CLEANING REVOLUTION

I stood in front of my kitchen window shaking my head in disbelief. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, this skeptic would never have believed it. A cloth that just cleaned my windows using only water? And not just any kind of clean… the cleanest, streak free, windows I’d ever seen. This same cloth proceeded to remove the dust from my antique table, cleaned and sanitized my kitchen counters, and removed month old stains from my carpet using only water! You might be thinking this is the point I woke up from a fabulous dream. Au contraire mon fraire. I’m here to tell you this product does, in fact, exist, and will save you Time, Money, Health, and the Environment.

In my quest to find a non-toxic and cheap way to clean my house, my sister-in-law, a superhero to all who know her, told me about this magical cloth. I figured anything that didn’t require me to use vinegar or a carcinogen to clean my house, was definitely worth a try. Sure enough, it cleaned everything from my leather couch to my kid’s dirty faces, with different cloths of course. Revealing the science behind this magic cloth is quite simple.

This cloth originated in Norway and comes from a company called Norwex. It’s made of microfiber, but not just any microfiber, it’s made with fiber that is 1/100th the size of a human hair. Most other microfibers out there are made with 1/6th the size of a human hair. Just one square inch of this cloth has fiber that stretches the length of three football fields. This allows the cloth to pick up dirt and grime like a vacuum, leaving the surface 99.9% free of bacteria and viruses. The absolute best part of this cloth… the antibacterial component. Sure it cleans like no other, but you can use it over and over again before washing it. I use the same cloth in my kitchen all day long for an entire week! At the end of the week, I throw the cloth in my washing machine and it’s ready for another go around. This is due to the antibac agent that is embedded inside the tiny microfiber. It inactivates the bacteria that are picked up by the cloth. Meaning, you won’t have bacteria growing on it or that terrible mildew smell 24 hours later. If you were to wash this cloth five times a week, it would be effective for two years. However, most people who use this cloth wash it once a week, making it effective for 4-7 years. The benefits of this science are outstanding.

TIME: It has been proven that Norwex products decrease your cleaning time by 75% or more. The simple fact that you don’t have to spray anything on a surface, reduces your time by 50% at the least. It also keeps your house clean for a longer period of time, another time saver bonus.

MONEY: This cloth allowed me to ditch almost all of my cleaning supplies. When I priced it out, this $15.99 cloth replaced over $100 in cleaning supplies. Except this cloth can last 4-7 years compared to the cleaning products you have to keep replacing throughout the year. It’s estimated that the average household spends $450-$600 a year on cleaning supplies. Norwex products will allow you to reduce the use of these supplies by up to 90%. As I pass up all those coupons on cleaning supplies, I can’t help but smile at all the money I’m saving. When I push my grocery cart past the cleaning supply aisle, I beam with pride that that I never have to go down that aisle again. Then when I see others in that aisle I can’t help but think, “Suckers!” Sure, that’s probably not the nice thought to have, but I’m being honest.

HEALTH: I once read that the average home has more carcinogens inside than a science lab. Many products we use in our homes contain ingredients linked to or suspected to cause cancer, not to mention other ingredients that can cause allergies, asthma, and other health problems. According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is one of the nation's most pressing personal health concerns. Peak concentrations of 20 toxic compounds - some linked with cancer and birth defects - were 200 to 500 times higher inside some homes than outdoors, according to a 5-year EPA study that surveyed 600 homes in six cities. Then there’s the kid factor. The US emergency departments from 1990-2006 reported 268,000 children under the age of 5 were treated for household cleaning product-related injuries. Norwex products have left me with a piece of mind about what I have under my kitchen sink. (Not to mention the amount of space it has saved me)

ENVIRONMENT: I’m all for being good to the environment, but at the end of the day I have to balance it out with what it’s going to cost me in money and time. With this product, I have the satisfaction of saving the environment and my money. But honestly, not having my kids inhale these toxic products is priceless. Oh, and now that I’m using safe cleaning products, I’m utilizing my child’s labor. They are learning the important lesson of helping the family, and I’m learning to have a little more mommy time. It’s a win-win.

After falling in love with this new product, I felt compelled to scream its praise from the rooftop. Since my roof still has moss on it from the winter, I opted for the modern equivalent… social media. This led me to ask the question, “If I’m going to be telling everyone I know about this amazing product, shouldn’t I get something out of it?” So began my new business as an “Independent Sales Consultant” for Norwex. Since I have absolutely NO desire to sell anything…I prefer to view this as an amazing product that I use, and want to tell everyone I know about it. If they happen to buy something…great. If not, no rejection issues here. What I’m finding, however, is these friends and family who have tried the product, are expressing their amazement and are grateful that I told them about it. Although saving people time, money, health, and the environment makes me feel like a superhero, I’m not quite ready to put spandex on with a large “S” on my chest. However, I am ready to sell you these amazing products. If you are interested in learning more about this product or purchasing an item, please e-mail me at michellestender@yahoo.com. I will send you a catalog via e-mail and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

FLAX ME

I’m super sleep deprived these days and find myself a bit delirious. As I opened my refrigerator this morning, one eye barely open since I hadn’t had my coffee yet, a little black container sparked my attention. It had a blue label on it that read “Flaxseed.” Oh yes. I remember. I’m suppose to put that in my food because it’s good for me. Honestly, sometimes I have a hard time keeping track of all the things I want to do to stay healthy. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember why I should be putting it into my food. Hoping caffeine would spark my memory, I decided to find out the why and share it with you.

Due to time constraints, need to feed family in 20 minutes, I’ll get to the point. According to WebMD, studies have shown that flaxseed can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Now I remember! Cancer bad. Flaxseed good. Here are a few interesting facts on flaxseed that WebMD pointed out.

(1) Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.

(2) Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75- 800 times more lignans than other plant foods.

(3) Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed

Our eggs appear to be one step ahead of us. We now have the option of buying eggs that are high in Omega 3 fatty acids. This leads me to ask… What do those chickens know that I don’t? Turns out, farmers are putting flaxseed in the chicken’s diet to make their eggs extra nutritious. Sneaky little farmers. I too try to sneak nutrition in my little chicks so can understand. Point being, it’s easy to get flaxseed in your diet.

It’s recommended that you consume 1-2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed a day. Piece of cake, or muffins if you prefer. Try adding flaxseed to foods like oatmeal, smoothies, soup, or yogurt. It’s also easy to toss some in while baking. You can also substitute ground flaxseed for part of the flour in recipes. How cool is that? For example, if the recipe calls for two or more cups of flour, replace it with ¼ to ½ cup of flaxseed. Storing this stuff is also very simple. Freeze pre-ground flaxseed in the bag it came in or a plastic sealable bag. The greener method would be to store it in a glass container. The freezer will keep it from oxidizing and losing its nutritional potency.

After the caffeine set in, I was reminded why this cancer fighting food had sat in my fridge so long. Doctors recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women shouldn’t use it. (As oppose to pregnant and breastfeeding men?) Basically, there is conflicting studies on the issue, so to be on the safe side they say to refrain from it while pregnant or breastfeeding.

Now that you’re fully educated on the subject of flaxseed, or at least know why you should have it in your freezer, try it out. As they say…what’s good for the goose. Uhm. I mean chicken.