2 Year Savings by Buying Green - Savings Showdown
August 8, 2009
In a number of posts in this series, I did rough estimates as to whether Norwex products were more expensive than traditional cleaning methods.
Summary of 2 Year Savings
Over a two year period, using the above Norwex products (dusting mitt, Norwex wet and dry mop, dryer balls, laundry detergent and magnet ball) will save you approximately $300 over your traditional methods. In my view there is a general perception that going green is more expensive. But, here you have it, not only do the Norwex products save you money, they reduce the number of chemicals in your home, will result in health benefits and reduce your waste.
The $300 I have estimated are just the savings over a two-year period and I am certain that many of the Norwex products, e.g. Mop and dusting mitt will result in even further savings in subsequent years.
For more information on how I arrived at these estimates, please visits my other posts in this series. Below is a brief summary as to how I arrived at $300.
Dusting Mitt: This is a savings of $150.31 over a two year period alone, and I am confident Norwex’s Antibac Mitt will last much longer. Not to mention the fact that I feel good not to throw the disposable refills in the garage and eventually a landfill.
Norwex Mop Starter Package: Based on my rough estimates a Norwex Mop System would save you between $73.24 and $86.24 over a two-year period. I am also quite confident the mop would last longer than two years and over a period of time, these savings would grow.
Norwex Dryer Balls: At about .07 cents a dryer sheet, assuming you do one load of laundry per day, using the dryer sheets will cost you $24.96 for a year. Or $49.92 for two years. The dryer balls will save you $29.93 over a two-year period.
Norwex Laundry Solution: As mentioned in my post regarding laundry detergent, in using a magnet ball you will significantly reduce your laundry detergent. The initial cost of magnet ball: $29.99. The cost per load with the Norwex Detergent and a Magnet Ball: between .17 and .20 cents a load.
Assuming 365 loads a year, the first year using the Norwex products will cost between $92.04 and 102.99 a year. Over a 2-year period using the Norwex Detergent and Magnet Ball will cost between $154.09 and $175.99 for two years worth of clothes washing.
Liquid Tide will cost $109.50 for one-year or $219, over a 2-year period. Therefore, the Norwex Laundry Solution (Detergent plus Magnet Ball) will save you between $43.01 and $64.91 over a two-year period.
Microfiber Dusting Mitt vs. Swiffer Duster - Savings Showdown
December 12, 2008
There was a time not so long ago, that it seemed every time I turned around I was headed to Walmart and couldn’t make it out of the store without $200 worth of items.
While many of these items were baby or personal care products, quite a few were for cleaning my home: Swiffer duster refills, Mr. Clean, Vim, Toilet Bowl Cleaner, spray for my shower, and so on. Recently, I’ve noticed that since I have started using Norwex products in my household cleaning that I rarely go to Walmart anymore. This got me wondering whether I am actually saving money using the Norwex products or if I am just spending more upfront.
I must admit, initially I started buying the Norwex products based entirely on seeing their performance and thinking they would save me time. Then, I kinda got hooked on the fact that I was no longer bringing chemicals into my home. Only recently have I begun to wonder whether the Norwex products were costing me more. This triggered an idea for my blog on comparing the costs of the traditional cleaning products I have used in the past versus the Norwex alternative.
The first product I thought I would look at is the Antibac Dusting Mitt versus the Swiffer Duster. Admittedly, a former Swiffer Duster Junkie, I’ve always felt the refills were ridiculously priced. For this totally unscientific study, I have made my own assumptions and asked my friends and family about their dusting habits. I guesstimate that the average person uses about two Swiffer Duster refills a week (dusting once a week and using two dusters). This means 8 refills a month or 96 duster refills for the year.
I priced these items at Walmart and here’s what I found:
Cost of using Swiffer Duster for one year:
1 handle + 5 refills = $4.67
10 refills = $8.77
Which means after you buy the starter kit, these refills will cost you .88 cents a pop. For an additional 91 refills this comes to $80.08. Add this to the initial $4.67, and the average total cost for using the Swiffer Duster for one year is $84.75 or a little over $7.00 a month.
Wow - dusting math is complicated. When you look at it like this, that’s a crazy amount of money to spend on dry dusting.
Compare this to the Norwex Antibac Dusting Mitt, which costs $14.25 and it reusable for many years. I’m not sure exactly how long, but I have heard of Norwex’s microfiber still going strong after 7 years. The mitt is warrantied for 2 years.
Here’s a two-year summary of how much you can save over a two-year period using Norwex’s Antibac Mitt:
Swiffer Duster - Assuming you manage to keep your handle for two years, it’ll cost you a total of $164.56. (Initial kit of $4.67, including 5 refills and 91 refills for year 1 and 96 refills for year 2)
This is a savings of $150.31 over a two year period alone, and I am confident Norwex’s Antibac Mitt will last much longer. Not to mention the fact that I feel good not to throw the disposable refills in the garage and eventually a landfill.
I had no idea dusting could be so costly 
Day 5: Kitchen & Dining Room Cleaning - 5-Day Green-Cleaning Resolution
October 26, 2008
This is Part V of V in my 5-Day Green-Cleaning Resolution series, with cleaning tips to help you green-clean your house in under 30 minutes a day
I find the kitchen is generally not too bad to clean, as we are cleaning our counter tops and tables continually throughout the week. I have also heard that our kitchen counter tops are one of the cleanest surfaces in our homes since we are constantly cleaning them.
Friday (Day 5): Clean Kitchen & Dining Room
- Wipe cupboard doors and knobs
- Wipe off telephone
- Clean inside and outside of microwave and any other appliances you may have on your counter top
- Wipe down counter tops using a Norwex All Purpose Kitchen Cloth (great for picking up any grease)
- Clean your stove top (use Norwex Cleaning Paste and Spirisponge to make this job a breeze)
- Scrub your sink (Norwex Cleaning Paste and Spirisponge will make it sparkle)
- Wipe the front of any appliances in your kitchen with a wet Norwex Antibac cloth, shining any stainless steel surfaces with an Antibac Window Cloth (Polishing Cloth)
- Wipe kitchen and dining room table and chairs
- Dust any furniture, baseboards and air vents
- Sweep, dry mop and wet mop floor
List of cleaning items you will need:
- Norwex Antibac Enviro Cloth
- Norwex All Purpose Kitchen Cloth
- Norwex Antibac Window Cloth (Polishing Cloth)
- Norwex Cleaning Paste
- Norwex Spirisponge
- Norwex Antibac Dusting Mitt
- Norwex Wet and Dry Mop (Mop Starter Package)
I easily completed this task within 30 minutes. Maybe because I’m sure my kitchen is the cleanest room in my house, since it feels as if I spend the most time there. I’m now looking forward to enjoying a weekend without too much cleaning. My plan is to use 30 minutes each day on the weekend to tackle some task I’ve been neglecting, e.g. cleaning out a closest.
I hope you have found this series helpful. It certainly helped me make my cleaning easier to tackle. It feels good to go into the weekend with a clean house. Best of luck to us in sticking to our 30 minute plan. Now if I could just find the time to throw in a load of laundry every day and make it to the gym …
Stay tuned for a printable green-cleaning checklist to help you plan and stay on track…
Day 2: Dusting Home & Furniture - 5-Day Green-Cleaning Resolution
October 22, 2008
This is Part II of V in my 5-Day Green-Cleaning Resolution series, with cleaning tips to help you green-clean your house in under 30 minutes a day
The second day in my cleaning plan will consist of dusting and wiping down everything and anything I can with my trusty Antibac Microfiber Dusting Mitt. I find this Mitt really speeds up dusting. For tougher jobs, I’ll use a wet Antibac Enviro cloth and the Antibac Window Cloth (polishing cloth) where needed. I start near the entrance of my house and move room to room, before moving upstairs.
Tuesday (Day 2): Dusting
- Door windows and any glass in foyer
- Door knobs
- Ceiling fans, lamps, light fixtures
- Blinds and picture frames
- Books or other shelving units, knick-knacks and picture frames
- Tops of doors
- Windowsills
- Coffee and end tables or any other furniture
- Televisions and entertainment units
- Air vents and baseboards
- Patio doors
List of cleaning items you will need:
- Norwex Antibac Microfiber Mitt
- Norwex Antibac Enviro Cloth
- Norwex Antibac Window Cloth (Polishing Cloth)
No naps today for anyone, and after an evening meeting I reluctantly start my dusting spree at 11:00 p.m. with the three aforementioned items in hand. Halfway through my dusting mitt is getting a little dusty, so I move it to my left hand - it’s a little clumsy but does the trick. The dusting mitt is quickly becoming one of my favourite Norwex items - it makes dusting baseboards, air vents and blinds very easy. I am able to finish my dusting tasks in just under a half an hour.
Day 1: Cleaning Tips for Bedrooms & Home Office - 5-Day Green-Cleaning Resolution
October 20, 2008
This is Part I of V in my 5-Day Green-Cleaning Resolution series, with cleaning tips to help you green-clean your house in under 30 minutes a day
If you are anything like me it is difficult to find time to do anything - let alone clean my house. Worse still is leaving it all until one day on the weekend after the kids go bed. The expression the “Road to Hell …” rings true. I tell myself tonight after the kids go to bed, and next thing I know I’ve either fallen asleep putting the kids to bed, or else I’m too tired to face two hours of cleaning. I thought back to an article I had read in Today’s Parent a while back about how to clean your house in 30 minutes each day.
I’ve decided to modify the plan to work for me, using only 30 minutes each day maximum and no chemicals. My cleaning plan will only be for the 5 weekdays and I’ll split it into five parts in this series - one for each day of the week. Like any good resolution I propose to start this one on Monday Please try it with me and see how it works for you …
Monday (Day 1): Bedrooms & Home Office
- Tidy-up, pick up books, papers, clothing etc.
- Dust and wipe clean ceiling fans, light fixtures, lamps, dressers, shelves, pictures, baseboards, and any other surfaces
- Change bedsheets
- Empty garbage pails
- Clean and shine mirrors
List of cleaning items you will need:
- Norwex Antibac Microfiber Mitt
- Norwex Antibac Enviro Cloth
- Norwex Antibac Window Cloth (Polishing Cloth)
- A garbage bag
Tip - Save your floors for “Floor Day”
Like any resolution I began today with lots of enthusiasm. I began the morning by immediately grabbing the bed sheets and throwing them in the washer. So far, so good. I think this plan might just work for me. Usually, if I get two kids to sleep for a nap, there is so much to do, I have a hard time focusing on one task.
Today, I headed straight to my bedroom and 15 minutes later I had finished my to-do list, but by then, one of my kids was crying. I managed to get the other bedroom dusted and straightened up in about 5 minutes just before the kid’s bedtime. Which left me with 10 minutes for the office after everyone went to bed. I did a quick dusting and tidy.
I’m thinking this plan just might work for me. I definitely subscribe to the theory that if you want to attain a goal you need to write it down and break it into manageable pieces. Hopefully this checklist on my fridge is just what I need. I also find it focused my efforts today. Here’s hoping I have as much enthusiasm tomorrow for my household tasks.
Please try my plan along with me and share any comments as to what did or didn’t work for you. On the last day of this series, I will post the complete plan in one document. Happy speed cleaning.
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- 2 Year Savings by Buying Green - Savings Showdown
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