Norwex Fall Cleaning Pack from Tasha Baldock: #Review and #Giveaway! (Closed)

I think I'm obsessed. :)

Yes I know, that's not exactly a news headline as I'm known for a few slightly neurotic obsessions (such as reading and re-reading my blog posts for grammar and flow prior to publishing. ;)

But to be obsessed with cleaning products? Surely I could find something less...mundane with which to preoccupy myself? Or perhaps not! I'll let you decide once I tell you a li'l more about Norwex, one of my latest & greatest brand discoveries!

Rewind a few weeks. If you were following me back then, you may remember a post I wrote about the Momstown KW Birthday Bash. Prior to this event, I'd heard of Norwex offhand but didn't really know what it was all about. Well, that certainly changed thanks to Tasha Baldock - a knowledgeable and enthusiastic Norwex consultant who presented at the bash. She convincingly demonstrated using raw chicken and a protein detection kit that you can clean AND sterilize, well, pretty much everything with a single cloth and a li'l water. That's it. How awesome is that?

So what is this little cloth and how the heck is it able to accomplish such a feat? Well, it's called an Enviro Cloth and it consists of a patented antibacterial microfiber which is 1/100th the size of a strand of human hair and knitted just right so that the cloth can hold up to seven times its weight in matter. In total, there are over 2.9 million meters of fiber in one of these bad boys! The antibacterial property comes from a silver-based agent that is actually embedded within the tiny microfiber. All in all, the cloth is able to pick up 99.9% of germs and bacteria (from washable surfaces) and inactivate them within a 24 hour period. In addition to the multipurpose Enviro Cloth, Norwex has a number of other microfiber products designed for specific purposes (e.g. kitchen cloths, face cloths, floor mops), however at the heart of each of these is the same "antibac" technology which smothers and deactivates germs and bacteria.

As a new mama who strives to run a chemical-free home, save money, simplify, de-clutter and gain efficiencies in my day-to-day tasks, these products appeared to be so up my alley it HURT. :D And the Norwex mission statement ("To improve quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning") really resonated with me in the same light. (You can read more about the company's history and values here.) That said, I'm also blessed/cursed (your pick) with a healthy dose of skepticism, so I calmed down and did a li'l research. As I hoped for, every one of the independent reviews I checked out proclaimed that Norwex is, indeed, The Real Deal and their chemical-free cleaning products do work as advertised. Sweet!

At that point, I knew that I not only had to try some of these products for myself, but I also wanted to share my experiences here at Manager to Mom! And since Norwex is a direct selling company (similar to Avon and Thirty-One Gifts, which I featured in a review/giveaway this past Spring), I thought there could be a wonderful opportunity to team up directly with Tasha on a blog review/giveaway feature. I contacted her through her Norwex business page and was super-excited to hear that she was game! She generously offered a "Fall cleaning pack" consisting of the following three "antibac" items for me to review:

1) Enviro Cloth - The "everything" cloth that I raved about above! This cloth can theoretically be used to clean your toilets and then your kitchen shortly thereafter with no cross-contamination, though most people would prefer to have separate cloths for these purposes in practice. :)

2) Polish/Window Cloth - A cloth with a smoother weave that is meant to be used dry (or slightly damp). It is ideal for polishing windows, mirrors and other surfaces to a streak-free shine and is especially effective when used following the Enviro Cloth.  Tasha mentioned that she keeps one in her bathroom to wipe down her mirror after a shower, allowing her to get to her hair & makeup right away!

3) Dusting Mitt - A "wearable" cloth with fibres woven into a higher pile for an increased static charge and greater surface area. This allows it to collect and hold even more dust and water than the Enviro Cloth.  According to Tasha, the dusting mitt is excellent for dusting chandeliers, fans, vents, plants and vehicle dashboards, is great for difficult areas such as blinds and is amazing for washing screens right in their frame!  When using the mitt for dusting you keep it dry, however to wash screens you'd want to wet it first.

I was impressed by the amount of detail and number of personal experience tips that Tasha provided to help me effectively use these products. This further demonstrated her passion and expertise with Norwex, and I felt like I definitely teamed up with the right consultant!

When my products arrived, I had to restrain myself from grabbing the Enviro Cloth and immediately wiping down all my counters. Pics first, I told myself!  So here are all my products, untarnished. :) Dusting mitt (top left), polish cloth (top right) and Enviro Cloth (bottom).

Check out how the fibres compare. Notice that the polish cloth (left) has the finest weave, the Enviro Cloth is thicker and the dusting mitt is super-fluffy!

 

All three products have an extremely high-quality feel to them as well.

Pics taken, I got to my kitchen wipe-down and was immediately very impressed! My previous routine involved using damp dish cloths and towels for a basic wipe, with the occasional vinegar & paper towel de-streak treatment. I'm happy to report that the Enviro Cloth alone performed much better than all of my previous cleaning tools, and was much quicker to boot! It truly does grab and hold in everything it glides over, from pools of water to crumbs to grease spots. I was able to wipe down my whole kitchen without even rinsing my cloth; it's large enough that I simply refolded to get a clean section when I moved to a new area. And then when I did rinse it out following the wipe-down, the gunk flushed away nicely. AWESOME.

For our glass stove top, I busted out the polish cloth, gave'r a few wipes and indeed - it was left gleaming and perfectly streak-free.

Actual cleaning accomplished, I felt the urge to really put my two cloths to the test. So I conducted my own Norwex "butter demo" on our bathroom mirror. How'd it go? Well, you be the judge!

As for storing the cloths between uses, I started out just wringing them out and keeping them folded on the counter, but this was far from ideal. They took up space and got funky pretty quickly.  I asked Tasha for tips here, and she mentioned that she hangs her cloths by their labels on her kitchen cupboard knobs. Great idea, though our cupboards don't have knob handles so this didn't work for us. Soooo my husband was sweet enough to install a rack above the sink for my Norwex! How awesome and convenient is this?

(Note - the green cloth on the left is my daughter's "gently used" face cloth, renting a li'l space on there as well. ;)

All in all, I love these two cloths. They have managed to meet, if not exceed, my expectations, which were lofty from the start!

Next up - the dusting mitt. I've never used a mitt-shaped duster before but it's a great concept. It allows you to "shape" the duster in order to best fit the surface you are cleaning. For example, you can keep it straight if you are dusting a flat surface like a shelf or blinds, and cup your hand to efficiently dust furniture edges, table legs, knobs, etc.  I did find that the mitt fit my skinny li'l wrist pretty loosely, so I secured it with a hair elastic which worked well.

The first thing I dusted off was my laptop screen. Man, that thing needed a cleaning something fierce. Y'know when the sunlight comes in just so and every little speck of dust on your surfaces becomes visible? Well, get a load of this.

I know - disgusting. I was surprised not to see "CLEAN ME!!!" etched across the surface.

But after a few wipes with the dusting mitt:

 

Dust gonzo! Just a few remaining sticky bits which required a wet wipe.

Next, I tackled a bunch of areas (door and window edges, blinds, lights and other hiding spots) which hadn't been dusted in, well, I'm embarrassed to say. I'm happy to report that the holding power of the mitt was quite good! I only had to bang it out 2-3 times during the duration of my cleaning, and I dusted for close to an hour. Most of the dust got firmly trapped within the fibers, but after awhile it started to cake on the surface. At this point, it needed to be removed in order for the mitt to continue working effectively. I took this pic just before banging it out; quite a few nasties trapped in there!

I also just noticed that it was the "back" of the mitt I took the picture of! (I'm right handed so I usually wear it the other way, but since both sides are covered in the microfiber I'd flip it around after awhile and use the other side.) The front was probably even crustier, hehe.

All in all, I'm happy to give the dusting mitt two thumbs up as well. Altogether, these three products make up quite the powerful eco-friendly cleaning package!

Finally, a few words about care and maintenance. Slightly soiled cloths can be handwashed in warm water with a little dish or laundry soap and then rinsed well. Similarly, the dusting mitt can be vacuumed between uses. When it's time for a more thorough cleaning, all of these items can be machine washed at any temperature and machine dried at up to 90 degrees with lint-free laundry (or aired out). No fabric softener, bleach or dryer sheets should be use as these can damage the products. I have washed my cloths a few times now and my mitt once, and found it worked well to throw 'em in with my cloth diaper laundry. Zero lint, eco-friendly detergent and an extra rinse cycle to really get 'em clean and residue-free!

So how would you like to "improve your quality of life" and get your hands on some of these wonderful products? :)

Buy It!

You can purchase the Enviro Cloth, polish cloth, dusting mitt and many other great cleaning and personal care products directly from Tasha's Norwex site! Orders can be shipped to anywhere in Canada and the United States for the same flat rate of $4.95. To place an order, you will first need to fill out this quick & easy form to create an account. This also allows you to sign up for Tasha's personalized monthly newsletter which contains the latest Norwex specials and updates.

Feeling super-passionate? :)

Then why not host a party and spread the love! Norwex has a pretty sweet host/hostess reward program. Plus, if you live in the Waterloo, Halton, Peel, York or Durham regions of Ontario, Tasha is happy to travel and present at your party! I just might be hosting one myself over the next couple months; anyone interested in attending? ;) Norwex also offers flexible career opportunities, and Tasha mentioned that she would personally train and provide support for anyone who would like to join her team.

Win It!

One lucky Manager to Mom reader will receive the same "Fall cleaning pack" that I reviewed here - an Enviro Cloth, a polish cloth and a dusting mitt. (Total value: $54!) Open to Canada and the United States.

To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Comments do not count as entries, however feel free to add a comment to remind yourself that you entered or to share your product feedback with others!

Disclosure:  The prize is being provided and shipped to the winner by Tasha Baldock, independent Norwex consultant.  I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway, although I did receive the product samples free of charge.  This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours.