How do I wash the cloths?

Hand wash between uses and launder with low lint items. Do not use Fabric Softeners or Bleach as these products break down fibers.

Why do I have to wash my cloth if there's silver in it?

The silver kills the bacteria while regular washing releases the dirt, grease and grime trapped in the fibers. The cloths can also be boiled for 10 minutes to release odors caused by oil build-up.

Why would someone's windows be streaky using the window cloth and an enviro cloth?

The window cloth doesn't hold the dirt in as well as an enviro cloth so it is best to use the window cloth as a polishing cloth after cleaning with the enviro cloth. The cloths may have been laundered with fabric softeners which coat the cloths.

What does it mean, that the microfiber is 1/100th of a hair?

Norwex microfiber is split to 1/100th of a human hair. To be called microfiber, the fiber only needs to be split to 1/6th the size of a human hair, therefore Norwex microfiber is much more dense and absorbent.

Why can't I use soap to clean surfaces, but I have to use soap to wash my cloth?

Soap helps release the dirt and grime trapped in the cloth. If soap is used on the cloth to clean a surface, the soap will leave a residue behind that attracts more dirt and bacteria. When you use only water, there is no residue left behind so the surface is left 99.9% bateria free.

What is the difference between the superior mop and the regular mop?

The difference is the Dry Mop Pad - Superior version comes with a microfiber dry mop pad and the regular one is polyester. All Wet Mop Pads are microfiber. The Superior mop is ideal for homes with asthma and allergy sufferers. The Superior Dry microfiber pad will remove 99.9% of the bacteria, dry mopping alone and is more effective at removing smaller particles of dust. This is important for asthmatics.

How effective is the microfiber at removing bacteria?

Norwex microfiber removes 99.9% of bacteria from hard surfaces.

What makes your Microfiber different than other microfiber?

Norwex microfiber is superior because of:

• the patented knitting process and dense cloths
• silver agent within the fibers which kill bacteria
• 2 year warranty on all microfiber products
• lesser quality microfiber stretches easily which results in less durability. Norwex microfiber does not lose it's shape and does not stretch out of shape

How is the Body Pak Microfiber Facecloth different from the Envirocloth?

The Body Pak / Baby Pak is a looser weave to allow for more softness.

How does the silver agent in the microfiber work?

Throughout history, people have taken advantage of the antimicrobial properties of silver. The Greeks and Romans stored water and othe rdrinks in silver as it was believed this kept the liquids fresh.

During the plagues in Europe, wealthy families ate from silver plates and utensils, in the hope that silver might protect them from the disease that was claiming their neighbor's lives.

The expression 'born with a silver spoon in the mouth' had a dual meaning. Not only did it refer to wealth, it also referred to health. People were eating off silver spoons because they knew that an infection couldn't survive on silver.

Without knowing it, people were taking advantage of the natural ANTIMICROBIAL properties of silver.

Today, many products are produced using silver to give antibacterial properties to that surface. Silver-lined bandages for treating burn victims, silver-lined bandaids, etc.

How silver works: Silver interrupts a cell's ability to form chemical bonds essential to its survival. Although there are many complex ways silver works, the simplest function is its ability to disable the enzyme that one-celled bacteria, viruses and fungi need for their oxygen metabolism.

The results of our testing show that the bacteria in the microfiber itself were reduced by more than 99.99% after 24 hours, while a normal microfiber had a bacteria growth of 14,000.

The Antibacterail agent within the Norwex microfiber demonstrates its effectiveness against strains of pathogenic bacteria and yeast, for example:

• E.Coli
• Klebsiella pneumoniae
• Proteus vilgaris
• Salmonella typhi
• Staphyloccoccus aureus
• Streptococcus faecalis
• Streptococcus pyogenes
• Candida albicans
• MRSA
• SARS

During testing, the silver was shown to begin breaking down bacteria immediately upon contact and to achieve a reduction better than 99% after 24 hours. Because the silver is part of the material, the antibacterial effect lasts the lifetime of the product.

How much silver is actually in each cloth? And how long do you know that it remains in the cloth after washing?

I really don’t like to focus only on the silver – it is an added benefit, but the cloths were used in hospitals for a decade before the silver was added and these facilities were as clean or cleaner than any others because of the physical attributes of the microfibre. We now focus far too much on the silver, which is an added benefit, but certainly it is NOT the reason that the cloths work and it has NOTHING to do with the fact that the cloths REMOVE more than 99.9% of be bacteria from the surfaces that we clean. It is simply that, the bacteria that do get in the cloths, if not washed out, will die within the cloths instead of growing in the cloths.

How is the silver agent embedded in the microfiber?

The micro silver-based agent that we use (and it is micro, not nano) is physically and chemically bound into the fiber. Think of it in this way – prior to the creation of the fiber it is in a liquid state at which time the silver-based agent is added – so it is basically dissolved within the liquid…then the liquid is extruded (think of it going into a shower head as a liquid and coming out of the small holes on the other side as a solid fiber with the silver embedded within. Test have been done on the effectiveness of the silver after 100 washings of the cloths and have found it to be nearly as effective after 100 washings as in a new cloth – so we know that a vast majority, if not all of the silver is remaining within the cloths.

If there's silver in the microfiber, how does that not scratch the surfaces when you dust or clean with them?

The key is in that it is micro – it is so small that could not scratch…it is also embedded into the very soft fibre.

Does Norwex microfiber kill bacteria on surfaces?

When using our cleaning methods, the microfiber removes the bacteria and kills it inside the cloth, leaving a bacteria free surface without any residue left behind. When you use a disinfectant, it actually kills the bacteria on the surface, and in turn, the disinfectant must be removed before anything is prepared or placed on that surface. There is always a residue left behind which the attracts bacteria again. The Norwex Microfiber is the better antibacterial because of the lack of residue left behind, and the lack of dangerous chemicals used which kill more than just bacteria.

If it takes up to 24 hours for the silver to kill bacteria in the cloths, how can you clean one thing and go to clean another and not have cross-contamination - since the bacteria's not dead yet?

They really had no issues with cross-contamination even before the silver was added to the cloths – it is simply the physical nature of the microfiber because it is so fine and there is so much of it in the cloths that the bacteria would rather be there than deposit onto larger surfaces. The cloth physically holds onto it without letting it go…also note, most bacteria do die within a few hours…and many/most are rinsed down the drain when you rub the cloth against itself under running water.

What is the difference between our cleaning methods and disinfecting?

We do not kill bacteria on the surface we are cleaning - microfiber collects the bacteria into the cloth and the silver agent kills the bacteria.

So how are we doing any good if we're just wiping off the bacteria but it can still grow back? Why wouldn't we disinfect to kill things on the surface?

That is one of the main reasons we have issues with superbugs – those organisms that become resistant to antibiotics/antibacterials – we partially kill, leave a diluted solution on the surface, some get exposed but don’t die…mutate…grow a new bug = bad! Besides we are all too freaked out about microbes – most of which are good and necessary for life and health…but at least we don’t create any new types of bugs to worry about. Removing more than 99.9 is much better than killing them and smearing them around…and the remaining 0.1% won’t have any need to mutate.