Do eCloths Really Work? I Put Them Through Their Paces

Do eCloths really work, and do they really kill bacteria? I put these cleaning cloths through their paces to see how the claims stand up.

eCloths are pretty intriguing things. I remember coming across them in my local hardware store (the dearly departed Ali’s Cave in Edinburgh), and being drawn in by the fantastical claims on the packaging which suggested that all I needed was a cloth and water to clean my home.

Could a damp eCloth really clean my home effectively? Would it actually kill bacteria? Who knew!

I’m not normally a marketer’s dream – I’m always solidly sceptical about these types of claims – but I decided to give them a go. I bought one for my kitchen and one for my bathroom, and away I went. I’ve been using them for years now. So, here’s exactly what I thought of them and how they got on cleaning my home:

What Are eCloths?

eCloths are quite the revolution in ‘chemical-free’ cleaning. I use that term loosely, in that water is a chemical, of course. What I mean is that you don’t need any harsh cleaning products.

The eCloth is a microfibre cloth that you reuse to clean pretty much every corner of your home. All you need to clean is a cloth and some water. That’s it! No cleaning products (natural or otherwise) are required, making it great for allergy sufferers. Just wet your cloth, and off you go.

How Much Do They Cost?

Single eCloths start from around £3.40, which is quite a bargain when you factor in the fact that you don’t need to buy any cleaning products whatsoever! Imagine all that money and cleaning product packaging you will save on!

Whilst I picked up my initial cloth up locally, I’ve since bought a couple more online at both Lakeland and Big Green Smile.

What I love is that eCloths come packaged in cardboard packaging for easy recycling. There’s no plastic waste to dispose of.

Do eCloths Really Work?

Of course, there’s the question of whether eCloths really work or not. This is a valid point – you might be wondering how they work and how they can clean using only water.

Well, eCloths are made of millions of fibres that trap and absorb minute particles, dirt, and grease. I’ve found they work great in my kitchen – particularly on worktops and on stainless steel surfaces, such as my hob, kettle, and toaster. They’re perfect for smear-free cleaning.

In between wipes, just rinse the cloth in water and then carry on cleaning. I don’t wash the cloth every day, maybe two or three times a week, depending on how it’s been used.

In my bathroom, I can clean everything to a spotless finish. I start on the sink, followed by the bath, tiles, and then finish by wiping down the toilet. I then wash my eCloth after every bathroom clean. What I love is how everything is sparkling clean, without smears, and without a chemical fug of smells.

I would therefore say, yes, eCloths do really work! Believe the hype!

Are They Really Reusable?

Yup. When your cloths are dirty, just pop them in the washing machine!

I often wash my towels at 60°C (it’s not good for your washing machine to always wash at low temperatures). So I just pop the eCloths in with the towels with my regular detergent and my natural homemade fabric conditioner (don’t use regular fabric conditioner). They come out all clean again, ready for the next round of cleaning.

You can even boil wash them if you want to give them a really good clean, or just wash them at 30°C. The eCloths are all different colours, according to their function. Plus, they have a little label sewn into them, reminding you which cloth is which (my favourite feature). This means there’s no chance of mixing up your kitchen cloth with your bathroom cloth.

What About Bacteria?

Do eCloths really kill bacteria? Not necessarily. As well as removing dirt and grease, eCloth says the microfibres remove 99% of all bacteria. Notice the word ‘remove’. What this means is that the microfibres simply lift bacteria from your hard surfaces and trap them in the fibres. When you rinse the cloth, this washes the bacteria down the sink.

eCloths also say that all the main eCloths have been rigorously tested by Silliker – an internationally recognised microbiology laboratory. Here, all tests have been shown to remove over 99% of bacteria, including E. Coli, Listeria, and Aspergillus.

Tests also showed that, after a brief rinse in water, only 0.01% of bacteria are reintroduced to a surface. Additionally, because the cloths do not leave any residue on the cleaned surface, there is nothing left behind to encourage the development of bacteria. So far, we’ve not been sick with food poisoning or similar, so I have to concur.

How Long Do eCloths Last?

eCloths are guaranteed for 300 washes, which is a whole lot of cleaning! At the end of their lifespan, because they are just fabric, they can be recycled at textile banks. Whether that means they will actually get recycled is a bit more opaque, but that’s more down to the sheer volume of fast fashion items being discarded each year than an eCloth-specific issue.

How Eco-Friendly Are eCloths?

Finally, it’s important to consider just how eco-friendly and sustainable these types of cloths are.

I’ve been pondering this A LOT, and the conclusion I’ve come to is that it all depends on how you currently clean your home.

If you make your own cleaning products or use refill cleaning products, it may be more sustainable to keep doing what you are doing, without buying an eCloth. This is because eCloths are made from synthetic fibres – so they are made from fossil fuels – and can shed microplastics when washed.

However, if you buy lots of conventional cleaning products and/or rely on disposable cleaning wipes, then eCloths definitely make more environmental sense.

They cut the need for chemical sprays, and reduce your plastic bottle usage. And because they can be washed and reused hundreds of times, they generate far less waste than single-use cleaning wipes (which can also be made from plastic).

However, to help with the microplastic problem, I would recommend washing them in a microplastic catcher, such as a Guppyfriend (available at Ethical Superstore).

Final Thoughts

I have to say that I am impressed. eCloths really do work. They get my surfaces clean, without any additional chemicals, and are incredibly durable. I dislike that they are made of plastic, but when I consider how many plastic bottles they can save, there are huge plastic savings to be made.