Classroom By A. McCormick
Allyson McCormack is on a mission to clean up AZ one home, one business, one school at a time! As a Norwex Independent Consultant she provides educational workshops (Good Clean Fun) to adults and kids on the greenest cleaning method – water and specialty microfiber along with the opportunity to transform your home into a Safe Haven with their products.
Back to school shouldn’t mean back to toxins!
It’s that time of year again for purchasing the required “supply list” for your kids. Have you wondered why disinfectant wipes are often required on your child’s supply list yet the package says, “keep out of the reach of children”? These are listed as pesticides by the EPA! Should children be exposed to these products much less use them to clean their desks or other classroom surfaces?
While disinfectant cleaners seem to be an easy solution for wiping up messes and keeping “disease spreading germs” at bay they are not necessary for general cleaning. It’s important to remember that there is a very big difference between cleaning and disinfecting a surface. Bacteria can be removed from a surface without resorting to the use of harmful chemicals to kill them. The overuse of disinfecting chemicals can actually promote antibacterial-resistant bacteria, also known as superbugs, and studies now show they also cause a disruption in the gut which leads to both a downward shift in IQ and immune system compromise.
In addition to these wipes not being necessary to keep the classroom clean, their use and residue left behind causes continual exposure to children in the classroom. If you are fortunate and your child’s teacher takes responsibility for the cleaning two problems still remain. First, most don’t have time to follow the package directions properly (see image) and second, the residue of the “dead” germs and chemicals remain on the desk.
Let’s look at the first issue. Package directions say to use enough wipes to keep the surface visibly wet for 4 minutes! Teachers work hard to keep your children safe in their classroom but none have the time to dedicate 4 minutes per desk to ensure the germs are killed. More often one wipe is used to quickly wipe desk one and moves on to desk two and then three; essentially dragging germs from one desk to another versus having the contact time to actually kill any germs. The second issue of chemical residue remaining is where the continual exposure to chemicals causes problems. Your child will touch and likely even breathe these chemicals all day.
What other options should you and your school choose? Basic soap and water is a good alternative but it is time consuming as anytime you apply soap you must rinse then dry. However, high-quality microfiber cleaning cloths are a great alternative since all you need is water to lift up dirt, bacteria, grime and stains from surfaces. The Norwex microfiber is guaranteed to remove 99% of bacteria from a surface with just water – quickly, easily and safely. If you would prefer your child’s classroom to look like the one pictured with safe and cost effective reusable cloths, contact me to discuss options. I look forward to helping you create a Safe Haven for your child both at home and school. Together we can make a difference for generations!
Allyson has used this method of cleaning for 20 years, raising 3 children who now use Norwex in their own homes. If you would like to schedule a free home consultation contact Allyson. You can also shop her website www.allysonmccormack.norwex.biz
Allyson McCormack
Creating Safe Havens for generations to come while providing Good Clean Fun
cleangreenally@gmail.com
763-245-0192
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