What is Lurking on the Surface?

When a surface in your home becomes contaminated with dirt, grease, soap scum, bacteria, etc., your ‘go-to’ cleaning method is probably to reach for the Clorox or Scrubbing Bubbles, right? Especially, when it comes to bacteria and viruses, whatever is on that surface, we want it dead.  Period.  And that is exactly what those type of products do … many contain disinfectants, such as Triclosan, that destroy the bacteria’s cell structure and prevents further reproduction.  However, there are three problems with that:

1) As you come into contact with these chemicals during cleaning, they also destroy the normal flora present on your skin.  Normal flora are microorganisms, such as bacteria, protozoa and fungi that are naturally found in/on specific areas of the body, which help to inhibit growth of pathogens by attacking the nonindigenous bacteria.  Normal flora is your body’s natural first line of defense against harmful invading bacteria.

2) Do you remember that blurb on your cleaning labels that states, “Kills 99.9% of All Bacteria”? It sounds impressive. Have you ever wondered what is going on with that other remaining 0.1%? The Scientific American sums it up best in stating, “When bacterial population is placed under a stressor – such as an antibacterial chemical – a small subpopulation armed with special defense mechanisms can develop.  These lineages survive and reproduce as their weaker relatives perish. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ is the governing maxim here, as antibacterial chemicals select for bacteria that endure their presence.  As bacteria develop a tolerance for these compounds, there is a potential for also developing a tolerance for certain antibiotics.  This phenomenon, called cross-resistance, has already been demonstrated in several laboratory studies using triclosan, ones of the most common chemicals found in antibacterial hand cleaners, dishwashing liquid and other wash products.”  In summation, the use of household cleaners increases the potential for antibiotic resistant bacteria.

3) Cleaners often leave behind a chemical residue, whether it be soap, oil or surfactant.  Disinfectants and other chemicals in these cleaners are thereby left on the cleaning surface to be easily transferred to food, skin, etc. To top it off, these disinfectants used to kill the bacteria are often toxic.  The most common household disinfectant, triclosan, is linked to cancer, developmental defects and liver and inhalation toxicity.  So in trying to clean a surface, for a time, we may actually be making it worse.

I don’t know about you, but I find these facts concerning. Another fun fact:  Did you know that a number of our products on the shelves today are actually banned in European countries due to their health risks?  Visit this site for a list of the most concerning/dangerous household cleaners on the market as well as those banned abroad: www.ewg.org/cleaners/hallofshame.

Suffice it to say, in knowing all of this information, this mamma is ready to purge the house of unnatural cleaners! Here we go…

Here is a snap-shot of what my cleaning arsenal USED to look like: YIKES!

(Cabinets were child-proofed for safety.)

After searching for a safe, natural cleaning alternative, I was introduced to NORWEX by a friend.   The timing was perfect, because oddly enough, I had been looking for a product that I felt comfortable with for months with no luck.  Before finding NORWEX, the best I could really find locally was 7^th Generation and Great Value Natural.  (FYI – just because the product says ‘Green’ or ‘Natural’ somewhere on the container, don’t let that fool you…it is often just a marketing ploy.)  I don’t have a problem with many 7^th Generation products, but my options were very limited and the other products I found just didn’t do a good job.  Window cleaners were the worst … every product I found seemed to leave streaks and half of the dirt still on the windows.  The coolest thing about the NORWEX products is that you can literally clean every inch of your entire house with three items using ONLY WATER.  I’ll explain this a little further in a moment.

To give a better idea, this is NOW how my cleaning arsenal is equipped!

While NORWEX offers a whole host of other awesome products, these three simple items take the place of 95% of your cleaners AND you can feel good about doing it.   (PS – They also have a 2 yr warranty, which is a great bonus.)

ENVIRO Cloth – clean every surface in a home

WINDOW Cloth – use to polish surfaces such as glass, mirrors, stainless steel

DUST Mit – removes dust from surfaces

NORWEX products clean in a complete different manner than chemical based cleaners. As we talked about in the beginning, chemical cleaners destroy bacteria on a surface.  NORWEX, on the other hand, removes the bacteria from the surface.  NORWEX products, such as the ENVIRO cloth is made up of microfiber and microsilver.  The microfiber is 1/200^th the size of a human hair, and if unraveled, would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.   The microfiber has the ability to lift and collect 99% of bacteria from a surface and does not allow cross-contamination to other surfaces.  If used dry, the microfiber produces an electrostatic charge that attracts even the smallest particles of dirt, grease and moisture, leaving the surface free of everything.  When the microfiber is used wet, the microsilver in the cloth goes to work with self-purification properties.  If you still think this sounds crazy, check out the laboratory testing results below:

These are by far and away, my most favorite products that I have discovered on this journey (aside from essential oils…that’s for another dayJ). It is too exciting and awesome not to share with as many people as I can, so I hope that you have found this interesting and informative.  There are too many people that we love suffering from cancer and other debilitating diseases that are often brought on by environmental factors.  Each baby step we take to getting to cleaner homes is a step in the right direction.  Be empowered by knowing that YOU have a choice on what is allowed into your home!

If you have any questions regarding NORWEX or want to learn how to get free products with zero investment, please visit www.ashleyhorta.norwex.biz or e-mail me at ashleyhorta@gmail.com.

 SOURCES:

www.medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com

www.textbookofbacteriology.net

www.nhs.uk

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/7/7/01-7705_article

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-antibacterial-products-may-do-more-harm-than-good/

http://www.ewg.org/research/pesticide-soap-toothpaste-and-breast-milk-it-kid-safe/triclosan-toxicity

www.norwex.com