An Inexpensive Alternative to Norwex®
Do you use Norwex® and love it? Me too! I love how well I can get things clean without using chemicals!
To be honest, this post doesn't mean I'll be giving up Norwex. I'll still be purchasing Norwex products when the budget allows. Stating that there is an alternative doesn't mean I'm totally breaking up with Norwex.
But let me tell you about an alternative that works just as well and doesn't cost quite as much.
Update November 2018: I am noticing that a lot of people are landing on this post because they are searching for an alternative to Norwex detergent. Although I was originally writing this post about the cleaning cloths, I have added some information about a Norwex detergent alternative at the bottom of this post. I hope it's helpful!
A while back I saw a blogger who was a former Norwex consultant talking about how she switched and started using eCloth instead. I was intrigued and did a little looking into it, but I already had all the Norwex products I needed at the moment so I didn't try out the eCloth.
Until today.
Last time I updated my Grove Collaborative subscription I noticed that they were now selling the General Purpose Cloth from eCloth, so I added one to my order. It was only $7.99 as opposed to the $16.49 price on the Norwex EnviroCloth.
Today my toddler knocked a whole container of yogurt onto the floor as she was trying to get herself a snack. (I teach my kids to be independent, but I don't intend for them to be quite that independent when they're still toddlers!)
I grabbed my eCloth and was kind of excited about a great opportunity to really test it out. I love how absorbent my EnviroCloth is and I was curious if the eCloth would do that well too.
Here is the mess before I wiped it up (the cloth is covering up half the pile of yogurt.)
And after one swipe with the eCloth:
After 3 swipes an entire 16 ounce container of yogurt was almost completely wiped up.
And after 4 swipes, the yogurt was completely gone, the sticky was gone from the floor, and I had plenty of clean space left on the cloth to wipe up the splatters that had landed on the cabinet doors.
So here's why I will be using the eCloth, but not giving up Norwex either:
Pros:
- eCloth is roughly half the price of Norwex
- eCloth is just as absorbent as Norwex
- eCloth is proven to remove 99% of bacteria from hard surfaces
Cons:
As far as I know, the eCloth does not boast the antimicrobial silver woven in that the Norwex cloths do. The silver does not actually remove more bacteria from the surface, but it does help repel bacteria from the cloth as it dries, meaning you can use it over and over again without washing it and it won't get slimy or mildewed or hold germs. (Obviously you will still wash it sometimes though!) eCloth says that the bacteria rinses right out of the fibers, so I'll be curious over time how well it compares as far as an unwashed cloth and whether it gets slimy or not.
Update: I have not had ANY problems whatsoever with the eCloth getting slimy. As long as I rinse it out after I use it, it is not at all slimy.
Both eCloth and Norwex both sell a variety of other products, but the general purpose cloth will be my most used item, so I will stick with eCloth for that because of the big price difference. I went back and ordered additional eCloths from Grove Collaborative. I now have one for each room in the house and one for outside jobs.
If you want to try out an eCloth through Grove Collaborative, you can get some lovely free sign-up gifts when you go through this link!
Update November 2018: Norwex Detergent Alternative
I have noticed that a lot of people visiting this post are actually searching for Norwex detergent alternatives. To be honest, I have never used the detergent from Norwex, so I just want you to know that upfront. I am, however, concerned about the purity of the household product I use, and have used natural, non-toxic detergents for a long while. I've tried a number of brands, and the one I like the best for both it's cost and for how happy I am with how it cleans my clothes is BioKleen. It has pure, plant-based ingredients, smells good, and does a good job cleaning my clothes. (Also, for what it's worth, I use it to wash my Norwex cloths and e-Cloths. 🙂 ) As you can tell from the reviews on Amazon, it works well for a whole lot of people!
Some items to note:
1. It IS safe for septic systems
2. It DOES work well with both hot and cold water.
3. It DOES work well to remove stains and odors (You can actually purchase a separate stain and odor remover here that works exceptionally well. One of my favorite household products ever! Basically just think of it like a spray and wash – when you have a bad stain it adds a little extra oomph. It's also very useful for carpet stains, etc.)
4. It's safe for all types of fabric (including your Norwex or eCloths!)
5. It's highly concentrated, meaning you use a very small amount, saving you money.
6. It's non-toxic, using plant-based surfactants and essential oil scents.
7. It comes in both powder or liquid forms, though I personally prefer the liquid.
You can purchase it through Amazon Prime for roughly 17 cents per load. (You get twice as many loads if you have a HE washer, making the cost half as much.)
OR
You can sign up for a Thrive Market membership and purchase it for about 16 cents a load. (Or 8 cents with a HE washer.)
It's a little bit better deal through Thrive Market because you can use a free trial membership. Even if you purchase a yearly membership, I have found that the money I save in a year is substantially more than the cost of a membership. Also, they have a guarantee that if you don't at least save the cost of your membership fee in a year, the will refund you the cost of the membership. Pretty cool, huh?
Order Biokleen from Amazon here.
OR
Get a Thrive Market trial or yearly membership here and search for Biokleen.