating these products from our lives and replacing them with naturally-based and safe products (which are so much more available than even 5 years ago), I am a firm believer that the more heavily marketed products being used in most households are a root cause of either our health or , rather, our lack of it.

In our not too distant past, parents sent their children running after DDT trucks so the powder would protect them from harmful mosquitoes. Doctors and patients didn’t fully understand how harmful it would be to use antibiotics for everything and anything. Smoking was seen as a cool past time and something that would keep you slim. People happily swam in the rivers and streams that industry was dumping its toxic waste into. Seems crazy, but that was life. But, in the not too distant future, I know (I hope) that we will all have become aware of what mass marketing and mass consumer acceptance of products that are dangerous to our health do to us all and we will think it’s crazy that products containing carcinogens and neurotoxins were ever on our shelves, let alone in our homes. It’s not just about bounce sheets, at least not to me. It’s about educating ourselves and then making informed choices that help us to breathe easy. A never-ending process, it seems.

Respectfully,
Michelle
Editor, Tuscany Sun

De Scaler - Bottle Label & Ingredients

An effective product for cleaning and lime removal.

Directions:Spray the liquid on the surface; let it work between 5-10 minutes (NOTE: Norwex now recommends you allow the product to stand for only 3 minutes). Wash off with a moist microfiber cloth before the product completely dries, to leave a lime-free shiny surface.

- Removes lime & rust
- Guarantees clean, shiny surfaces
- Regular use prevents new lime build-up

Caution: Do not use on marble or granite. Always test on an inconspicuous place. Sotre in frost-free environment and out of direct sunlight.

MAY IRRITATE EYES AND SKIN. Do not get in eyes, on skin or clothing. Keep out of reach of children. FIRST AID TREATMENT: Contains sodium gluconate, glucuronic acid and glutamic acid. If swallowed, call a Poison Control Centre or Doctor immediately. Do not induce vomiting. If in eyes, rinse with water for 15 minutes. If on skin, rinse well with water

Made in USA
_________________________________________

Contains: aqua, orange extract (extrait d'orange), sodium gluconate, glucuronic acid, glutamic acid

ph: 2.2


last revised: February 14, 2010

Cleaning Paste vs. De Scaler

People often ask what the difference is between the Cleaning Paste and the De Scaler and if they can use one instead of the other. For me, I am all about maximum effect for minimal effort so I think you need both and here is why:

The De Scaler is an acidic solution that is absolutely amazing at removing Hard Water spots and scale (spray leave it on for 3 minutes and wipe off with an Envirocloth ... it really is that easy). I use this on the walls of the shower, the glass doors, the shower head (where the scale develops) and anywhere else I have scale or am concerned about water spots.

I have also found the De Scaler useful at removing the scale deposits in my toilets. Although you can't always see it (white scale on white porcelain), I could feel it with my Envirocloth (it was rough and the cloth would catch). It is on this scale that I would get that ugly black/pink build up that no one wants to talk about (under the rim and at the water line). The scale on the inside of the toilet allows a biofilm to grow and by removing the scale/biofilm regularly - your toilet stays cleaner for longer. I tried removing the scale with Cleaning Paste + elbow grease with not much luck (it was also was way more effort than I wanted to put in, I mean who wants to scrub the toilet bowl?). So instead, I sprayed the bowl with De Scaler, let it work its magic for 3 minutes, did a quick wipe and flushed the toilet. The scale was gone along with some other debris that I could never reach farther down the trap (BONUS for me!). Needless to say, I now spray the toilet bowls after every few cleanings!

I love the De Scaler but it does have a couple drawbacks and this is why you also need the Cleaning Paste.

1) You can't use the De Scaler on all natural stone surfaces.
If you have 'Granite', Marble or Travertine - BEWARE. Marble and Travertine are composed of a mineral called Calcite (or Dolomite, that's the Geologist in me coming out) and many 'Granites' also have Calcite in them. Hard water scale is composed of the same mineral - Calcite. So it is pretty hard to dissolve the scale without dissolving your tiles or counter. You need another option. For this you can use the Cleaning Paste to scrub/polish off the hard water deposits.

2) Soap Scum.
The De Scaler is not effective at removing soap scum. I use the De Scaler on the walls and the Cleaning Paste on the tub and floor of the shower stall. The Cleaning Paste takes off soap scum with minimal effort and when used with an Envirocloth, you'll know exactly where you have cleaned because the cloth will catch on all the soap scum. Essentially you can close your eyes and clean by feel!

** I put 'Granite' in quotations because I am referring to what are typically called 'Granite' counters. The geological definition of a granite is very different.

Phthalates

Excerpt taken from the Canadian Cancer Society Website, visit their website for more information and the full article.
What are phthalates?

Phthalates (pronounced THA-lates) are a group of chemicals that can make products – usually plastics – softer and more flexible. They are sometimes called “plasticizers.”

Phthalates are used in a range of products, including:
▪ PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastics (commonly found in shower curtains)
▪ Medical plastics, such as PVC IV bags and tubes
▪ Children’s toys and supplies
▪ Cosmetics, such as nail polish and perfumes


How you are exposed to phthalates?

In general, the average Canadian is exposed to fairly low levels of phthalates. You can be exposed to phthalates by using products containing phthalates. Phthalates aren’t chemically connected with the plastic that contains them, which means they could possibly leach out of the products.

People can be exposed to higher levels of phthalates during medical procedures because some medical tubing and other devices are made with PVC plastics. Children can be exposed to phthalates by sucking on toys made of plastics that contain phthalates.

Why there is concern?

The U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) says that DEHP “is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”. This means that it is probably something that could cause cancer in humans.
There is evidence that certain phthalates act as endocrine disruptors. This means they may mimic or behave like hormones and can interfere with the normal hormonal activity in our bodies. This can lead to physical abnormalities, fertility problems and certain types of cancer.

Research on phthalates has found that exposure to relatively high levels of these substances is needed to cause abnormalities in laboratory animals. Most Canadians are not exposed to these levels. These substances also seem to have greater effects on young and developing animals.

What you can do?
Tips to reduce your exposure to phthalates

These are areas where the Canadian Cancer Society is most concerned about the use of phthalates.

Medical situations
If you are pregnant or have a young child, ask your family’s healthcare providers to use phthalate free (non-PVC) tubing and IV bags if possible, especially for procedures such as blood transfusions, dialysis and ECMO (extra-corporal membrane oxygenation). Please remember, the use of traditional PVC plastics may be life-saving if suitable alternatives are not available.

Children’s toys and supplies
Canadian guidelines suggest that DEHP and DINP shouldn’t be used in items that are likely to be placed in children’s mouths. Manufacturers aren’t legally bound by these guidelines. Ask manufacturers if their products contain phthalates. If the manufacturer can’t, or won’t, tell you if the product contains phthalates, use something else.

Use plastic baby bottles and children’s plastic toys with recycling code 5 on the bottom. Recycling code 5 means the product is polypropylene, which doesn’t contain phthalates. You can also consider using glass bottles.

Other possible sources of phthalates

Food
Low levels of phthalates may be in food because the plastics used to prepare and package the product contain them. As well, they may already be present in food because of the phthalates released into the environment from human activities. We are not exactly sure how phthalates are getting into foods and need more research in this area. You may choose to avoid certain plastics for food storage. You may choose glass or plastic containers made of:

high-density polyethylene (HDPE; recycling code 2)
low-density polyethylene (LDPE; recycling code 4)
polypropylene (PP; recycling code 5)
Use soft plastics, like plastic wrap, made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE).

Based on what we know now these three types of plastics are preferable (recycling codes 2, 4 and 5)

Cosmetics and personal care products
Since all cosmetic products (for example, make-up, hairspray, body lotion) in Canada should be labeled with their ingredients, check for phthalates in your cosmetics using their full name. For example, dibutyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate.

Home
Ask manufacturers about non-vinyl hard flooring alternatives, and consider other types of materials such as natural flooring and fabric shower curtains instead of plastic ones.

Currently there are no regulations for listing ingredients on cleaning products. As a result, we do not know if cleaning products contain phthalates.

CBC Market Place - A Toxic Brew

CBC Marketplace ran an investigative report on household cleaners.




CBC Website

CBC is modifying their website so if the above link does not work you can read the story here.

SC Johnson Product Ingredients Now Available

SC Johnson, the makers of some of your favourite household cleaners has finally released a website that gives YOU more information on what is in their products. This is BIG ... companies by law are not required to disclose the ingredients of their cleaning products unless it is seriously toxic. Why is that you ask?
It is because those ingredients are protected under "trade secrets". The SC Johnson website is a work in progress and is expected to have over 200 products on it by 2012.

Not all ingredients are disclosed as some information is still proprietary but now you can find out allot more about some of the chemical based cleaners in your home.

Some of the Major Brands by SC Johnson:

- Windex
- Fantastik
- Drano
- Pledge
- Shout
- Glade
- Nature's Source
- Toilet Duck
- Scrubbing Bubbles
- Bon Ami
- Armstrong

SC Johnson also reported that they are currently phasing out the use of ALL Phthalates in the fragrances they use in their cleaning products.