Monthly Archives: August 2018

DIY Fly Paper – A Chemical-free Solution

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There is nothing quite like realizing that flies have reproduced somewhere in your home. One day, your kitchen is a quiet and calm place for cooking and the following day it looks like a convention moved in (reservations for 200? Sure, why not?!). After spending two days employing my fly swatter and feeling both disgusted and overwhelmed, I scoured the internet for a better, more passive solution. After all, even using my magical Norwex EnviroCloth and Window Cloth to clean off the dead-but-not-forgetten was getting old after the third time in two days.

The internet delivered, just as I had hoped. DIY Fly Paper is an easy and chemical-free solution to those freeloading flies that won’t cost you much at all! I combined the information I found and attemped the project below with promising results:

Supplies:

  • Paper (I used strips cut from paper bags, but you can use thicker paper like cardstock as well)
  • String or twine
  • Hole Punch
  • 1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Corn Syrup
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • Wire hanger

Directions:

  1. Cut paper into strips. If using paper lunch bags, cut horizontally so that the two sides stay attached at the folds.
  2. Punch holes for the string and add a loop with string or twine.
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Fly paper strips with string, ready for the sticky coating!

3. Heat the sugar, corn syrup and water in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

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This mixture is very sticky, especially as it cools.

4. Remove mixture from heat and use a pastry brush or spatula to spread on the strips, holding them upright so that they do not touch the table or counter (this would just get messy, but it is okay if the mixture drips). Make sure to coat both sides.

5. Hang finished strips from a wire hanger over newspaper or other similarly easy-to-clean surface. They will drip quite a bit.

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A simple coat hanger will do the trick.

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You will want something underneath to catch the drips!

6. After 4-6 hours, remove carefully and hang where you need to capture flies. Ta-da!

What are your favorite chemical-free solutions to pest control in your home? Share in the comments!

 

New Products for Fall 2018

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Fall is, hands down, my favorite time of the year! Leaves will be falling in a month or so, apple-picking season begins here in Michigan, and I can almost smell the cool-weather bonfires and pumpkin spiced everything! The other part of autumn that I LOVE is the release of the new Norwex 2018 Fall Catalog and new products.

fall catalog

This year, Norwex gave several of our top selling products a Nordic Naturals makeover, in colors that certainly will complement any modern decor. Check out the updates made to your favorite products below:

EnviroCloth: The Norwex EnviroCloth is now available in five colors: Blue, Graphite, Green, NEW Champagne and NEW Rose Quartz. This is the same EnviroCloth we all love, just updated with two new color options!EnviroCloth-Colors-2018

Travel Pack: The changes made the EnviroCloth also affect the popular Travel Pack. It now contains all five EnviroCloth colors!new-travel-cloths

Reusable Wet Wipes Bag: This handy bag for carrying cloths on-the-go now comes in two new designs: Diamond and Floral.wet wipes bags

Window Cloth: In addition to the popular purple color, you can now order a Window Cloth in Pink Opal.norwex window cloths

Dusting Mitt: This was a special a few months back. Now the Graphite Dusting Mitt is available in the catalog, along with Blue and Green.

Superior Mop System: The Green/Blue Mop is still available, but have you seen this gorgeous Gold / Rose Gold / Silver version? WOW. Now our mop truly looks like the Cadillac of all mops.

Reusable Napkins: In addition to our Slate and Peacock colors, we now have the napkins in a Leaf Pattern (it also has a smoother texture).

Optic Scarf: Where would I be as a glasses-wearer without one of these? Joining our previous patterns of Butterfly, Bird, Multi, Dots, & Camo are NEW Ikat and NEW Marble.

Reusable Grocery Bag w/ BacLock: We now have two more designs to add to the Green: Retro and Rings.

There are a few more items in the works for an October release, including toddler feeding bibs and a new Microfiber Deep Cleaning Powder. We have also reformulated Ultra Power Plus (now called Norwex Laundry Detergent), Liquid Laundry Detergent, Descaler, Bathroom Cleaner (formerly Blue Diamond), Dishwashing Liquid, Oven & Grill Cleaner and Stain Remover. The products with these snazzy new labels are now being formulated and manufactured in the United States near Dallas, Texas!

Which products are you most excited to see?

 

Bleach Wipes on the School Supply List?

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In recent years, the discovered toxicity of bleach/disinfectant wipes has led many school districts to forego the usual request on back to school supply lists. Unfortunately, you may still see them on your child’s supply list, making you wonder if they are truly necessary.

If you have never looked at the back of a tub of disinfectant wipes carefully, you might not know that they specifically state to keep out of reach of children. They also state to wash your hands after using them and that you must allow a surface to stay visibly wet for 7-10 minutes in order for them to disinfect. Lastly, all of the tubs of standard disinfectant wipes that I have seen also state to wipe the disinfected surface with a damp cloth afterward if the surface will come in contact with food (or your child’s hands, which will inevitably touch food or their mouths, right?). Our skin is our largest organ–it makes sense that in most cases we shouldn’t put anything on it that we wouldn’t put in our mouths.

new-travel-cloths

As parents, we have the ability to vote for change in our schools with our actions and our dollars. Instead of purchasing disposable wipes that pose risk to our children, we can bring alternatives like the Norwex EnviroCloth or EnviroCloth Travel Pack. Norwex microfiber removes up to 99% of bacteria from a surface without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. In fact, instead of going to the sink to wash your hands after using a disinfecting wipe, wetting a Norwex cloth will take about the same time. Also, our cloths come with a two-year warranty, meaning that your child can use the same cloth for at least two years (and likely much longer)!

Want to purchase a set of EnviroCloths or a travel pack for your child’s classroom? You can place your order on my Norwex website HERE.

Want to create a campaign to get these reusable, incredible cloths in children’s hands at the school level? Contact me and I will set up an easy ordering system and information for distribution.