Those who are married know this truth: You and your spouse don’t always get along, and your partner is just irritating some days. And – cute, but not always useful.
So, perhaps I should marry my Norwex kitchen cloth, because, as much as I love its cute colours, it is not perfect, and sometimes just irritates me when I’m in the kitchen?
Norwex Kitchen Cloth Review
PROS
- The Norwex Kitchen Cloth is ribbed, which is its defining feature. These ribs are power ‘grabbers.’ Quite frankly, it’s the best cloth I’ve used for wiping up crumbs on the counter and table. I would say that I prefer using it over a standard kitchen cloth, or even an Enviro cloth. That feature would make it a five star product in my books.
- It has silver in it, which makes it antibacterial – again, awesome.
- It’s great at degreasing – no soap or other cleaning product needed, just the cloth and some water. Great at getting all the bacon grease splatter from the stove, counters, and walls.
CONS
However (you were waiting for the however)…
- the amount of care this little cloth needs is what makes me irritated, knocking down its star power. The best way to care for this cloth is to NOT put it in your soapy dishwater. That soap residue builds up over time and breeds smelly bacteria. So you say, “Okay, just don’t dunk it in your sink of dishwater then!” Well, the problem is, I always have a sink of soapy dishwater on the go. I have found it inconvenient to always remember to run this cloth through fresh water and avoid the soap. Essentially, I have found this cloth to be a piece in the kitchen that needs to be “managed” (not to mention training children and husband the ‘rule’ with this cloth, which we know they’re not going to care about!). It means that I need to have two dishcloths on the go and that just seems pointless to me. Knock down 1 star.
- Due to its antibacterial qualities (which are awesome), it should not be bleached. Which means, if it becomes stained, many of those stains will linger. Leaving it dirty looking. And I like my dishcloth to have a clean ‘look,’ you know? A deep clean is possible, but it’s not as convenient as a bleach wash (I know, I know, bleach is horrible for our health, but it gets stains out of dish cloths, and I like clean dishcloths!). Knock down another star.
This is after my cloth has been removed from the washing machine…
I actually really want this cloth to work though. A good feature is that it can be used for many days if you rinse it well and hang it to dry at the end of the day. And that saves time on laundry as well as eliminating gross-dish-cloth smell. Alas, since I can’t seem to get a good ‘system’ going, it hasn’t become a central piece in the daily washing routine (despite the fact that I even have a special little hook for it).
Hanging all by its lonesome. I think it knows it’s not loved! 
Conclusion:
For me, I’m leaving it at a 3 star rating for those days it comes through as a super-crumb grabber and de-greaser.
This may be a 4 or 5 star product for some people… people who don’t always have a sink full of soapy dish water, and who remember to only wet the cloth under running water. Also, I have kids, and they make a royal mess of my kitchen. For those whose cloths don’t get all stained, or for people who just don’t care if their dish cloth gets stained, this may be a winning dish cloth for you! I’d really like to hear other peoples experiences with the Norwex Kitchen Cloths!
Fortunately for my marriage, I’ve been able to figure out a good system for lovin’ my husband and working around irritating moments with him. We’ve got a good system going, and he’s a piece I’m always gonna keep around!
***UPDATE***
After spending more time together in the kitchen, a change of heart concerning the Norwex Kitchen Cloth has occurred! Read the updated post on this Kitchen Cloth HERE to find out how you can make this a five-star favourite in your kitchen!!!
Very interesting and informative blog! When you say you put your Body Cloths in with your other towels, are those “other towels” strictly microfiber towels, or do they include regular terry cloth towels too (which I thought are too linty to hang out with Norwex cloths)?
I’ll sometimes launder my Norwex with other non-microfiber towels, as long as they’re not super fluffy. It’s the fluffy ones that have a lot of lint, that then transfers and creates pills all over the Norwex cloths! Laundering with sheets, t-shirts, jeans, or other Norwex is the best bet though!
Given what you’ve written about them, it’d seem these cloths are best used for actually cleaning your kitchen/etc. and not as normal dish towels that you display in your kitchen. If you have them stowed away in a cabinet somewhere, it doesn’t really matter if they’re stained, right? 🙂
I really don’t understand why people say that these “dish cloths shouldn’t go in soapy water,” “best way to care for this cloth is to NOT put it in your soapy dishwater,” and “The benefit of this cloth is that it doesn’t NEED soap to assist with cleaning,” when Norwex specifically sells a dishwashing Liquid to use with the dish cloth. That is what I used them with and laundered with Norwex laundry detergent and they still have a smell. I’m going to trying washing them a few times before using them and see if this helps.
Check out the next post, that’s in response to these experiences, where I discuss the benefits of using the Norwex Kitchen Cloths for wiping surfaces, and the Norwex Dish Cloth (it looks like a net) for washing dishes, and the smelly dish cloth problem disappears! https://healthyhomecleaning.com/norwex-kitchen-cloth-recant/
So I love the kitchen cloths, don’t use them on dishes but do use them on everything else and usually hand wash them with (a very little amount of) soap and water and wring dry to hang at the end of the evening. I keep three of them and a dish towel out and used in rotation all day in the kitchen, change them all out once a week.
What I can’t figure out is the kitchen scrub cloth. Not antibac (boo!) and I am somewhat afraid to launder with my other microfiber as I am worried about the “scrubby” nylon catching the microfiber on my envirocloths and polishing cloths. Same concerns with the fruit/veggie cloth but it, at least, is antibac.
Thoughts? Advice?
Thanks for sharing your experiences Kim! I have actually since changed my mind about the kitchen cloths, and love them now! I talk about it in a new post here .
The kitchen scrub cloth is great for the sticky bits on your kitchen counter and table. Also, since it does not have the Antibac/BacLock, it can go in the soapy water. As you can imagine, it’s great for dishes, pots and pans! It’s also great for tackling the soap scum on your shower tile and glass doors!!! It’s the same material as one of the sides as the Bathroom scrub mitt :o) And, this surface is non-scratching, so it’s not going to damage teflon surfaces, your glass top stove, OR your microfiber either. It’s tough but gentle! Don’t be afraid to wash it with your other microfiber cloths. Your Fruit and Veggie cloth won’t damage your other microfiber in the wash either!
I just read your post about the dish cloths. This was extremely helpful. My dish cloths stink something aweful. I was not instructed on how to use them and now have these awesome disgusting cloths on my hands. What would you recommend as the best way to help or are they ruined? They not only smell bad but my counters also smell bad after wiping. In hopes of using them correctly I’ve bought 3 sets and so have invested alot and am extremely disappointed in this product. Any help?
Eleanor,
So sorry to hear that your cloths are smelly! Truth is, Norwex doesn’t ‘teach’ or spread the information that the dish cloths shouldn’t go in soapy water. This is information that some consultants have come to discover and pass on to each other, therefore, not everyone knows it, unfortunately :o(
But don’t worry – you can DEEP CLEAN your kitchen cloths! This will hopefully bring them back to new, stripping them of any of that soap residue! Deja wrote about it here It’s a really easy process! Now, you may not have any Norwex Ultra Power Plus Laundry detergent on hand. You can order from Deja’s shopping site and get some shipped directly to you, or contact your local consultant. You could also try with another powdered green laundry detergent, but I’ve only ever tried it with the Ultra Power Plus, so I don’t know if the results are the same.
Since writing this article, I have since changed my mind on the kitchen cloths and do love them now (and just use them for wiping surfaces, not washing dishes). You can check it out here
Good luck – and touch base if you have any other trouble or questions!
I am brand new to this. I just bought my first 6 cloths. And am frustrated. So what do I do if my kitchen cloth has been in soapy water? Have I ruined it? And I also have body cloths. No soap ever? Please help. I want to like these.
Sabrina, no need to worry! If your kitchen cloth is immersed in soapy water, it will not be ruined. If it gets put in soapy water a number of times, the soap residue will simply stay in the cloth, which will cause it to smell quickly, like a regular dishcloth will. The benefit of this cloth is that it doesn’t NEED soap to assist with cleaning dirt, grease and bacteria from your counter. Try to keep it for just wiping your countertops, and maybe a sponge or scrubby for dishwashing. But no need to worry if it does get dunked in your soapy water!
Your body cloths do not require soap to assist with cleaning. They can come in contact with soap though. Deja recommends that after you use them, you do a quick scrub with soap then a really, really good rinse afterwards. This helps avoid the need for frequent washing. Me, I use mine for a about a week, just rinsing with water and hanging to dry, then throw them in the wash with my other towels!
I love all my Norwex products. I have enviro, polishing, body, scrubby corner & car cloth’s and also mop system, dust mitt and shower mitt. I love how they clean without products “just water”. Thank you for a chemical free solution to cleaning.
I have come across your blog many times. I am a consultant as well and am wondering why some people are allowed Norwex blogs and others (most) are not? I imagine you know the answer since you’re a Leader.
All Norwex consultants are allowed blogs (not websites), but Norwex has very clear and strict guidelines about how they are managed and what they look like. I would recommend reading thoroughly through the Norwex Media and Social Media policies to find out the details of the Norwex blog rules.
I just became a Norwex consultant a few months ago (LOVE the products!) and wanted to try my hand at a blog. I have never in my life been good at keeping a diary, personal blog, etc. Nor have I ever been good at writing! But I wanted to give it a go! So I read all of the rules, regulations, policies, procedures… oh boy. It definitely deters an amature from creating a blog.. and I am an amature! I wanted to create a blog because in my mind it’s such an awesome way to spread the news about Norwex! But I’m not sure I’ll continue with it anymore.. I’m so scared of doing something wrong and getting into trouble (my mind goes to me sitting in a cell room behind bars simply because I versed something wrong… I know, I know. Ridiculous and never going to happen.. but that’s the fear in me!). You seem so confident in your writing and what you post and have no fear of expressing your own opinions.. I love your blog! As a consultant, and potential blogger, I was wondering if it is legal to express and blog about your opinions of product, negative or positive, or share tips on how to use or clean product that you’ve found useful but not neccessarily backed by the company itself? Any helpful tips?
Hi Terri, Don’t let the media policy scare you away from blogging! Yes, the policy does have lots of guidelines. Yes, it sounds intimidating. But just remember that Norwex is aiming to protect its image, and it’s consultants, in creating these guidelines. If your site does not comply to the guidelines, Norwex would contact you via email to outline the changes that should be made. As long as you change them, you’re fine (no jail time :o). And yes, you can share your personal opinions freely. Aim to share the good and the bad, as there is good in every Norwex product! The media policy states that you should not promote other products, so I wouldn’t purposefully point to other products, other than natural items you can find in your cupboard. Also, avoid linking to other websites that sell other cleaning products. Best of luck!
I really like the kitchen cloth! In my kitchen, all my cloths are Norwex cloths so NO cloth ever goes in the soapy water (except the white mesh dish cloth which is just for washing the dishes) so it’s not confusing for anyone. As we have 7 people in our family, 5 of which are under 10 years old, I’m not particularly concerned at this point about my cloths looking good. I have 10,000 other concerns. So, for me, it is a marriage that works well!
Thanks for sharing your happily-married experiences Rebecca!