A friend of mine started selling Norwex. I had no idea what it was at the time. She sent me an invite to her party, via Facebook. I decided to look and I couldn't make it to the party but I wanted to buy something. I went to the Norwex site and was shocked at the prices. I though, "Oh no way!"
Then I thought, "Holly isn't impulsive. She's not someone who would waste money, these must be good". I went and watched some of the video's she posted about the product and was intrigued.
I decided to buy the "Enviro cloth" and "Window cloth". They were pricey but if they could do what the video showed me, you know...the one with the chicken?? After I ordered, I decided to do some research. Yea, I know, I spent the money and THEN decided to research? A little backwards but either way, I wanted to support my friend.
Chicken test and cross contamination test with Norwex
In my research, I came across, Ecloths. These were suppose to do the same thing Norwex cloths did, for a fraction of the price. This peaked my interest because i'm realistic. If I can find something that does the same thing, is the same quality for a fraction of the cost, I'm going to use it!!
As I was doing my research, I noted that the Ecloths did not have the embedded silver but from what the other blogs said, "You really don't need it. You're rinsing out the cloth and that's getting rid of the bacteria". I was convinced that Ecloths were the same. I bought some. I couldn't help it but I wanted to compare the Ecloth to the Norwex cloths.
My Norwex cloths came in and I was excited to try them. I really didn't know how to use them but watched a video and tried it. I was AMAZED. I have very hard to clean Stainless steel in my kitchen.
****Before I get into this, You need to know a few things about me.
* We homeschool. We are home All*THE*TIME.
* We are very social. We have company ALL*THE*TIME.
* I have a homeschooling group that meets in my home. Lots of little hands having fun.
* My appliances are being cleaned ALL*THE*TIME.
**Now back to my original blog.
My appliances are so difficult to clean and it's usually one of the most annoying jobs. I simply wet my new Enviro cloth with water and started wiping down my fridge. Then I used the window cloth , quickly and was AMAZED. The shine!! No Streaks!! I was shocked!!! Cleaning is something I enjoy but cleaning my appliances was NOT something I enjoyed!! Until now. I was so excited. It was so easy, my 4 y/o son could clean it.
My friend was coming over to our next homeschool group to show me the rest of the products and how to use them. It ended up being an impromptu "Norwex Party".
At the party I ordered some more items, The "Scrubby Enviro cloth". Another Window cloth, a wet mop head and a set of kitchen towels. At this point i'd been using my one Enviro cloth and polishing cloth exclusively.
I also had some Ecloths on order. A mop head, a set of their cleaning cloths and couple of their polishing cloths. I figured if they were as good as Norwex, I'd have a great little stash started.
As I was using my Envirocloth and polishing cloth during the week before I got my other orders , I realized that my Enviro cloth was often laying around wet. Now I had some of the Ecloths on order and I started to wonder because the Ecloths don't have the silver in them. I had read over and over again that I didn't need it , but was starting to wonder.
My order for my Ecloths and my Norwex order came in the same week. As I looked at the products the Cloths both looked great. The polishing cloths , although different in appearance and even texture looked good. It was the Wet mop pads that had me troubled. The Norwex mop pad was visibly thicker, than the ecloth mop pad. The blog I had read, noted the differences but said they both work just as well. I had my reservations because truth be told, the Ecloth mop pad looked JUST like the rubber maid mop head that came with my mop years ago. The Ecloth was slightly thicker but they looked almost EXACTLY alike and the fibers felt similar.
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| you can see that the Rubbermaid is larger. |
I mopped my floors. I used BOTH wet mop pads. I wet both of the mop heads with water and squeezed as much excess water out as I could. I used the Ecloth pad 1st. While I liked it, I felt like I was pushing the dirt around more. It did work well, but I noticed that any fine particles that I missed with the vacuum or sweeping pad was on the floor. It also took longer to dry then the Norwex mop pad.
I used the Norwex mop pad next and I felt like it did a much better job. Also, I noticed that the fibers of the mop head picked up small particles that the Ecloth mop pad left behind. I rinsed out both mop pads and when I looked, the Norwex side of my floor was already dry and the Ecloth side was still wet in spots. Now the Norwex cloth is MUCH thicker and held much more water than the Ecloth pad so I would of expected the Norwex side to take longer. I feel that the Norwex pad worked better and even got up some stuck on food that I hadn't seen. **I was a little disappointed in my findings here because the Norwex pads are expensive and i've got over 2000 sq. feet of floor space that needs mopping.
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| You can clearly see the size difference between the Norwex and the Ecloth. |
I then tried the Ecloth towels and polishing cloth. They worked just as well as the Norwex cloths but when I was done, I rinsed them out and looked at them. With my Norwex cloths, I rinse them out and hang them to dry. If there is any residual bacteria in them, I know the silver is taking care of that. It's also preventing any bacteria from multiplying. When I rinsed out the Ecloth, I hung it to dry but wasn't as confident that all the bacteria was out.
Each cloth claims to pick up most but not all the bacteria...both towels claim that you are rinsing out most of the bacteria...What about the bacteria left in the Ecloth? What happens to it? At that point, I realized that I wanted the security that the Norwex towels give me. I KNOW that the silver is taking care of any thing left in the towel.
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| They are both similar and work. I prefer the confidence and bacteria protection I get with Norwex. |
I decided to see if I could find the Ecloths with Silver. They do make them. When I found someone selling them, they were $16.99!!! Wait...What?! The Enviro cloths from Norwex were only $16.49?? The best part is that my friend is making 35% of that!! If i'm going to pay that kind of money for cleaning cloths, I want my friend and her family to benefit from it!!!!
I tried the Ecloth and Norwex window cloths. BOTH Towels work the same...they both work just as well. Now this is one product that I think would help save some money. The reason is that I use my window cloth *after* I wipe down my glass and appliances with the Enviro cloth. So the polishing cloth is just getting any of the water off and polishing. I have both an Ecloth and a few Norwex polishing cloths. I always grab my Norwex cloths , only because of the Silver, I feel confident that it's picking up and getting rid of any missed bacteria.
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| They both worked well and did a great job. |
Ecloth advertises that their cloths are guaranteed for 300 washes , which is suppose to be around 5 years. The problem is that they're basing that on washing them once a week. With the Ecloths, I'd be washing them more often. With out the silver in them, I'd be washing them a few times a week to ensure the removal of all bacteria. So is the 300 washings 5 years?? I don't think so.
In the end, Norwex offers me chemical free cleaning. While my initial investment is more money, I will NOT be buying "Natural" cleaners. In fact, i've not purchased any cleaning products in over a month. I don't think Norwex is as expensive as I originally thought. In fact, I'm thinking of selling it.
Laura,
Loving, Learning & Leaning on Christ
****Update*****
It's been a while since this post. Many have read this and commented and I felt the need to update.
Are the Norwex cloths great?? Yes, they work...Would I pay the extra money for them?? No. I'm sorry to say that there are many factors that go into owning and using a Norwex cloth and I just can't say that i'm impressed with them more than the Ecloth. My original review was after a few months but this review is over a year in the making.
Here are some issues.....
Microfiber is a man-made fabric which is 80% Polyester and 20% Nylon. Both of these are plastic derivatives. When you wash the microfiber fabric with HOT water and dry on hot , you actually ruin the fibers. This is why your cloths don't absorb so well after a few washings. As far as the Silver goes....It's very easy to coat that silver with minerals from your water. If you have hard water, you could easily coat your silver and never know it. Also, you can over-power you silver with too much bacteria.
While selling Norwex products I was on the groups with all the other consultants and here is where I got to see what was going on behind the scenes. People complaining that their cloths were stinky and not absorbing. This IMMEDIATELY brought me back to my cloth diapering days with moms complaining about their microfiber inserts. Same issue...THey work for a few weeks but after washing them in hot water, and drying them, you actually melt the fibers.
The Norwex consultants were told to boil their cloths... (For you cloth diaper users, sound familiar?) Boiling the cloths actually ruins them FASTER!!!
I spoke to a textile manufacturer years ago who confirmed this with me about Microfiber. I wish I had gone with my gut about the Norwex cloths.
After about 6 months I realized this. Norwex has a great guarantee on their cloths. They replaced all of mine WITHOUT question...including all my bath towels. I still use my Norwex, but I wash them by soaking them in the UPP (Ultra Power Plus) then I wash them....I DO NOT dry them. I hang them all to dry. THIS will help to keep my cloths lasting longer. Again... I wouldn't spend the extra money on them. Ecloth is just as good.
One thing I realized...If they're replacing ALL my cloths without question, How much money are they losing?? They are still making a profit, so what their charging must have all of this along with commission in mind. We're over paying for Microfiber.
As far as the mop heads, Yes, Norwex mop heads are still the best BUT...I wouldn't spend the extra money for them.
This is my updated review.
