I recently was invited to one of those sales parties. Originally, I was only planning to go along just to socialise with the girls and was feeling a bit sceptical about this cleaning product that was being sold at the party. However, by the end of the evening, I was impressed and actually ordered something.
The products in question were from a line of microfibre cloth products manufactured in Austria Because of the special design of the fabric used for these cleaning cloths, they do not need to use any special cleaning products (apart from a marble powder for extremely filthy jobs). The rationale for this is as follows: most surfaces, even though they look smooth are actually microscopically pitted. These tiny holes are just the right size for bacteria to lodge in. Normal cloths just wipe over the top these and leave the bacteria behind, so to get the surface germ-free, you need to pour on the chemicals – and face all the risks associated with chemical fumes, not to mention the damage they do to your skin and when they go into the wastewater system. What’s more, the house cleaning products you use (even benign ones like baking soda or plain soap) leave a residue behind, making a surface look dull after a few years. Microfibres, on the other hand, get right down into the pitted surfaces and trap the bacteria and grime within the minute hairs. The microfibre cloths can even clean off the old cleaning product residue, making some surfaces look as shiny as new.
Microfibre cleaning products only require water to get a surface perfectly clean, and cold water at that. Water is a perfect solvent as it is – all the commercial cleaning products do is add bits of this and that to enhance the wetting power of water, plus other bits and pieces to hide the smell of the first batch of this and that. With microfibres, the combination of a little water plus the friction and (possibly) static of the individual hairs, there is no need to add chemicals – the water gets into minute places and is all that’s needed. And the microfibre cloth only needs to be damp to work – a factor that has made this type of cleaning product popular in drought-prone areas such as Australia where water usage needs to be kept to a minimum.
Bacteria need moisture to grow in, so it is important to dry off the surface afterwards. This particular line of microfibre products did stock a microfibre towel that was super-absorbent to go along with the cleaning cloths. However, our hostess informed us that standard towels and facecloths do the job well, as well as using a blade on glass surfaces.
One researcher at an Australian university has tested this particular microfibre product intensively and found that it removed 90+% of the bacteria on all surfaces, including the toilet.
We got to see the microfibre products at work at this sales party. Hosting one of these parties must be easy – you’re specifically told not to clean the kitchen for several weeks beforehand so the demonstrator can do her (usually her, but I dare say that male demonstrators can be found somewhere). The demonstrator smeared lipstick all over a mirror, then cleaned it off with only a little water, and then proceeded to clean the basin and taps with the same cloth with no rinsing in between. We all expected to see the lipstick go everywhere else and to find a bit of greasy residue on the mirror. We didn’t, and we all started going “Oooh! Amazing!” like actors in a bad TV commercial. The process was repeated in the kitchen with butter on the stainless steel bench, then on the glass range hood which hadn’t been cleaned for three weeks. All the grease came off quickly and easily with no chemicals or greasy residue.
The best moment at this particular sales party happened shortly after the hostess had been demonstrating the window cleaner on a French window. One of the guests nearly walked through it, as it was perfectly clean with no streaking.
The products can simply be washed in the washing machine on a regular cycle on warm, but really, really greasy rags (e.g. after cleaning up a barbecue spit roast) may need soaking in warm soapy water. They should not be washed along with fluffy things and ideally should be washed in a laundry bag, although this is not totally essential.
The maker of the products in question was Enjo (pronounced en-yo). This company opened its UK office in 2004. The products are sold on the party plan basis only, so if you are interested but don’t know if there’s an Enjo consultant in your area, then contact www.enjo.co.uk to find out more.
Enjo is not endorsed by or associated in any way with Anyclean. This article is the personal experience and opinion of the writer and may or may not reflect the opinion of Anyclean.co.uk.
