Spring is in the Air!!
Spring is in the air! Recently it was 71 degrees here in Wisconsin. 71 degrees in February!! Actually we had a number of days in the 60’s. We set one record after another in February. While many were doing various summer activities, such as sunbathing at the beach, grilling, and taking walks in parks, I opened all the heavy, insulated winter drapes and the windows. With all the sun streaming in I was energized to clean my house. The spring cleaning bug hit me!
Pull back the heavy winter drapes and let the sun shine in!
Do you feel like that, too? I don’t know what it is about spring, but I get energized to clean. We had so many days of warm weather in February I was tempted to haul the heavy coats to the basement. I’m glad I didn’t. We’ve had snow twice since and now were in the deep freeze.
Snow near my cousin’a house 3-1-2017. March came in like a lion.
This spring I have extra helpers to do my spring cleaning. This year I’m starting my spring cleaning with Norwex products. I went to a party last year in May and was so impressed with the products that I immediately joined the company. Since then I’ve purchased many of the products and have tested them in several homes under varying circumstances.
Spring Cleaning
Outside
The Patio
I wanted to start outside. Who wouldn’t want to be outside in the sun and 70 degrees in February in Wisconsin?? I started by sweeping the porch but realized that while the ground was still frozen I should trim my neighbor’s dying pine tree that completely shades my little patch of garden and slaps people in the face when anyone tries to use the walk on windy days, and leaves branches, needles, cones and other debris all over my garden and patio. Fifteen minutes later all the branches I could reach were removed and in the garbage. Then I raked all the tree debris out of my garden and got rid of that. After finishing the sweeping my patio looked so much better.
But what about the patio window and the entry door? Out came my Norwex EnviroCloth, Window cloth and a spray bottle with plain water.
EnviroCloth and Window Cloth
I have a system for EnviroCloths because I got the variety pack. I use the grey Envirocloth for floors, windows and other really dirty things (like spills in the oven). The Window cloth is only sold in lavender, although hostesses sometimes get them in other colors. I have earned 2 in pink that I earned as hostess gifts.
It only took 10 minutes to clean and polish the patio doors and the screen door. Then on to the car…
The Car
I rinsed the dirt out of my grey EnviroCloth and moved my cleaning supplies to the car. I also added the car cleaning cloth (the grey cloth in this pic – I didn’t need the wash mitt as the water isn’t turned on yet).
Car wash Mitt and the Car Cloth
It was nice to wash away the grime of the winter. The windows in and out, the console, the stick shift, cup holders, door handles, the works! Thirty minutes later my car interior was scrubbed down, including the door wells and the wells in the trunk that never get clean at the car wash. On my way inside I washed the mailbox, too.
All my work outside was done and it wasn’t even an hour from the time I started. Time to move inside.
Inside
The Master Bath
I went to the main bathroom and scrubbed it down. Everything came out. The garbage, to plunger tote, the scale, everything. Time to scrub it all down. First I dropped a toilet fizzy that I made in the toilet to do its work while I worked in the bathroom. My 4′ ladder is only feet from the master bath, so up I went and cleaned the top of the cabinet, the top of the light unit and removed the glass light cover and wiped that and the light bulbs all with a dry EnviroCloth.
I rinsed the EnviroCloth and moved on. I always work from top down, so the mirror and the medicine cabinet came next. Then everything was removed from the sink and toilet top, wiped and returned. Next the cabinet base, the toilet paper and towel holders and then the toilet. I did all this with the same pink EnviroCloth that I keep in the bathroom. I didn’t need to do the tub as I do that at the end of every shower while everything is warm, soft and moist. So it was time to give the tile floor a good scrub with a stiff brush and polish it dry, being careful to catch the trim, tub front, caulk around the tub and even the water hose and turn-off valve behind the toilet. For this I used the Grey EnviroCloth that I had used outside and had since rinsed clean the Norwex way. The room was done in under 30 minutes. Inside the cabinets and drawers will wait for another day. I just wanted to the bathroom to look as bright and clean as the sun streaming through the windows.
How did I do all that in under 30 minutes?
Cleaning the bathroom in under 30 minutes
The biggest timesaver is wiping the sink, mirror and tub and shower every time I use them.
The Sink and Mirror
When I brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning, I polish them dry with a Norwex EnviroCloth that I have hanging on the shower rod. And if I get anything on the mirror, I polish that with the same cloth. Boom. Done. The cloths I use in the bathroom are pink. The EnviroCloth, the Window Cloth and the Bath Mitt are all pink. I have a grey EnviroCloth that I use for floors. But floors aren’t part of my every day cleaning anymore.
Product I use:
Pink EnviroCloth
The Tub and Tile/Shower
Every time I take a shower before I get out I use the Norwex Bathroom Scrub Mitt to wipe down the tile and tub. I tend to use the scrubby side for everything. It won’t damage anything and I catch all the scum while it’s still soft, warm and moist. It’s mostly just quickly wiping everything down. Now, lest you think I just don’t get the shower dirty, I use an all natural soap bar. It creates so much scum I usually have to take the screen out of the drain at least once while showering to clean it out and let the water drain down. That soap creates some serious scum. Then there’s the hair conditioner for my long ultra-dry hair. Yep, that leaves some scum, too. But the Bathroom Scrub Mitt gets it all quickly and easily. When done with the mitt, I rinse it the Norwex way, wring it good and hang it on a hook to dry. Then I polish the tiles and tub dry with the EnviroCloth that I leave hanging on the rod. In under 5 minutes my shower is now sparkling clean every day.
Products I use:
Pink Bathroom Scrub Mitt and Pink EnviroCloth
Spring Cleaning the Bathroom
As described above, I did light fixtures, the top of the upper cabinet, the cabinets themselves, door tops, door knobs and just about everything else with ONE Norwex EnviroCloth. I started with it dry to do the dusting, then wetted it and continued on with the mirror, medicine cabinet, the wall behind the sink, the sink itself, down to the cabinets. While most things dry well because the EnviroCloth is only slightly damp, to get that pretty shiny polished look, especially on the mirrored surfaces, I finish those with a Window Cloth from Norwex. I have a couple. One I got in my kit when I joined, but I also earned two when I hosted home parties, which a distributor can do through Norwex. The ones I earned were pink, so they fit in with my scheme of all bathroom cloths are pink. They look like this:
Norwex Window Polishing Cloth – Purple
I even use the EnviroCloth to finish off the toilet after I swish it with the bowl brush. It is the last thing I’m doing in the bathroom before washing the floor – which I do with the grey EnviroCloth, so I use the pink one and throw it in the pile to be washed (which I will do right after my cleaning is done). To be fair to Norwex, they have tested their EnviroCloths with the AntiBac Technology and their patented microfiber impregnated with silver grabs all the germs and there isn’t any concern of cross contamination. I’ve already used that pink EnviroCloth for several days to a week to dry out the sink and tub. Now it was time wash it anyway. So it wasn’t the germs that caused me to wash it, it’s just my habit to use it on the toilet the last thing before doing the laundry.
Finally I fill a bucket with a few inches of hot water, a couple drops of essential oils, and a tsp or so of a a product that breaks the suspension of the water. The manufacturer used to say, “it makes water wetter.” So, it’s technically not a cleaner, but helps my hard water to work better. Again, to be fair to Norwex, I don’t need to add a thing to the water. I just do it due to all the minerals in my water – and out of habit. This is the EnviroCloth I use on floors:
Graphite EnviroCloth
The Upstairs Hall
Next I moved into the upstairs hall. I have a window that’s WAY up high. It’s at the top of the stairs and starts well above the height of the normal ceiling. It’s part of the vaulted ceilings throughout the upstairs. The top of the window is probably 16-20′ from the floor. I bought a nifty system from Aldi’s a few week back that has a telescoping pole that goes 20 feet. Just the ticket to get this done! It has a mop kind of thing that does windows and a squeegee. So I used the brush that came with it to dust, then I washed that window. Nice! It was getting towards noon and the sun was coming over to that side of the house. It looked beautiful – at least from the inside. I can’t do anything about the outside.
As I was retracting the telescoping pole I turned and saw the closet doors. There is a linen closet at the top of the stairs that has 8′ high bi-fold doors – on top of being elevated 6″ to accommodate the air return. I can’t reach to the top and I’m afraid to go up a ladder right there at the top of the stairs as it is an open staircase. I used the window washer with the window mop and make quick work of the closet doors. I used a Norwex EnviroCloth to dry the doors. It worked so fast and so well that I did the closets in all the rooms. They all have 8′ doors. In under 5 minutes a set of doors, they were done quickly and easily.
Before I quit for the day (so I could go out for a nice long walk myself), and as long as I was going to wash all the Norwex products anyway, I quickly washed the windows in and out and the window wells. No window cleaner needed. Just a spray bottle with plain water, an EnviroCloth and a Window Cloth. Each window took 5-10 minutes. I love my Norwex products!
I don’t want you to take just my word for it. Right after I did that cleaning, I saw a post by a woman I admire for her plain and simple, but always on target, household tips. Someone gave her an EnviroCloth to try and after she used it once, she was HOOKED, just like I was. Here’s the link: One Good Thing By Jillee.
I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that you can earn quite of bit of product if you choose to host a Norwex virtual party. Since I am truly a Keeper at Home – and enjoy staying at home – I don’t tend to do home parties. But if you would like to do a virtual party, I would be happy to do that for you. Anything to help you get these products in your home and help turn your home into a Norwex Safe Haven.
Happy cleaning.
