Microfibre cloths, cleaning with, and the claims

I inherited a number of microfibre no name brand cloths from my folks which for one reason or other (because I'm not a domestic goddess) have sat in the cupboard.

In the meanwhile both a friend and associate have become sellers of a newly popular expensive brand that is ''sweeping'' (wish it would here by itself) New Zealand and I'm being encouraged to buy from them..... this does not appeal to my rough nut self but I'm feeling the guilts that the household needs attention.

So can I open the forum to a frank and honest discussion? What is the different between the cheaper no name products and those on party plan types sales? All bluff or honest to goodness a Domestic Goddess's dream companion? cheers Max2

Sounds like a load of tosh! I find, when I occasionally apply myself to the tedious business (I used to say I clean the windows once a year whether they need it or not, but that period has now extended by at least a year), that the main problem is wear, i.e. cloths I use wear out long before I've finished my task. I've resorted to using old towels, so the falling apart doesn't bother me as much and doesn't happen for much longer.

On the subject of wear, microfibre is now regarded as a particularly nasty form of plastic pollution, because it is so fine it is hard to remove from the environment, and when cloths wear they are shedding their fibres into the environment.

The recommendations for reducing microfibre pollution include avoid buying anything made from this, when possible, and also minimise the wear on things you have that are made from it.
I would think things you use to scrub are going to wear quite quickly.

www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/pft/20...ofiber-pollution-now

I had no idea that anything was sweeping the country...the bliss of no TV

It might explain the dust storm across the Tasman, if it's that powerful a movement.

Kate, I think its more to do with my email address and FB profile being used by friends to drum up business that is going to make them a motsa if they become re-sellers of these products.

The main difference is the amount of environmental waste caused by the expensive packaging name brands need to sell their product. And the expense of duping people into selling them for next to no returns.

My opinion, feel free to voice your as well...

I went to one of the 'parties' for the expensive cloths, and after doing so I am convinced that the sales model is based on that fact that your friend hosts the party, and then you feel awkward in the group, so awkward that you end up just buying something because you want to support your friend who is hosting the party. Incidentally, the party host also gets free stuff if enough sales are made at the party.

They talk a lot about how they are so good that you don't need to use any kind of spray, and that's their argument for being better for the environment. They quoted ridiculous numbers for how much people spend on cleaning products per year - I don't think we spend 10% of what they said. I had several questions I felt too awkward to ask, about the claims of antibacterial properties etc.

I did end up buying a kitchen cloth (aforementioned awkwardness and wanting to be supportive) and it was fine, but I have gone back to just using the really cheap cotton dishcloths which I think are just as effective.

In conclusion, I think they are definitely not worth the money, I have concerns about the microplastics when you wash them (as mentioned by Hawkspur), and avoid those parties at all cost!!

Sidenote - I've also heard bad things about similar sales schemes (not about the cloth company specifically, I would add) that they give the sales people 'special offers' if they buy a certain amount per month, which encourages them to buy more than they can sell and their garage gets stockpiled with products. Not sure if that's hoe this company operates, but because of that i'd rather just buy stuff from a normal shop, where I know how the model works....

I have invested in some of these cloths with their two year warranty. I am seriously impressed with them. I won’t use anything else now, they are seriously a pleasure to use. The idea of plastic pollution does concern me though. The serviettes I believe we’re made from recycled material.

I'm with Joan Rivers
"I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again."
:lol:

Thanks for that giggle:)

I don't mind housework - as long as somebody else is doing it!

My feeling about housework...written some years ago for a column in our local newspaper:

If when you retired you foolishly undertook to do the housekeeping, it is a mistake to let rain keep you inside.
You will suddenly become aware of the fortnight’s worth of dust on the furniture. Go do something in the garage, and you will trip over the vacuum cleaner.
Outside work is so much more rewarding. Even mowing the lawn can create, however briefly, an outward show of gracious living. Vacuuming is purely negative: nobody notices a clean carpet; only a dirty one.
Outdoors there are things that, with a bit of a push, will carry on and improve by themselves. Lambs graze and grow. Chooks lay eggs and hatch out appealing little fuzzballs of young life. Flowers flower, trees and tomatoes fruit. Inside is for the most part just damage control.
Admittedly, cooking offers some rewards, and our cupboards are stocked with raw materials for producing good things. But none of it has any get up and go.
If you stab a row of poplar poles into the ground, in a few years they turn into a shelterbelt. But even the best ingredients in our pantry have never spontaneously grown themselves into a cake.
So few people understand the secret of happy housekeeping: try not to notice. When weather traps you inside, the sensible thing is to escape into virtual reality: a rugby match on TV or a session of solitaire on the computer.
But just try it. You will immediately remember that last Friday you promised to do the bathroom, just as soon as you got the potatoes planted.
It is still dumping down outside. And it is pretty grubby in here. And I think I am getting significant looks from the other residents. Guess I had better get out that horrible machine.