Norwex: Can you clean up with this eco-friendly MLM? [Review]

Clean up the world is a priority for more and more people…

Which puts Norwex in the right place at the right time.

Norwex is a Norwegian eco-friendly MLM founded in 1994 that specializes in green and organic products.

The timing was impeccable for this company — they entered the market for chemical-free cleaning products in the mid-90s, during the revival of bohemian, bell-bottom-wearing hippies and the birth of the movement for all-natural, organic products.

Competing against industry giants like Nuriche, Essante, and ID Life, they’re in a tough market of organic MLMs, but they’ve only grown in popularity.

Should you get involved? Keep reading to find out.

FAQ

1. What does Norwex sell? Organic, environmentally-friendly cleaning and personal care.

2. What are Norwex’s most popular products? Norwex’s laundry detergent is a highly concentrated powder that contains biodegradable surfactants and no phosphates or fillers.  Their EnviroCloth removes 99% of bacteria from a surface with no need for harmful chemicals. For dry dusting, it creates static electricity that lifts even the smallest particles of dust and dirt; for heavily soiled areas, it can pick up everything with just water. Their cleaning paste removes rust stains, hard water stains, scuff marks, permanent marker, dirt, grime, and more. They call it “elbow grease in a jar” because you can use it indoors and out to get everything clean with just a few dabs on an EnviroCloth. Many of Norwex Microfiber products contain an antibacterial agent for self-cleaning purposes. Micro silver in the wet cloth goes to work using its self-purification properties against mold, fungi, and bacterial odor.

3. How much does it cost to join Norwex? The website says you can join for free. Here’s what they mean by that: You’ll pay $9.99 for your Starter Kit’s shipping and handling fee. If you generate $2,000 retail or more in sales during your first 90 days, it’s yours free. If not, you’ll be charged $200 plus tax for the kit. To remain active, you have to place at least $250 in sales within a three-month calendar cycle. You’ll also pay $9.99 per month for your Consultant Office Plus. Be aware, that 90-day window for selling $2,000 of products starts when you sign up, not when you get the products. It can take 5 to 10 days to get your starter kit.

4. Is Norwex a scam? No, Norwex is a real business with real products that perform as promised. The products are popular and well-received, and with a few exceptions, distributors seem to enjoy their experience. That said, it’s unlikely you’ll make a great living off Norwex alone.

5. What is Norwex’s BBB rating? A+

6. How long has Norwex been in business? Since 1994

7. What is Norwex’s revenue? $50 to $100 million

8. How many Norwex distributors are there? 90,000

9. What lawsuits have been filed? In 2011, Norwex USA and Norwex Enviro Products were sent a cease and desist letter by Sweports, owner of the ‘455 Patent for an antimicrobial ultra-microfiber cloth. They claimed Norwex’s microfiber products infringe on that patent. Norwex demanded a trial by jury of all triable issues, including their assertion that they don’t infringe any claim of the ‘455 Patent, and that the patent is invalid and unenforceable. [1] In 2012, three creditors filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against Sweports. Since the patent infringement case couldn’t move forward, Norwex submitted a motion to dismiss the case. After reviewing the details of Sweports claims, it was found that they didn’t have all substantial rights to the product; therefore, their claim wasn’t valid. In 2013, the case was dismissed without prejudice, and Sweports may re-file its complaint after the bankruptcy proceedings are concluded. [2]

10. Comparable companies: Nefful, Amway

So should you promote them?

Product-wise, these guys are solid. If you’re all about the products, not a bad company to side with.

But business opportunity-wise, there’s better ways to make side income.

Click here for my #1 recommendation

Either way, here’s the full review on Norwex.

Overview

Norwex was founded in 1994 with the goal of providing homes with chemical-free cleaning products. Their mission is “Improving quality of life by radically reducing chemicals in our homes.”

Bjorn Nicolaisen founded the company after discovering a special microfiber cloth that was extremely effective at cleaning his windshield using nothing but water. He developed an entire list of household products that could effectively clean without using any chemicals, and Norwex was born.

Nicolaisen is a former attorney who has worked with the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and the General of Norway, so he knows his stuff. He’s currently still the Chairman of Norwex.

Norwex now has over 90,000 distributors, operates in Norway, Canada, the U.S., Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Australia.

How much does Norwex cost? It costs $200 to join Norwex, and that includes a starter kit with product. The kit can be initially purchased for just shipping and handling. Then, if you can sell $2,000 of product in your first 90 days, you won’t owe any more on it. Of course, if you don’t this the $2k mark, you’ll fork over $200 for it.

Registering for a consultant website, which is pretty much a requirement nowadays, is another $9.99/month.

In order to stay active, you need to sell $250 in product every 3 months. If you become inactive, you’ll be charged a fee to reactivate your account. After 12 months without sales, you’re no longer considered a consultant.

Products

Norwex is known as the chemical-free cleaning product company, although they’ve since expanded to offer personal care products as well.

Their flagship product is the microsilver cloth (also known as EnviroCloth), the special microfiber cleaning cloth that inspired Nicolaisen to start Norwex in the first place. These cloths are made of anti-bacterial fibers that attract dirt, grease, and dust, breaking down grime that would usually require chemicals to break down. The cloth also self-cleanses after 24 hours.

Cleaning and personal care products contain natural, botanical ingredients, replacing harmful chemicals with enzymes.

Production is mostly done at a production facility in China that the company opened in 2009.

For Your Home

These products include kitchen cleaning products, floor cleaning products, “home essentials,” and microfiber cloths.

To give you an idea of pricing, here are some home products:

• EnviroCloth – $17.99 (best seller)
• Ultra Power Plus Laundry Detergent – $24.99 (1kg)
• Cleaning Paste – $29.99
• Dishwashing Liquid – $9.99
• Kitchen Towel & Cloth Set – $27.99
• Produce Wash – $24.99

For Yourself

These products include bath and body care, personal care, and kids products.

To give you an idea of pricing, here are some examples of personal care products:

• Cooling Mint Toothpaste – $15.99
• Natural Deodorant Stick – $15.99
• Organic Olive Oil Salt Scrub – $39.99
• Hand Cream – $14.99
• Bath Mat – $39.99
• 4-in-1 Kids Wash – $19.99

Compensation Plan

This company still relies heavily on the home party model, which is ineffective at best, and a gag-worthy money pit that will cause you to lose all your friends at worst.

You MIGHT be able to recruit a few friends and family members to come to your home party in exchange for food (a la Tastefully Simple) or a free makeover (a la a million and one cosmetics MLMs), but even those are questionable. Reps eventually dry up their “warm market” of friends and family members who are tired of desperate sales pitches.

But getting your friends and family to come to a sales pitch/home party where they get to…watch you clean? Yeah, right. Dream on.

It’s just not a sustainable way to make money.

Even if you do manage to get some decent sales at your home parties, it won’t amount to a lot in profit. But you do get some free/discounted product.

• Sell up to $249.99 in product and you get 8% of your sales in free product.
• Sell $250-$749.99 in product and you get 10% of your sales in free product.
• Sell $750 or more and you get 12% of your sales in free product.

You also get a free window cloth for each party you book.

Consultants earn 35% commission on their personal sales.

Let’s look at an example. Say you manage to get a huge group of people together, and they’re all super stoked about cleaning products and ready to open up those checkbooks. Your pitch is on point, and you make a whopping $1,000 in sales.

Keep in mind how difficult this is to do. Their products range from around $10-$40, so you’d have to sell a LOT of microfiber cloths and dishwashing liquid to hit those numbers. Like 50 products. Even with 10 people, that’s 5 products per person… and it’s not easy to get people to give up their Saturday afternoon to come over and listen to you give a sales pitch, so 10 people is being generous. Not to mention, selling 5 products per person is an unrealistic goal, considering you’re lucky if everyone in attendance buys one product.

But let’s just say you really hit it big this time. $1,000 in sales would net you $350 in commission, $120 in free product, and a free window cloth.

This isn’t bad, but it’s nothing outstanding. If you can replicate this once a week, you’d be earning just above minimum wage. But replicating those kinds of numbers at your home parties on a regular basis isn’t sustainable — ultimately, you run out of friends and family to invite, and people don’t need to buy new dish rags every week.

Like all MLMs, the real money is in your referral commissions. With Norwex, you earn commission on the sales of everyone you recruit, and the people they recruit, and the people they recruit, and so on. The higher you move up in rank, the more levels you unlock in your downline, the more you earn in referral commissions. But recruiting a massive downline and moving up in rank is not easy.

Recap

Their products are generally well-reviewed, and their mission is great. The company has been around for a while and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

However, you’re not going to be making much money (if any) from selling them.

You need to be very skilled in marketing and sales and especially in networking to make real money, as you’re going to need to have a huge group of friends and acquaintances who trust you and would be interested in joining.

Networks dry up fast in this industry. Real fast.

I’ve been involved with network marketing for almost ten years so I know what to look for when you consider a new opportunity.

Norwex is a good company, but I wouldn’t recommend them as a sustainable income opportunity.

After reviewing 200+ business opportunities and systems out there, here is the one I would recommend:

Click here for my #1 recommendation