The Magic Cloth
 
You may already know a bit about magic cloths from infomercials, but wait! There’s more! Really though! These cloths are actually pretty amazing and have the potential to help our beloved planet Earth.
 
What is it?
Magic Cloths, as they are commonly called, are microfiber cleaning cloths.  They have split fibers that are just a fraction of the size of a human hair, allowing them to pick up dirt, dust, oils and grease.  The positively charged fibers allow the cloth to better attract dirt and dust, which is negatively charged.  These cloths are used for household cleaning and can clean virtually any surface in the household, even plasma screens!  You only need to add water and then it is ready for use.
 
How is it eco-friendly?
Microfiber cleaning cloths are very environmentally friendly and also very sustainable!  With these cloths, you can clean your entire house without using any chemicals.  All you need is a magic cloth and some water and you can effectively clean the entire house (or office or car or boat or whatever else you might like to clean). By using a magic cloth, you no longer need to buy surface cleaners or any other cleaning chemicals, sparing your home and the environment of harsh chemicals and fumes.  Not only do they clean without chemicals, but they clean better than the traditional forms of cleaning (such as mops or regular cloths with a cleaning agent), getting rid of more than 95% of bacteria.  Using a magic cloth will also save water in the long run because it absorbs water so well, using about 95% less water than other cloths and mops.  By using the same cloth(s) for 5 years, you are no longer using all those paper towels that you might have otherwise used, thus reducing your paper waste.  By no longer buying bottles of chemical cleaners, you are also reducing your plastic waste.  All you have to do to clean the cloths is rinse them after use and occasionally throw them in the washing machine.
 
How is it economically sustainable?
Microfiber cloths are quite affordable.  Depending on which brand you buy, they can cost around $25 for 4 cloths, and they tend to last about 5 years.  Not only are you only spending 25 bucks on the cloths but also, you no longer have to buy chemical cleaners, paper towels, traditional mops or dusters or whatever else you might use to clean your home.  You are saving quite a lot of money on what you will no longer have to buy.  Using the magic cloth also saves you so much time on cleaning, most brands claim that it will cut your cleaning time in half! And you know what they say- time is money!
 
Why it’s so cool
This product is actually really cool.  As someone who doesn’t love to clean, but who also loves her home to be clean, I can really get behind the magic cloth.  I find it fascinating that all I need is a cloth to clean my home, saving so much time and money in the long run!
 While I find this product really great on an individual level, I think it is even more amazing to consider its use on a larger scale. Just think if the entire country switched to using microfiber cloths.  We would all reduce our plastic and paper waste, and we’d each reduce our waste of water.  Add up all those individual reductions in waste and apply it to a population of 35 million people…that’s a significant impact!  We would also all save time and money, which might just lead to a stronger economy and a population with more free time to relax and do what you love (or work more! Whatever floats your boat).  Doesn’t that sound like a country you would want to live in? I know I would.  This little affordable product could actually make a big difference in, not just the country, but the world!  Imagine the impact of the whole world switching to the magic cloth for cleaning…wow!  I don’t usually get very excited about household products, as I am a university student, but the magic cloth is really cool when you think about it’s implications.  It is just so simple, yet can make such a difference. 
 
How can you buy one?
Well, let me tell you! There are many brands making microfiber cleaning cloths, so I will list a few of the ones I found; Tergo Magic Cloths, Ultimate Cloth (4 standard cloths for $25), The Original Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (10 cloths for $9.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond), and Streak Free Microfiber Cleaning Cloths (4 standard cloths for $20).  You can buy the cloths online at the brand websites, most of them have a variety of packages to choose from.  You can also buy them at retail stores, but one thing to be aware of when shopping for a microfiber cloth is that they should be split microfibers.  Make sure it is split microfiber before buying and if it’s not, don’t buy the cloth because they will not be effective for cleaning.  The fact that the fibers are split is what gives them the ability to absorb water and trap all the dirt, grease, oil, etc.  It will either indicate on the package that it is split microfiber or you can feel it against your skin (if it grabs at the imperfections on your skin it is split) or try to use it on water (if it absorbs the water it is split fiber).

Stephanie Kamakas