06 February 2014

Why I Love My Microfibre Cleaning Cloths


I love, love, love my microfibre cleaning cloths. They are inexpensive, easy to use, do a great job and have eliminated almost all cleaning products from my home.

Before Cheapskates I had a cupboard full of cleaning products, that all cost a small fortune. I had bath cleaner, shower cleaner, glass cleaner, mirror cleaner, hard floor cleaner, bleaches, sink cleaner, oven cleaner, cleaner for the stove, a spray for the benches and another for the walls and yet another for the fridge and freezer. I had dishwasher cleaner and drain cleaner, and carpet cleaner and furniture cleaner.  My laundry cupboard was a little cleaning product supermarket.

To use all those products I had cloths. Lots and lots and lots of cloths. They were all for different things. Dishes, benches, floors, baths, basins, shower, windows, spills, walls and woodwork, polishing, dusting. I had a different cloth for every possible cleaning situation.

When I started living the Cheapskates way I used them all up, slowly, and replaced them with frugal, environmentally friendly MOO cleaning products. I wised up and bought two packs of 10 face washers for $3 each from Crazy Clints. The red ones were for cleaning, the dark blue ones were for dusting and polishing. Those face washers were fantastic. When they were dirty they went in the wash. They dried in no time and were easy to keep track of. Two types of cleaning chore, two colours. It worked really well and saved us a lot of money.

And then about 10 years ago I found microfibre cloths. I'd heard of Enjo, and my mother loves the products, but they were way out of my price range. One day I was browsing the cleaning aisle, ticking off the products I no longer bought, and I found a microfibre shower cloth by Mr Clean. It was my price - $2 - so home it came.

The shower was the bane of my cleaning life. It was old, the tiles were damaged from years of scrubbing with harsh chemical cleaners, the glass was dull and the base was yellowing. It seemed like nothing I did cleaned the soap scum from it easily. I had nothing to lose except $2.

Oh my giddy aunt! That cloth was the start of my love affair with microfibre cloths. All I did was wet the cloth and the shower walls and base and rub. When the cloth slipped easily over a section it was clean. The shower had never, ever been so clean and it certainly had never been so easy.

From there I bought a glass cloth. It was amazing. Mirrors shone with just a wipe. My dining table (which is all glass) sparkled and I could dust and clean it in about five minutes. Even the car windows gleamed.

One day I found a clearance rack full of microfibre cloths and mitts for $2 each, marked down from $8 and $12 each. I bought the lot! I still have a few in their packets.

They are all different brands. Mr Clean, Sabco and a couple of generic brands from the $2 shop. They all work brilliantly.

I learned early on that the secret to using microfibre cloths is to use cold water. Cold water helps the microfibres collect dust, grease, grime and most importantly soap scum. And they should always be washed in cold water without detergent or fabric softener. That's fine I wash in cold water anyway and don’t use a fabric softener so once a week I toss a pile into the washing machine and put them through the econo cycle and onto the line to dry.

What do I use microfibre cloths for? Just about all my cleaning jobs:

  • Dusting
  • Polishing
  • Windows
  • Mirrors
  • Glass doors
  • Cleaning glass vases
  • Baths
  • Basins
  • Showers 
  • Toilets
  • Floors
  • Walls and woodwork
  • Washing the cars
  • Cleaning outdoor furniture
  • Cleaning the barbecue and smoker
  • The sink
  • Cupboards and benchtops
  • Cleaning the oven and stove
  • Wiping down the fridge and freezer
  • Mopping up spills

Microfibre cloths make cleaning easy and if you really want it to be, chemical free. All you need is cold water and a suitable microfibre cloth.

Are they frugal? Yes, I believe they are. I've never paid more than $2 for a single cloth, and some of them are  in packs of two!

Have I tried the more expensive Enjo or Norwex cloths? No. They are way out of my price range. I have no doubt they do a fantastic job, they'd have to, especially to keep my Mum happy (and she is). Would I pay the price for them? Honestly, no. Not after using my cheapies and being so happy with them.

Do the cheaper versions work? They sure do. I've been using some of them for over 5 years and they are still as powerful today as they were when they were new. The oldest one is  10 years old - yes I still have my original shower cloth. And I still use it too. It's getting a little ragged around the edges and perhaps next time I have the overlocker out I'll run it around to tidy it up, but a few thready edges have not impeded it's cleaning power at all.

I love my microfibre cleaning cloths and I just can't imagine going back to any other cloth for cleaning.


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2 comments:

  1. Microfibre cloths are my trusted cleaning tools when it comes to dusting and polishing. For floor, window, and furniture cleaning, I usenatural cleaning products. Its nontoxic and best for cleaning your children’s eating table or removing crayons on study room.

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  2. I buy a bulk packet from Masters hardware I think they cost $12-14 for a pack of 36 they are advertised as Auto micro fibre cloths they are yellow blue and red. I tried Bunnings but they were not nearly as good. These wash brilliantly and I wouldn't use anything else

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