Yes, it’s true. Microfiber cloths are the best thing to happen since the most basic of cleaning ingredients came about. Why? For one, microfiber cloths don’t demand gallons of cleaners, so you can actually clean with water alone – important if you have a chemically-sensitive person living in your house.
Secondly, microfiber cloths pick up dirt. The texture of the cloths and the fabric creates static that picks up dirt easier than a soft cotton cloth could ever hope to. Microfiber cloths also polish things like chrome, fixtures, windows, and granite. That’s right, granite. Beautiful to look at and awful to maintain.
Yes, fixtures, windows, and solid, reflective surfaces like granite require a cleaning cloth that really picks up the dirt, yet leaves the surface sparkling. Nothing can compare to microfiber. If you’re tired of burning through rolls of paper towels and gallons of glass cleaner to make your granite and glass look sparkly, then microfiber towels will get you there without making your home a toxic waste dump.
Now, you may be wondering if all the raving about microfiber is to push you to buy these towels and, like those knives than can cut through 3-foot thick cement and that are sold on TV after 2:00 a.m., wonder if you’re going to get taken for your $19.95. The answer is NO.
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Microfiber towels are hands-down the best cleaning product on the market. Better than any spray, wipe, or liquid you can buy. They will not only make your cleaning easier and faster, you will clean better. That’s because microfiber towels clean in ways ordinary products can’t. Here’s the rundown.
Microfiber towels will make your cleaning easier because they…
- Have electrostatic cleaning. That means when you dust your TV, the dust won’t just fly away and then redeposit on your TV because it has an electrostatic charge. Here you’re fighting “fire with fire.” Dust is picked up and actually attracted to the cloths. Who wouldn’t love that? This is especially useful for households with anyone who suffers from allergies or asthma. The extra pick-up power means less dust to breathe in and bother sensitive individuals.
- Offer a better cleaning surface than cotton.Microfiber cloths have a waffle-type texture that traps dirt and dust and actually grips the dirt. The nubby texture then works like a Trojan on reflective surfaces. This allows you to clean your glass, granite, or chrome or shiny metal surfaces to a bright, shiny gleam without using lots of spray. In fact, all it requires is to lightly dampen the cloths and you have as much shining and cleaning power as a bucket of ammonia.
- Can be washed and re-used over and over. Unlike sponges that can’t be washed or paper towels that are thrown away, you can use microfiber towels repeatedly. Just throw them in the wash with a little detergent and bleach if you like, and you’ve got a fresh new cloth to clean with again.
Originally used for car detailing, microfiber towels are finally making it into household cleaning closets. I keep white ones for doing windows and blue ones for everything else. Tired of dull, lifeless wood floors? There’s even a microfiber mop that you can use to make your wood floors glow. Give it a mist with some water and then go to town. You’re floors will sparkle like never before. Because you don't use lots of water, like damp mopping, you won't damage your floors. Plus, the fine quality of the weave means the mop won't leave behind any smudges or streaks.
I know this sounds like a huge sales pitch, but I personally do not know of any other way to describe my excitement about this product. I used to buy cotton dish towels for dusting and cleaning, but I've relegated them to the back of my cleaning closet. I like them because they don't require gallons of cleaner in order to clean.
In fact, tests have shown that microfiber with water cleans as well as a rag with disinfectant. Because the fibers in microfiber a 1/100th the size of a human hair, it means that they can actually pick up bacteria! In fact, cleaning staff at a college in Canada conducted a study of urinals cleaned with microfiber and water alone and those cleaned with a rag and disinfectant. Many of the staff were complaining of problems resulting from using harsh chemicals all day.
The results showed that microfiber with water cleaned as well as the rag with disinfectant. Now, the school has converted over to microfiber to clean the campus. What's more, the school cleaning staff has suffered less respiratory ailments and other problems associated with using harsh chemicals on a daily basis. This bodes well for homeowners, too. It means you can clean as well as with chemicals but without exposing you and your family to the vapors and worse, being locked in the house with them.
Where to Buy Microfiber Products
NOTE: This is really and truly a product that I use in my own home every single day and swear by. Truth be told, I hope to one day become a microfiber evangelist!
Cloths. This link will take you to eriecotton.com, one of the least expensive places on the Internet to buy microfiber. At about $1 per towel, you can buy one or two dozen and be able to put them in every room of the house -- and have enough so you'll never have to use an old t-shirt for dusting again. Remember: buy quality cleaning tools and products and you'll want to clean!
Microfiber Mop. The Starmop is perfectly named. You MUST have one of these if you have wood floors -- or pets in the house -- because the mops really go after pet hair, dust, small particles, and SMUDGES. The link above is the absolute best price I have found on the Internet.
Give microfiber towels a try. You won’t be disappointed! It's my personal guarantee.
Do you have a love affair with microfiber? If so, send me an email! I'd love to hear about it.
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Calender -- the calendar that helps you end the power struggle with your house. Keeping a clean home is about knowing what to clean when. Virtually everything that needs to be cleaned is on this calendar in a year-round cleaning schedule that helps you keep your house clean easier and faster. Click here for more information.
