The Why & How of Norwex Microfiber & The Use of Silver  

The Dirt on Dirt Traditional cleaning chemicals are designed to break down grease and grime and attract it away from surfaces towards the bucket, mop or cloth. When surfaces are left moist and wet after cleaning, only the water component of your cleaning solution evaporates leaving broken-down dirt, grime and chemicals to dry on the surface, attracting future dirt and providing a breeding ground for bugs. These bugs split and multiply to emit odours, which many traditional chemicals are trying to cover up. The definition of CLEAN is to remove all forms of contaminants from a surface leaving it in as original condition as possible. This means that in order to leave surfaces CLEAN we cannot leave residuals behind on them. Residuals determine the frequency of needed cleaning. The fewer residuals left behind on a surface the better, as residuals determine how often that surface should be cleaned.  

Clean Doesn’t Smell Our sense of smell is very important. It is the only sense that will automatically invoke reactions and memories without sending messages through the brain. Smell uses the olfactory nerve system through the nose, which is why the smell of cut grass may remind you of childhood, or a particular perfume of someone from your past. Many people clean surfaces incorrectly, using a chemical that makes the area smell clean (smell like another surface with residuals of that fragrance on it) as opposed to actually removing the contaminants. True cleanliness does not smell, as there is nothing left behind. It will take most people quite a while to accept this as their sense of smell reminds them that they have not cleaned with strong enough chemicals if they have used only microfiber and water and there is no smell. Clean doesn’t smell; however, fresh air may if it has wafted past fragrance, so make sure you use natural fragrances in areas of airflow to provide that fresh scent.

Over/Incorrect Use of Disinfectants Can Create Superbugs To sanitize a surface, we need to remove all forms of living bacteria, viruses and fungi from it. This can be done chemically, thermally or mechanically. In the past, many people have over used disinfectants/cleaners that have tried to chemically kill these bugs. Over the years, many bugs have become resistant to these chemicals and are now an even greater risk, particularly to people with weak immune systems. The traditional method of cleaning with chemicals and cotton cloths results in breaking down dirt and grime and spreading it evenly over the surface. Residual chemicals and dirt provide great opportunities for bugs to grow, not just on moist surfaces, but also within the cleaning cloth itself. When this cloth is later used to clean another surface, it acts as a bug incubation station, transporting germs to the next area or surface you try to clean. While you may be making a visual difference by removing some dirt and grime from one particular area and spreading it evenly over the rest of the area you are cleaning, you are actually making a huge difference that cannot be seen visually, but it happens hygienically at a microscopic microbial level.

What’s Wrong With Using Chemicals and Disinfectants? Plainly, they can harm our bodies and affect the environment. After use, most cleaning chemicals end up making the journey from your home down the sink, toilet and drains into our environment via the sewer or waterways. Many of these chemicals can have harmful effects, not just to our environment but also on the other life forms dependent on it. If many of these chemicals are not good for our environment should they really be used in our homes or around our bodies? 

With the Norwex chemical-free antibacterial microfiber system you don’t breathe, touch or ingest chemicals. Dirt, dust, grease and bacteria are removed instead of spread around your home, creating a cleaner indoor climate and reducing allergens. Today, preserving the environment for our children and future generations is extremely important. With Norwex you have the opportunity to use fewer chemicals, reduce your environmental footprint and look after your family’s health while at the same time preserving our environment for future generations.

Used dry these fibers produce an electrostatic charge, which attracts and holds dust particles. When wet, the fibers us capillary vacuum force to pull moisture and grease from the surface up into the fibers.

Dry for Dusting The static effect created when using Norwex microfiber cloths dry enhances the microfibers ability to hold dust particles. As you lightly wipe the surface, the fibers produce positive electrostatic charges that attract dust, which has a negative charge like a huge magnet. Moist For Cleaning Norwex microfiber holds up to seven times its weight in water. These microfibers act like bionic sponges that use capillary vacuum force to pull dirt, bacteria, grease and water into its microfibers and away from the surface leaving it residue free and squeaky clan. 

 Why is Norwex Microfiber so Superior to Others?

·          Finer – Norwex microfiber is up to seven times finer than other inferior retail microfiber. This allows our fiber to pick up and hold more dirt and bugs

·          Unique – In addition to being finer, all Norwex microfiber products are knitted or sewn in a unique way that makes them perfect for their individual application

·          Durable – Norwex microfiber is stronger and can be laundered up to 500 times.

·          Guarantee – All Norwex microfiber products come with a 2 year warranty

·          Antibacterial – Norwex antibacterial microfiber products not only pick up more dirt, dust and germs from a surface, they also sanitize themselves so next time they are used they reduce the risk of cross-contaminating surfaces.  

Microfiber Washing Instructions

Brush mop heads using the Rubber Brush to remove lint and hair and rinse them prior to the washing cycle. All Norwex microfiber should be laundered with quality laundry powder or liquid in a cold, warm or hot wash. Periodically it is a good idea to wash them on the hottest wash available as this will open the fibers and release debris and grease caught deep within the fibers. If your laundry system is not capable of heating water, you may want to occasionally deep clean your microfiber by boiling it on the stove for about 10 minutes. After the rinse cycle, hanging cloths in direct sunlight also helps sanitize them using the sun’s ultra violet rays or you can dry them in the hot cloths dryer without any lint (fluffy) garments or towels. To remove stubborn stains, they can be boiled for ten minutes to allow the fibers to swell and release any debris or spray the stain with Norwex Carpet Stain Buster and allow to soak for ten minutes before laundering. ***NEVER use fabric softeners as they contain zeolite, which will coat the fibers and diminish their static and capillary action required for high-quality cleaning. *** NEVER use bleach, as it will destroy the microfiber. 

 Silver in Norwex Cloths  The History of Silver Throughout history, people have taken advantage of the antimicrobial properties of Silver. The Greeks and Romans stored water and other drinks in Silver, as it was believed this kept the liquids fresh. During the plagues in Europe, wealthy families ate from Silver plates and utensils, In the hope that Silver would protect them from the disease that was claiming their neighbors lives. The expression “born with a silver spoon in the mouth” had a dual meaning. Not only did it refer to wealthy, it also referred to health. People were eating off Silver spoons because they knew that an infection couldn’t survive on Silver. Without knowing it people were taking advantage of the natural Antimicrobial properties of Silver. Today, many products are produced using Silver to give antibacterial properties to that surface. Silver antibacterial socks, silver soap, silver lined curtains in hospitals, silver lined bandages for treating burns, silver-lined Band-Aids, silver toothbrushes etc.    

How Silver Works

Silver interrupts a cell’s ability to form chemical bonds essential to its survival. Although there are many complex ways Silver works, the simplest function is its ability to disable the enzyme that one-celled bacteria, viruses and fungi need for their oxygen metabolism. The results of our testing show that the bacteria in the microfiber itself were reduced by more that 99.99% after 24 hours while a normal microfiber had a bacteria growth of 14,000. The Antibacterial agent within the Norwex microfiber demonstrates its effectiveness against strains of pathogenic bacteria and yeast, for example: ·          E.coli·          Klebsialla pneumoniae·          Proteus vulgaris·          Salmonella typhi·          Staphylococcus aureus·          Streptococcus faecalis·          Streptococcus pyogenes·          Candida albicans·          MRSA·          SARS 

During testing, our agent was shown to begin breaking down bacteria immediately upon contact and to achieve a reduction better than 99% after 24 hours. Because the agent is part of the material the antibacterial effect lasts the lifetime of the product. In this test we compared the bacterial growth of normal microfiber vs. Norwex Antibacterial Microfiber. Cotton fibers could also have been used for this test, however as cotton does not pick up nearly so much dirt or germs from a surface we needed to have two cloths with the same amount of debris and germs in them to properly test the growth in the fibers over the 24 hours. Due to the nature of these bacteria, all tests were conducted in a controlled laboratory environment, and may not be a 100% true representation of normal living environments. As such, its’ not known if the same results are true in an uncontrolled environment.

As microfiber removes so much solution, bacteria and grease from a surface, it is extremely important that your cloths don’t become a breeding ground for more bugs like your old smelly kitchen cloths. To thermally clean and sanitize microfiber cloths, they need to be laundered above 77 degrees for more than 15 minutes. Norwex microfiber can be laundered up to 95 degrees Celsius. Inferior cloths cannot withstand this temperature, so they are never fully sanitized, meaning you can be spreading bacteria and germs next time you use them. The new Norwex Antibacterial Microfiber does not disinfect the surface you clean by killing the germs on it; it removes the germs from the surface and collects them in the cloth. The silver agent inside the microfibers then inhibits the growth of the germs, which eventually causes them to suffocate and die. The new microfiber should be regarded as a complement to regular practices, as it will also help prevent the transfer of germs to your hand while cleaning and help prevent cross-contamination. Germs removed are retained within the antibacterial microfiber and many common household germs will be killed within a few minutes.  

To view a complete catalogue of Norwex products visit http://www.norwex-online-shopping.com