01 July 2011
Microfibre cloths are a greener cleaning option in so many ways.
Firstly, by utilising microfibre technology you are eliminating the need to use a chemical cleaning product as microfibre cloths require water only.
This means that less toxic cleaning chemicals are produced. The production of cleaning chemicals is an energy intensive process and places a burden on our environment. This in turn means that less packaging is required for the less demanded chemical cleaning products. Once again producing packaging is a very energy intensive process and requires oil, water and chemicals to produce the plastic container into which most cleaning products are packaged. As the demand for less packaging is introduced so is the demand for printing on this packaging. Printing requires toxic and environmentally devastating inks. The production of these inks decrease as does the usage of these inks in the printing process. The transport of inks and printed labels / packaging decreases which in turn decreases fuel demand for the transport and delivery trucks.
It is easy to see that replacing the need for chemical products, as water is utilised and readily available, with microfibre cloths cuts out an enormous amount of environmental burden. Waterways that support plant and fish life are less polluted as less inks, printing, transport, packaging and cleaning chemicals affect them. We drink the water and eat the fish and this in itself should be enough motivation to use microfibre cloths and water as opposed to conventional cloths and chemically laden cleaning products.
The cloths also last a lot longer than conventional cloths which means that generally less cloths are demanded. This will in turn give rise to all of the environmental advantages as mentioned above.
When you stop and think about what you are supporting by purchasing a specific product or a specific way of cleaning , it can help to bring many things into perspective. It is easy to not realise all of the processes involved in getting a product to your building (home or work) but we hope that this article has at least got you to think about the kind of contribution you can make to the earth by considering what products to pucrahse and how you clean the building in which you live and / or work.