COLOR CODING MICROFIBER AT HOME

I should really buy stock in Morton’s because I take everything with a grain of salt. If I was reading a blog that tried to convince me that I needed different colored microfiber cleaning cloths to clean my house, I’d assume the person writing it was just trying to convince me that I need more cloths. Of course I am… but cut me some slack, I’ve got a family to feed and I sell a product that’s inexpensive and lasts for a really, really long time. Too long if you ask our accountant.

Kidding aside, I’m about to suggest that you use different colored cloths for different areas and different tasks, but despite what I said above my motivation isn’t really to get you to buy more microfiber than you actually need. In fact we offer microfiber towels and mop pads in color-coded cleaning packs (scroll to the bottom for examples), so you don't have to buy excessive amounts. So, now that we all understand there’s really no financial motivation for selling different colors hopefully we can put that salt back in the shaker and you’ll continue reading with an open mind.

WHY COLOR CODE?

Color coding is an easy way to prevent transferring bacteria from one area to another. This is known as cross contamination, and even professional cleaners take careful steps in order to prevent cross contamination. Cross contamination causes infections. Preventing cross contamination is a big part of commercial cleaning (in fact, I just wrote an article on the subject for Cleaning and Maintenance Management Magazine). It’s also an important part of cleaning in hospitals and it should be important in your home. Think about it, you probably wouldn’t use a cleaning cloth on a toilet and then go use it to wipe down your kitchen counters, at least not on purpose. But how can you be sure that you’re not doing that? Mistakes happen, color coding can prevent that.

Why Choose Microfiber?

Microfiber is much better to use than cotton in pretty much every situation. Here's why:

• Cotton is organic, making it a much more friendly environment for bacteria to grow and multiply on when wet.
• Microfibers are smaller than cotton fibers, thus able to pickup more! It is even small enough to pickup a variety of germs off surfaces.
• Microfiber products are more absorbent, making them great for using and pairing with a variety of cleaning products.
• Microfiber is more durable, meaning they are less likely to lint and are able to still clean great after hundreds of machine washings.

BEST PRACTICES

You should use at least three to four colors of microfiber cleaning cloths. Use an all-purpose 16" x 16" Microfiber Towel, so you can clean effectively on any surface. Plus, it's the perfect size for folding the towel twice and have 8 cleaning sides! This will really help to prevent the spreading of germs. Here's our color-coding system (the below also applies to microfiber mops)

1. Red Microfiber Cloths for restroom high-risk areas, such as sanitary appliances, wiping down your toilet, etc.
2. Yellow Microfiber Cloths for restroom general cleaning, such as wiping down counters, mirrors, etc.
3. Green Microfiber Cloths for kitchens to remove food spills and debris.
4. Blue Microfiber Cloths for low risk cleaning jobs, such as general cleaning and dusting.

One last tip! After you've cleaned glass or stainless steel surfaces with your all-purpose microfiber towel, use a microfiber glass cleaning cloth to remove the remaining streaks!

Laundering

Here’s another thing to think about; laundering your cleaning cloths. We all know that bleach shortens the life of textiles and microfiber is no different. However, bleach is a great disinfectant and if you’re concerned about sanitizing your microfiber cloths you might try using a small amount of bleach when laundering your restroom cloths. Just understand that using bleach will wear the cloths out faster than just using detergent. You can wash them separately or use a pre-wash cycle with a small amount of bleach before adding in the rest of your microfiber. Only using bleach on your restroom cloths will prevent the rest of the cloths from wearing out prematurely. See our microfiber washing instructions.

Know When To Go Disposable!

I'm sure you've found yourself in the situation where a cleaning task is so gross you don't even want to reuse the towel! In those cases you still want something that will clean and absorb great, but is also cost effective since you may only be using this product once or twice.

If this has happened to you, then you'll love our disposable microfiber options! They're 100% microfiber, way better than using a paper towel or a dirty rag. We also have a few disposable microfiber mops as well.

BEST MICROFIBER CLEANING CLOTHS & MOPS FOR COLOR CODING