Last year I was invited to a “shopping party.” Not the eat cake and blow out candles or have some dinner with friends type gathering. This was a “come see a product sold via multi-level marketing” party. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I trusted my friend, and she promised Mulled Wine (Wassail). I did have fun, and it inspired me to do some research of my own.
It is rare that I turn down an evening with ladies and wine. What I wasn’t expecting was that I would become a woman of the “cloth” and eventually host a party of my own. The cleaning cloth that I speak of is microfiber embedded with silver. The fabric eliminates or at least limits chemical exposure to your home because you only need water. The cloth removes the bacteria from the surface and takes the place of many toxic household cleaners. The embedded silver does not allow bacteria to grow in the microfiber. I know this sounds crazy, but it works well.
I became a believer. Steve, on the other hand, remained skeptical. He urged me to search the web for the product and scams. I could not find one thing, but I did see a bunch of knock-offs. We also found that a local news channel used “science” to myth-bust this product. They spread some bacteria on a counter-top then swabbed it and let it grow in a Petri dish. My cloth prevailed against the leading cleaning one-time use product. Steve gave in and ended up doing a no soap challenge for a week. I wouldn’t say he is a believer, but he has incorporated them into our routine.
After using this cloth for six months, I bought a set for everyone in my family. I talked about it constantly, but as I changed, the world around me still believed that you must use soaps, detergents, air fresheners, or chemicals to clean. After a sabbatical from cleaning products, I tried one in the shower and suffered through a raging headache.
Can you really “freshen” the air? Do fabrics need to be softened? Why do I have so many supplies when this cloth does it all? In the spirit of Spring, I cleaned out my chemical cabinet and beauty products. We switched our toxic products with designated towels in every area of the house. We also started a list method of shopping where we have to put it on a list that gives us time to evaluate the genuine need. The list makes shopping deliberate instead of impulsive.
I often wonder how membership-based warehouse stores and e-commerce have shaped my purchasing habits. Its amazing how many soaps, personal care products, and detergents are pushed. They are not only in coupons and bulk sales but are always in your face. My shopping habits have evolved since I began my membership. When I stop to think about how crazy it sounds that “I am paying to shop.” It does make me wonder do I need all of this? Is it really that good of a deal? Honestly, I am breaking even with my dividends and free shipping, but it is like gambling. Shopping is designed like a casino and makes you feel as if you have won. Kohl’s has the best game on the market.
Personal care products are in the same category. When I walk into the beauty section of a store where the bottles of products are displayed, something inside me lights up. The brightly lit, straight rows, and colored bottles with claims of the beauty inside somehow being transferred when applied. Each label promising that product will somehow transform the sleeplessness of motherhood into smooth, soft baby skin. Then I look down and see a muddy handprint (or maybe its chocolate) on my jeans realizing this is a pipe dream. I just bought something last week, and I still look like a caged wild animal when I pass by a reflective window. (I have curly hair)
Proudly, I can say that we have limited the use of soaps, detergents, and beauty products in our home. We use the body cloths in the bathroom, environmental cloth for cleaning, and kitchen cloths for the high use areas of the house, tremendously limiting chemical exposure to our family. I started to pay more attention to what we bring into the home.
We have now expanded to limiting one-time use products (paper towels, straws, paper plates, wet wipes). This may not seem like much, but it adds up. It has made a difference in the overall health of the home and how we spend our time and money.
At the end of the day I believe you are what you eat, medicine is food, and what we expose ourselves to creates our environment. I believe in taking care of our families and the earth, and in making ethical decisions with our money. No amount of air freshener will cleanse a room. Real food that comes from the ground and to remember to feed the earth that feeds you. Real food does not come in a box, a tube, or plastic wrap.
I started cleaning with natural ingredients (baking soda does wonders) and spending less on chemicals that I don’t want my children exposed to. It turns out all I need is regular exercise, proper whole food meals, some water, and my cloth.
~Janine
Can you name the cloth?
[mailerlite_form form_id=1]
Enviro Cloth