The Real Clean…the Norwex Way
What does clean look like to you? What does it feel like? What does it smell like?
SEE IT:
What does CLEAN look like? Does a clean hardwood floor glimmer with the sheen of a chemical that has been applied to it, or does it look like pure, natural wood that has been “cleaned” by removing dirt and debris from it, but leaving it free of a chemical residue?
Growing up, our kitchen floor always had the shine of a chemical cleaner when it was “just cleaned.” Now that we have the Norwex Mop, that floor is truly clean…void of all dirt and debris, but also beautiful wood that doesn’t have the artificial shine of a chemical. This is healthier for the people and pets that come in contact with that floor.
We’ve all been conditioned that an item is “clean” when it looks shiny from a chemical being smoothed over it. The truth is that a Real Clean would be removing dirt and debris from the surface and leaving us with a natural surface. This eliminates the possibility of humans or pets being endangered by coming in contact with a chemical residue that is most often toxic.
We have also seen that surfaces void of chemical residue stay clean longer because there is NOTHING left behind to attract more dirt and debris to a surface. Removing everything from a surface without leaving a chemical behind will save you time because your home will stay clean longer.
FEEL IT:
What does CLEAN feel like? Does it feel like oily residue left behind from a chemical cleaner or oil, or is the smooth feel of your marble, hardwood or laminate? Truly clean surfaces feel great because they feel NATURAL!
Prior to Norwex, we used the hardwood floor cleaner that our home builder had recommended. My little boys would slip as they walked across the floor because of the slick residue from the cleaner. After switching our cleaning regimen to the Norwex mop, our boys can now run back and forth across the hardwood. Their little feet are gripping the feel of a clean floor; not one covered in chemical residue.
SMELL IT:
What does CLEAN smell like? Is it that “lemon fresh” chemical scent that isn’t really all that lemony or all that fresh? Is it a pesticide spray that you are using to cover up garbage or bathroom odors with the artificial smell of wildflowers or pine trees?
I would challenge you that a CLEAN smell is one absent of any chemicals; flowery or not. Clean is the smell of a breeze drifting through your house on a beautiful summer day, the smell you experience when you stand out in the middle of nature breathing in air untainted by man-made chemicals.
The smell of CLEAN is what you will experience when you clean your home with Norwex antibacterial microfiber and water. Your home will smell natural and fresh.
When we walked past (never down) the “cleaning aisle” at the grocery store last week, my little guy covered his mouth and nose as he was talking to me. I love the fact that those “lemon fresh” smells we grew up thinking of as a clean smell seem toxic to my boys.
EXPERIENCE IT:
Have you experienced “The Real Clean” of Norwex? If so; please share your stories here. If you have not experienced Norwex and would like to learn more, please CONTACT ME. I would love to show you how to TRULY CLEAN your home.
The Dirty Dozen…How Clean Are Your Fruits and Vegetables?
My family eats a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables. My husband takes a few pieces of fresh fruit to work every day, and my children each take a fruit item (usually an apple) to school for their mid-morning snack each day.
Prior to Norwex, I did give some thought to cleaning our produce. We ran everything under some hot water and considered it adequate. I’ve since learned that many of our fruits and vegetables come home from the grocery store with nasty companions…pesticide residue and bacteria! Yuck!!
The “Dirty Dozen”; the foods with most pesticide residue include:
- Pears
- Grapes
- Peppers
- Cherries
- Celery
- Lettuce
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Apples
- Kale
- Cherries
- Strawberries
It scared me to see this list; these are items that we eat every day! Luckily; Norwex has an amazing
Norwex Fresh Wash to clean our produce. The Norwex Fresh Wash is an all-natural solution specifically designed to wash produce. It will rid vegetables of pesticides, fungicides and herbicide residues, chemical contaminants, waxes, oils, animal wastes, dirt and increases the shelf life 2-3 times!! It is great for delicate fruit.
The first time I really noticed the impact that the Fresh Wash had on the shelf life of our produce was Christmas a few years ago. My mother-in-law had brought strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to our house. We washed them with the Norwex Fresh Wash and served them to our guests. After dinner, we put the leftovers in the fridge. We then forgot about those yummy berries stashed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. More than eight days went by before we noticed that dish again. I took it out of the refrigerator, hesitant, and opened it slowly. I expected to find mushy, moldy berries. Instead…we found firm, delicious berries; they tasted just like they had eight days earlier! Yeah Fresh Wash!!
As I mentioned, my children take apples to school almost every day. I love the fact that my nine-year-old considers it important enough to stop at the sink on the way from the fruit bowl to his backpack to grab the Norwex Veggie and Fruit Scrub Cloth to wash his apple. Even a child can tell the difference between an apple straight from the store and one that has been quickly cleaned with our Norwex Veggie & Fruit Scrub Cloth!
The Norwex Fruit & Veggie Scrub Cloth cleans dirt and debris off fruits and veggies. It has a rough side for scrubbing and a soft side for polishing. We use it for apples, oranges, bananas, grapefruit, melons, plums, tomatoes and anything else that is firm and more easily scrubbed than soaked in the Norwex Fresh Wash.
To Salt or Not to Salt
Have you ever considered the environmental issues involved with using salt to eliminate ice on your sidewalk or driveway? Have you wondered about eco-friendly alternatives? I was thinking about this recently as I was driving along the freeway. There was not much snow on the ground, but there were snowplows everywhere putting down salt. Everyone who has owned a vehicle in an icy state like Minnesota has seen the damage that this road salt can do to our cars…causing rust and decay; my husband refers to it as ‘cancer’ because of how fast it can spread on a car. It left me wondering what could be done that was more environmentally friendly.
Why salting your driveway and sidewalk isn’t environmentally friendly:
The salt will end up in your soil and accumulate the same way that fertilizers do and make the soil more toxic and harder to grow plants in because:
- Salt makes it more difficult for plants to absorb and uptake water and nutrients from the soil
- Salts causes metals and other harmful chemicals to become soluble making them run off into water supplies
- Salt contributes to drinking water pollution
- Salt causes algae blooms in lakes which depletes the lake of oxygen and can kill off fish and wildlife
- Salt is not good for pets to walk on as it can burn their paws
- It corrodes your driveway and side walk
Eco-friendly substitutes
- Shovel your driveway as fast as you can when the snow falls. This will prevent ice from forming on your driveway and sidewalk eliminating the need for salt
- Use an electric snow blower because gas powered ones contribute to air and noise pollution
- Use sand and or birdseed as an alternative to salt. It won’t harm the environment and will provide just as good traction plus it will attract winter birds like cardinals
- Wear boots, the best way to prevent yourself from slipping on the ice is investing in a good pair of boots that will give you traction on the snow and ice.
So … what will you choose … to salt, or not to salt? I’d love to hear your eco-friendly ideas here!
Antiperspirant or Deodorant?
The difference between antiperspirant and deodorant:
WE ALL SWEAT (sad, but true) and we all use some type of antiperspirant or deodorant but it’s important to know the health risks of the chemicals you are using on a daily basis and some safer alternatives. First of all, the difference between antiperspirants and deodorant is that antiperspirants use aluminum and zirconium to block the pores in your armpits so you will not sweat, while deodorant masks the smell but does not stop sweating. Deodorant has fragrances and anti-bacterial ingredients which minimize odor producing bacteria on your armpit. Deodorant generally doesn’t use the same harmful chemicals as antiperspirant does.
Health risks of antiperspirants
The aluminum compound in antiperspirants has been possibly linked to Alzheimer’s disease and different types of cancer. Aluminum can be absorbed through the skin and is considered a neurotoxin that can cause damage to the brain and nervous system. Using antiperspirant doesn’t mean you will automatically get these diseases but it’s important to know what you are putting into your body. Most antiperspirants use anywhere from 8-13.5% of an active form of aluminum chloride.
Environmental Risks
Not only does aluminum have health risks, it has environmental ones too. Aluminum has to be mined in order to get it which destroys natural habitats and pollutes the water and the air takes up a lot of energy to do so. Then when we use the antiperspirant the aluminum gets washed down the drain and enters into our water system. It can disrupt biological pathways in fish and other animals and contributes to water pollution.
Natural Alternatives
-If you choose to still use conventional antiperspirant find one that has lower amounts of Aluminum chloride in it by checking the active ingredients on the back
-Choose a deodorant that is aluminum free and contains natural chemicals like baking soda, algae extract, vinegar, vegetable glycerin and essentials oils.
-Deodorant such as the Norwex Crystal Deodorant are natural deodorants that are safe for your 
body and the environment. The Norwex Crystal Deodorant, made from mineral salts, is hypoallergenic, non-staining and non-sticky. Wet deodorant prior to use, and rinse off after each use. Stops odor-causing bacteria; does not stop perspiration.
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 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 (or should I say smell like another surface with residuals of that fragrance on it) as opposed to actually removing 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 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 ares of airflow to provide that fresh scent.
Have you changed your idea of what “Clean” smells like after eliminating chemicals from your home? We have!
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