Lily Online Magazine Articles: Car lovers- Sparkle and shine your wheels chemical free!

So you might think what's a shiny car got to do with chemical free living? Well like all aspects of our lives it's another area we can reduce our impact on the earth while maintaining our stylish lifestyle.

I was raised in a car loving household, my grandfather was a huge car ethusiast, a collector of Cadillacs and worked in the car industry most of his life; the GM of Good Year and involved with Olympic Dunlop and Beaurepairs meant my childhood was filled with gorgeous cars, car racing and funny stories of Mr Beaurepairs and how my father worked and drove for him, often getting into trouble as most car enthusiasts do from time to time. My mother raced Go-carts built by my grandfather an obsessive auto engineer and my fathers enthusiasm for Formula 1, V8 Super Cars and rally car racing was unparalleled. I just thought all girls watched the car racing with their dads!

Needless to say from the day I could hold a sponge and hose I was taught the therapeutic satisfaction of washing, polishing and waxing a car.... Immaculate cars is a must in my family. Over the years I've also learnt to appreciate like most things if you take care of them, they'll last a lifetime. Which is probably why I've had to upgrade my car (to a gorgeous shiny black Subaru Outback with cream leather interior) recently purely to ensure I have a car with the latest safety features more than anything else. In fact my previous car is still in such good nick after 15 years I've decided to keep it.

So where am I going with all this? ... Like most women (and men) I like shiny things... So keeping my car nice has just as much importance as keeping my home nice. Let's face it we spend so much time in our cars it's like a lounge suite on wheels.

So how do you keep your cars looking gorgeous whilst adhering to the same ethical philosophies you implement at home to minimise chemical use and choose eco friendly options? It's all about the quality of the cloths, how they are manufactured and being able to use them with just water!

About 12 months ago I discovered the Norwex range and I'm officially addicted!

Keeping it Clean

I use the two-sided Car Wash Mitt which has nubby chenille micro fibre on one side and sponge layer micro fibre on the other to collect dirt and debris. It washes out easily with just a quick rinse. The thick, plush fibres hold dirt and grime away from your car’s surface to reduce scratching. (I still have the words "Don't scratch the duco" ringing in my ears from childhood). On this Car Wash mitt the spaces in the fibres created by the splitting process in manufacturing allow the mitt to lift away maximum dirt and grime. It's very absorbent, so you can clean your entire car using just one bucket of water. Rinse clean with just water.... I bet you've never tried cleaning your car with just water, no cleaners!

Did you know the water droplets when your car is left to dry can collect dirt at their base and leave behind ugly streaks on the newly cleaned surface, it’s important to dry your car quickly after washing it. That's where the car cloth comes in.

The Car Cloth gets your car sparkling clean with only water, the extremely fine fibres are tightly woven, which helps prevent the cloth from holding dirt that may scratch your vehicle. Plus it quickly dries and polishes your entire car, including windows, mirrors, glass, chrome and other smooth or shiny surfaces like the interior trim and dash. So why use it?

1. Save money and protect the environment by eliminating the need for chemicals or paper towels.

2. No more streaks.

3. Car stays shiny and repels dust and dirt longer.

4. Tightly woven fibres helps prevent paint from scratching.

5. Eliminates residual “chemical muck” left behind

6. Used dry, it creates static electricity that lifts the smallest particles of dust and dirt up into the cloth and prevents them from resettling back onto surfaces.

7. Dries quickly so it’s ready to use again in no time.

So how do you use it?

1. Use the Car Cloth for drying and polishing after normal washing with the Car Wash Mitt.

2. Dry surfaces quickly with Car Cloth before water evaporates. Preferably wash your car out of direct sunlight or in the cool of the day.

3. Use slightly damp on car windows, mirrors, chrome and other smooth surfaces.

Looking after your mitt and cloths: Slightly dirty micro fibre can be washed with Norwex Dishwashing Liquid under warm running water and used again before laundering. Rinse thoroughly after washing and air or machine dry. Cloths that have been used heavily should be laundered using Norwex Ultra Power PlusTM, which contains no fillers, after each use.

Interior, window trims and lights.

I often use my microfibre Enviro cloths around the window trims to soak up the excess water then polish the windows and trims with the Car Cloth or the Window cloth.

If like me you have grubby kids, keeping the interior of your car fresh and new looking is usually hard work. I can't live without the Norwex EnviroCloth to clean the interior of my car. It leaves the surfaces almost dry and totally streak free, with just water, so the days of spray window cleaners and car interior cleaners are gone and the result is far better anyway.

So how does it work? The Norwex antibacterial micro fibre EnviroCloth removes dust, dirt and grease from all washable surfaces using only water– no chemicals! Norwex micro fibre has the ability to remove up to 99 % of bacteria from a surface when following the proper care and use instructions. Plus it removes residual “chemical muck” left behind by typical cotton cloths and harsh cleaning products. It picks up dust particles and traps them in the cloth until you rinse it out. Then BacLockTM* in the cloth (micro silver antibacterial agent) works by self-purifying and inhibiting bacterial odours, mould and mildew growth within the cloth. At 1/200 th the size of a human hair, Norwex micro fibre is one of the most innovative products in the cleaning industry today. One of my favourite options is that if you're wanting to give your car a really quick freshen up it can be used dry for dusting, or wet for general cleaning and heavily soiled areas.

My new car has lots of shiny surfaces... That's one if reasons I bought it if course, prior to using these natural cleaning clothes I would have been put off a car that needed so many shiny surfaces maintained but quite honestly one of the reasons I chose this car was because I knew I'd have no problem keeping everything clean and shiny using the Enviocloth and the Window cloth. The touch screen displays get little finger prints and the back door handles and window buttons are very shiny so little sticky fingers appear out of nowhere. Inside the doors often get dusty and scuffed so give them a wipe over with the EnviroCloth. That's it, just water!

This is where the Window cloth is amazing! The Window cloth also contains the BacLocTM antibacterial agent. I use these cloths on every shiny surface in my car and home and they leave absolutely no streaks.

However one of the most important reasons for using these water only cloths.... Did you know that butyl cellosolve is commonly found in glass cleaners. Readily absorbed through the skin, overexposure can irritate mucous membranes and may cause liver and kidney damage.(www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/ organic/org083/org083.html). In addition according to the Environmental Working Group, there is strong evidence that ammonia is a human immune and respiratory toxicant or allergen. (www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/ 700353/AMMONIA).

I was so impressed with the Norwex ethics and eco friendly philosophy that they are available via our website! You can order them online by following the links below. Happy polishing!!!