Green Cleaning with Microfiber

Hi. I'm Darlene and welcome back. It's great to have you here.

Green cleaning is a great way to eliminate toxins from your home, to save money and still get squeaky clean results. 

As we all know restocking our home with cleaning products can get very costly. You could easily spend a large chunk of your grocery budget and not have much left over for food so eliminating them from you list can mean huge savings.

More importantly by eliminating cleaning products from your home you are protecting your family. The chemicals found in cleaning products can harm skin, eyes, lungs and can be fatal if swallowed.

I never liked using harsh chemicals or spending my money on them so the idea of green cleaning was an easy leap for me.

Microfiber cloths make green cleaning possible.

I know. Microfiber is not a secret. But did you realize that you don't have to use chemicals with these cloths but still get your home clean?

Let me explain. For five years I was the Human Resource Manager for a cleaning company. In that time I wrote the Human Resource Manual and the Health and Safety Manual which detailed among other things, training employees how to clean and how to do it in a safe manner.

Microfiber has really changed the cleaning industry. To clean like the pros then you need to use the tools of a pro.

Microfiber cloths are so worth the investment because they are ultra soft, non-abrasive cloths that will not scratch the surfaces you are cleaning. They clean without chemical cleaners and leave shiny surfaces streak free.

The Science Behind Microfiber

• The most common microfiber is a polyester-nylon blend which is woven or knit into cloth.

• Cloths described as "microfiber" are made from fibers that are 10–50 times thinner than a human hair. That's smaller than pollen (5–10 microns) or red blood cells (10–30 microns). 

• Microfiber is roughly the same size as bacteria (1–5 microns). 

• Microfibers can effectively remove anything bigger than they are so it would be accurate to describe the average microfiber cloth as "antibacterial" or "antimicrobial. In contrast, rayon or cotton fiber is large and round and can’t.

• Microfiber is considered superior to standard fibers because it can get into cracks and crevices too small for other materials. 

• Microfiber collects dirt and dust rather than just pushing it around. The microfiber cloths can then be rinsed or washed to remove the embedded particles and reused hundreds of times.

NOTE: Microfiber tools are generally much lighter than their traditional counterparts, they can be considered appropriate for light-duty work when injured employees return from workers’-compensation leave. While a string mop might be eight or 10 pounds when wet, a microfiber flat mop will weigh less than three pounds wet.

Where to Use Microfiber Cloths

• In The  Kitchen: I use my microfiber throughout the kitchen. I use it on the counter tops, cabinets, floors, stove top and stainless steel appliances. The tiny microfibers do an awesome job.
• In the Bathroom: You can use a microfiber in the bathroom to easily remove dirt from all surfaces. Don't forget about it's antibacterial abilities!
• In the Family Room: Wiping down the lamps, tables, television and walls when needed.
• On Shiny Surfaces: Windows, mirrors, chrome and other shiny surfaces clean up nicely with a regular microfiber cloth, water and a specially designed polishing cloth. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to get a streak free shine! 
• For Dusting:  Using microfiber to dust is wonderful! The cloth picks up and traps the dust rather than sending it airborne.
• On the Floors: Cleaning products can leave a residue but microfiber mops only leave behind a clean floor. You can get specially designed microfiber mop heads to wash your floors with water alone. The same microfiber principles apply.
• In My Car: Detailing my car is so easy now. Using microfiber clothes, I wipe down the dash, steering wheel, windows and upholstery.
• On Your Body: I don’t use soap when I shower. I use a microfiber cloth. It's great for removing makeup. It leaves my skin feeling smooth and clean.
• Stain Removal: In the same way  microfiber works to pick up dirt from the surfaces in your home it is wonderful for stain removal. Using only water, I have successfully cleaned upholstery, carpeting and stains from clothing. 
• For My Glasses: I keep a small cloth in my purse to clean my glasses. No water or cleaning agents needed here.

How to Use Microfiber Cloths

Microfiber is used to make different types of cleaning cloths. I have:

• a regular microfiber cloth for all purpose cleaning, 
• a flat woven cloth for windows and shiny surfaces, plus 
• microfiber mop heads for the floors.

I also like to color code my cloths to prevent cross contamination.

• Blue: All purpose
• Yellow: Kitchen
• Green: Washroom

Now the trick to getting the surface clean is to keep the cloth clean. Simply rinse out your cloth. Don't rinse it in a bucket of water because that defeats the purpose of rinsing.

Or if you don't like the idea of repeatedly rinsing you can have several cloths so once one is dirty grab a clean one. Just fill up a bucket with warm water and put as many cloths in as you think you will need. Once a cloth is dirty toss it into a pile to be laundered and get a clean cloth. 

When cleaning glass, mirrors or any other shiny surfaces I wipe it with a wet cloth and follow up with a dry microfibre cloth specifically designed for glass. I get squeaky clean, lint and streak free windows and mirrors every time. It's better than any window cleaner I've ever tried.

Damp microfibre cloths are also great for dusting. You capture the dust instead of fluffing it around in the air - in your lungs.

Once you have finished cleaning simply toss your cloths and mop heads in the washer following manufacturers instructions.

     


If you compare the costs of the microfibre items with the cost of standard cleaning products its not hard to see which system will save you the most amount of money but still get your home squeaky clean.

Would you ever consider leaving the cleaning products at the store?

For those of you who want to read a few facts about soap efficiency check out this article at the Atlantic. 

Maybe you would like to understand the science behind soap and detergents check out this article - How Does Soap Work.

I love to read your opinions and comments. It makes my day.

Bye for now.
Wishing you the best, Darlene 

My apologies, all anonymous comments are deleted due to an excessive amount of spam.

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