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OAKVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1, 1999
Business
Trip turned woman into
entrepreneur
Donna
Fisher liked what she saw in the
Tergo Cleaning Cloth, and the word is spreading…
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By
Nancy Alexander
SPECIAL TO THE
BEAVER
Donna Fisher loves a skeptic.
In fact, she and business partner Carol
Elliot thrive on turning the toughest skeptics into true believers.
The two Oakville women use a single tool to work
their magic. It’s called the Tergo Cleaning Cloth.
Looking for all the world like an ordinary dust
cloth, the Tergo cloth is actually created from a state-of-the-art
microfiber, which enables it to clean just about any household surface
with just water.
So, all right, you’re skeptical already. Fisher
and Elliot expect that.
"It does sound too good to be true," confesses
Fisher. "That’s why we tell people they really need to try it out
and put it to the test."
Fisher encountered the cloth for the first time during a trip over
a year ago. She was so impressed she decided to take on the challenge
of spreading the word in Ontario.
Developed in Sweden for the cleaning industry
but relatively new to North America, the cloth’s secret lies in
its thin microfiber, created from a blend of polyester and polyamide
that has been woven to create thousands of individual micro strands
of fabric. It is currently used on a large scale in Europe, even
in hospitals.
Carol Elliot admits she was one of the skeptics
when Fisher came calling at her former employer, the Framing Den.
But watching the cloth go to work, leaving glass lint free and streak
free with nothing but water, she was quickly won over.
"Ninety-nine percent of the people I’ve showed
the cloths to have wanted one, " says Fisher. "I’ve checked back
with almost everyone I’ve sold to and they’re raving about it."
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A big selling feature of the Tergo cloth is that it
promotes environmentally-friendly cleaning by eliminating the need
for household cleaning solvents and paper towels.
Fisher explains that the cloth needs merely to
be dampened with water. During cleaning, dirt is trapped in the fine
strands of microfiber. Its incredible absorbency allows it to hold
up to four times its weight in dirt, grime and liquid. Particles of
dirt, grease and bacteria are absorbed into the cloth, releasing very
little dirt back onto the cleaning surface. As an added bonus, the
cloth leaves surfaces with a streak-free shine without drying. Even
finishes such as mirrors, glass, chrome and stainless steel will shine
without drying.
The cloth is machine washable up to 600 times and
thus can be used for many years.
"I’ve literally changed my cleaning habits,"
says Elliot. "I keep a set of cloths in the kitchen and each
bathroom and it takes so little time to clean and shine everything
that I find myself doing it more frequently."
There are basically two types of cloths, thick
and thin - which can combine to clean everything form eyeglasses and
jewellery to stainless steel and chrome in the kitchen, to windows,
cars, boats and even golf clubs. The thin cloth is recommended for
cleaning surfaces such as windows, glass, mirrors, silver, chrome,
etc., while the thick cloth can be used dry for dusting and polishing
and wet for heavily soiled areas such as boats, floors, kitchen grease,
shower stalls and appliances.
Elliot notes that the cloths are ideal for cottagers
or homeowners on septic systems where the use of chemicals cleaning
products is a concern.
Taking the approach that seeing is believing, Fisher
says the Tergo cloth is an ideal item for a home party where clients
can see the product demonstrated first-hand. She notes that the cloths
are also great for fundraisers.
Anyone interested in selling the product is welcome
to contact Fisher or Elliot. |
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