Once we learn something is important, it is impossible to keep it to ourselves!
Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
Teaching and educating is my passion! My desire is to stir a ‘proactive spirit’ in people regarding their choices and the danger of harmful chemicals. Many people are not aware that what they are currently using is harmful to our environment.
University of Bergen Study
The University of Bergen in Norway recently performed a study of 6000 people over a 20 year period, who had regular exposure to cleaning products. It was found that their lung function had been significantly affected as much as a person who had smoked a pack-a-day for 20 years as well as put them at a 40% higher risk of developing asthma.
The study revealed was that “the small particles from the spray [cleaners] can remain in the air for hours after cleaning. The small particles can travel deep into the lungs and cause infections and ageing of the lungs” Dr. Svanes explains. Dr. Svanes, the main author of the study, recommends “You [do] not need a lot of chemicals after all, when cleaning. Microfiber cloths may be just as effective.”
Norwex performed chamber tests to compare the number of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs or small particles) released by chemical spray cleaners and paper towel vs. Norwex Microfiber cloths and water. The results were AMAZING!!! Traditional chemical cleaners released 800 times the VOCs than Norwex products! There is no need for dusting sprays, room deodorizers, artificial fragrances, floor cleaners, all-purpose cleaning sprays… when you have a Norwex EnviroCloth and water!
Problem: Paper Towel
Let me share some information about the truth about paper towel consumption in North America… and how Norwex provides a solution.
On average, a person uses and disposes of 2,400 – 3,000 paper towels every year.
Paper towels are used in 90% of households.
The average family of 4 uses about 26 rolls of paper towels a year. That’s an annual expense of approximately $91 for a single-use, throwaway item that is clogging our landfills!
Paper towel creates 13 billion pounds of waste every year! That works out to a whopping 3,000 tons of waste daily… comparable to the weight of 1650 economy cars!!!
Most are made from virgin tree fibre and used only once.
One paper towel is often not enough for many jobs, and some brands are even bleached with harmful chlorinated compounds—not good for your family or the environment.
Residential dwellings are the largest contributor to pollution, not industrial.
Long-term exposure to many of the cleaning products you use in your home every day has cancer-causing potential.
What does it take to produce just 1 ton of paper towels? Approximately, 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water!
In North America, we have a huge paper towel habit. 3,000 tons of paper towel waste is produced every day and accounts for the consumption of approximately 51,000 trees and 60 million gallons of water!
Paper towels, even when made of recycled materials still produce an environmental impact. The recycling process still uses water, energy and chemicals.
If everyone cut back by one sheet of paper towel per day, it would save North America 571,230,000 pounds of paper towel waste, every year. Now imagine, if, one-by-one, households began to eliminate paper towel waste altogether…what kind of impact would we see then?
Solution: 4 Norwex Cloths
Norwex is a company that provides solutions for problems like paper towel. Let me highlight a few different eco-friendly Norwex products you could use to replace your paper towel.
EnviroCloth
The EnviroCloth is Norwex’s flagship product!!! The microfiber cloth has the ability to remove 99% of bacteria from a surface when following the proper care and use instructions. It contains Norwex’s exclusive Baclock™ agent – micro silver antibacterial agent – goes to self-purify and inhibits odours from bacteria, mold and mildew growth within the cloth within 24 hours so that it is ready to use again. The microfibers in the EnviroCloth are 1/200th the size of a human hair and if unravelled, have a maximum length of more than 3 million meters (10 million feet). The splitting process that happens during manufacturing creates open spaces in the fibres and enables the cloth to lift away dust and dirt and absorb serval times its own weight in water. And it only needs water to clean; no cleaner, chemicals or sprays required.
Doesn’t that sound better than a disposable paper towel??
Window Cloths
Window Cloths are designed to be used with the EnviroCloth. Once you have cleaned a surface with an EnviroCloth, use a Window Cloth to polish it to a streak-free shine. No paper towel or window spray required. If you love clean windows, but hate how long it takes, the EnviroCloth and Window Cloth will take 50% less time to clean and leave you with better results. The Window Cloth or ‘polishing cloth’ is constructed of tightly woven Norwex microfiber with the self-purifying Baclock™ agent, is lint-free, traps dust and grime in the cloth so your surface is cleaner, only needs water so there is no “chemical muck” left behind. This cloth will change your cleaning regime.
Counter Cloths
Norwex introduced Counter Cloths as a great alternative to paper towel. They are the same size as a half-sheet paper towel, come in beautiful colours, are made from 50% recycled materials, have a super-absorbent unique new weave for quick spill clean up. These beauties are perfect for your kitchen and bathroom. They even have Norwex’s self-purifying Baclock™ agent in the cloth. Seriously, with these handy little cloths, you won’t ever grab for a paper towel again!
Napkins
For anyone who loves to use a half-sized paper towel as their dinner napkin, Norwex has an alternative for you too. On average, a family of 4 uses more than 3000 paper napkins/paper towels a year. The Napkins are made from 50% recycled materials (5 plastic bottles per set of 4) and are lovely. They come in either charcoal or peacock blue, the microfiber also has Baclock™ agent so you can use them more than once before laundering, they are quick-drying and very absorbent, plus they make your dinner table look pretty. Saving trees and dressing up dinner all at the same time… not bad.
So, what can you do?
Let me give you a challenge! Next time you start a new roll of paper towel, take a pen and write in the date inside of the roll. First, try if you can go 4 months with one roll, then 6… then try if your family can stretch one roll of paper towel to last an entire year! You can do it! Other customers have done it, I know you can do it too. Imagine with me the impact that would be realized by simply changing the way we use paper towel.
Become an Educator
Since I started my Norwex journey in 2006, thousands of Consultants have been working with me to spread the word about these amazing products. I believe Nelson Mandela’s statement about the power of education… which means, we have a lot more educating to do! Every grocery and department store has at least one aisle stocked with toxic cleaning chemicals. Only 2% of North American homes use Norwex products… we have a lot of people to educate! Join my team, become an educator and help Norwex make a difference.
Are you going to take the paper towel challenge? Leave a comment about how it went. Was it easier or harder than you thought?
Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
Our homes collect dust. Dust is made up of all sorts of stuff – organic stuff like dead skin, but also toxic stuff from our environment. Although spring cleaning includes dusting because of how wonderful it feels when the dusting is done, but it should also be done as a fight against toxins in our homes. The EWG or Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment”. They conducted studies to reveal the dirt about dust in our homes. They found that dust,
“is a place where harmful chemicals are found. One recent study by the Silent Spring Institute identified 66 endocrine-disrupting compounds in household dust tests, including flame retardants, home-use pesticides, and phthalates.
The chemicals in your dust originate from both inside and outside your house:
1 Products inside your house “shed” chemicals over time — furniture, electronics, shoes, plastics, fabrics and food, among other things.
2 Outdoor pollutants enter on your shoes and through open and cracked windows and doors.
Once inside, the contaminants in indoor dust degrade more slowly (if at all) than they would outside in the environment where moisture and sunlight typically break them down.
One type of toxic chemical commonly found in household dust is chemical flame retardants (aka PBDEs). As highly flammable synthetic materials have replaced less-combustible natural materials, PBDEs have been added to thousands of everyday products, including computers, TVs and furniture — among many others.”
The EWG cautions that young children are at a higher risk of being exposed to these toxins because they spend most of their time playing on the floor putting their little fingers and anything they grab into their mouthes… so let’s get started and remove dust without adding any more chemicals.
Walls – First you will need to wash your walls from fingerprint height and lower (everything above this height is just dust) using a well-wrung Enviro Cloth. For any scuffs use a small square of a Micro Cleaning Hand Pad and give it a scrub. For dusting, lock the head on your Mop, attach the dry head (yellow), and dust all the way to the ceiling.
Wood Furniture – Put a Dusting Mitt on each hand- the faster you can dust the better- and give the dusting mitts one spray of water. It will remove all the dust, finger prints, coffee marks etc. and leave the furniture streak free.
Doors – Put a Dusting Mitt on each hand, spray with one squirt of water clean the details in your doors beautifully.
Blinds – Put a Dusting Mitt on each hand and hold the blind with one hand and rub along the face and underside of each slat. The mitts will hold a lot of dust while leaving your slats clean.
Watch how:
Door Frames – Bend the EnviroWand in an upside “U” and drag along the tops of your door frames.
Pictures Frames – Put a Dusting Mitt on each hand and hold the frame with one hand and dust with the other.
Light Fixtures & Ceiling Fans – Bend your EnviroWand and give it a squirt of water and gently remove all the dust from those fixtures.
Done!
Remember your EnviroWand can bend and flex, so give it a squirt of water and sneak it into areas you have never dusted before.
Between the Dusting Mitts and the EnviroWand you will be able to dust the majority of the surfaces in your home. Isn’t that amazing?
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Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
With the long-waited spring season comes the long-waited barbecue season! Spring cleaning would not be complete without getting one of our favourite “tools” clean. As the BBQ works hard during the summer months to supply mouthwatering meals, I would like to show you a biodegradable, all-natural but tough cleaning system for your BBQ that works FANTASTIC! It is one that you will feel comfortable cooking dinner on, right after you clean it.
Roll your BBQ onto a tarp or a used newspaper to avoid staining your deck — this is a greasy and sometimes drippy job.
Heat your BBQ to its lowest setting, approximately 150 degrees, turn off.
Spray the BBQ racks including the upper racks with Oven & Grill Cleaner, close the lid and let sit for five minutes.
Grab a small bowl of water and a use a Spirinett to scrub across the face of the BBQ racks. This stainless steel ball will remove all the burnt on deposits and make your racks clean and shiny.
To finish the job, use an well-wrung EnviroCloth to wipe both the outside of the BBQ and the racks inside that you just scrubbed.
Bring your EnviroCloth to a sink and rinse well; rub it on itself to remove the majority of the grease.
Put your BBQ back in its original spot – ready for your next BBQ!
Done!
While we are outside let’s continue our “get it done” spring cleaning, by getting started on the windows. Our windows collect dirt, debris, whatever hit your window or what they left behind and creates another spring cleaning job. I would like to show you a simple method to maintain clean windows in your home that doesn’t not require paper towel or chemicals.
Box the outside edge of your window with a well-wrung, flat-folded EnviroCloth.
Wipe the remainder of your window with the same EnviroCloth. Spray your window with a little water if you find the moisture is evaporating too quickly.
Use your flat-folded WindowCloth to polish the window – leaving a streak-free and shiny window.
Done!
For high windows:
Attach a well-wrung EnviroCloth to your Mop System head – after you have attached your wet mop pad (leaving it dry) – with the clip system.
Lock the head of the mop so it doesn’t swivel.
With an up and down motion, clean your window.
Replace EnviroCloth with a Window Cloth. When your Window Cloth is dry you can only work in an upwards motion. So give your window a squirt of water and polish from the base to the top of your window.
Done!
Lastly, we will clean our patio furniture. Patio furniture is one of those things that gets dirty just by sitting there – not even being used. But we want to use them this spring!!! Again, this is a job that usually calls for paper towel and windex, but the Norwex method will eliminate the use of paper or chemicals. Even your kids can be the boss of the patio cleaning. So, let’s get started.
Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
The first Norwex product I owned was the Window Cloth, it didn’t take me long to use it wrong. The cloth didn’t come with any instructions, so I used it with Windex. I thought I was being environmentally-friendly by not using paper towel with my Windex. Needless to say, my windows and mirrors were a mess.
The Window Cloth is now one of my favourite products and I give it as a gift to bless other homes. It is often the first product customers will try and love!
What Can It Clean?
Windows / Mirrors
Shower Doors / Glass Tables
Crystal / Jewelry
Granite Counter-tops
Stainless Steel and Black Appliances
Chrome / Knickknacks
Patio Tables
Shiny Surfaces
It is woven with the superior microfiber embedded with the Norwex exclusive BacLock™ agent. The BacLock in the cloth goes to work to self-purify and inhibits odors from bacteria, mold and mildew growth within the cloth.
How To Use:
Mist water on the surface and wipe with the Window Cloth.
For dirty surfaces, first wipe the surface with a damp EnviroCloth and polish dry with the Window Cloth.
*Note: Do not use on anti-glare coated surfaces.
Getting your windows clean quickly is not easy. Using paper towels to dry the glass around your home just adds to the problem of overloaded landfills and deforestation. In addition, many of today’s popular glass and window cleaners contain harmful chemicals like butyl cellosolve and ammonia.
Did You Know?
Butyl cellosolve is a chemical commonly found in glass cleaners. Readily absorbed through the skin, overexposure can irritate mucous membranes and may cause liver and kidney damage.
Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
While we may not see the impact of our decisions now, our children and grandchildren certainly will. We need to develop a mindset of change for the better, and it is for this reason that I love my job! Like John Muir, I find that, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” Our choices today, are writing our future.
Here is an eye opening study done by Simon Fraser University, their finding are remarkable. Watch: Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxins on the Developing Brain.
It is my heart’s desire is to make a difference, one home at a time. In 2006, no one in my community had a clue what Norwex was. But back then, our hospitals, nursing homes and health care workers were struggling with a Norwalk virus outbreak. So, when I would say “Norwex”, they would ask “Norwalk?” Literally no one knew what Norwex was, it was unheard of.
However, Norwex is now becoming a common household brand name! I am delighted to do presentations for all types of families. I have grandparents putting away their traditional window-cleaning sprays, mothers and fathers abandoning their use of paper towels and young couples wanting to set up their new homes with ONLY Norwex products.
Young brides were teenage girls less than a decade ago, attending their mother’s first Norwex presentations when I first began as a consultant. Now, they are ready to start families of their own, and Norwex is the only way they want to clean their homes. It is my goal to educate this upcoming generation, and show them they are able to clean effectively without the use of harmful chemicals!
I am just one person, but my one shift to switch to the Norwex product line, is now linked to thousands of home across North America who have now made the same shift. That is humbling. One person can make a difference. I never would have guessed that my desire to teach others would have this ripple effect. You can have the same impact as Norwex is underrepresented across North America. You have your own contacts, friends and family whom you can educated. Join my team today! I would be happy to train you. How many homes will you give the gift of Norwex to? How will you impact their quality of life?
The testimonials which Norwex consultants receive weekly from their customers are evidence that these products are positively impacting the environments of those using them. One of my greatest satisfactions is knowing that our girls have no recollection of toxic cleaning chemicals in our home. When they help me at Tradeshows, they explain that the mop pad we are currently using in our home, is the original one we purchased over 10 years ago… and it still works!
Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
Norwex introduced Counter Cloths as a great alternative to paper towel. They are the same size as a half-sheet paper towel, come in beautiful colours, are made from 50% recycled materials, have a super-absorbent unique new weave for quick spill clean up. These beauties are perfect for your kitchen and bathroom. They even have Norwex’s self-purifying Baclock™ agent in the cloth. Seriously, with these handy little cloths, you won’t ever grab for a paper towel again!
For anyone who loves to use a half-sized paper towel as their dinner napkin, Norwex has an alternative for you too. On average, a family of 4 uses more than 3000 paper napkins/paper towels a year. The Napkins are made from 50% recycled materials (5 plastic bottles per set of 4) and are lovely. They come in either charcoal or peacock blue, the microfiber also has Baclock™ agent so you can use them more than once before laundering, they are quick-drying and very absorbent, plus they make your dinner table look pretty. Saving trees and dressing up dinner all at the same time… not bad.
