# How to keep up with the dust and dirt



## ArabianNights

I am wondering whether anyone has any magical potion that they can recommend, or if they know what locals do about this problem. Everything gets covered in dust, in my apartment here. Even my books had dust all over them - I just wiped a bit of tissue over the cover and the result was black muck. I wear separate flip flops for the house and always take my shoes off by the door. But my house slippers still accumulate dust and dirt, which then spreads throughout the house as I walk around - how?  today I spent the afternoon wiping my tiled living room floor and I washed my flips slops front and back. 2 minutes later, the tiled floor was again full of street-dirt! I hadn't even left the house! I dont get it, what am I doing wrong? How the flippin' 'ell do I get rid of this dirt? You dont really notice it, until you scrape a bit of tissue over a surface or touch something. Every little thing gets covered. Is there something that I can buy to spray my house with - like a dust/dirt repellent or something? I cant spend all my time cleaning endlessly, its really becoming a chore


----------



## Moe599

Great magic trick. Do like I do. Don't open your windows. Haven't had to dust in 3 weeks.

Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


----------



## ArabianNights

Moe599 said:


> Great magic trick. Do like I do. Don't open your windows. Haven't had to dust in 3 weeks.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


Yeah the first thing I did this morning, when I realized how much dust I had in my apartment, is close the windows... but the dust still came back! 

I have one or two windows that have this mesh thingy on it. Does that trap dirt from entering? I.e is it safe to keep those open? I need to circulate "fresh air" (I know, maybe not so 'fresh' in Egypt ) into my apartment every now and again.


----------



## iCaesar

Moe599 said:


> Great magic trick. Do like I do. Don't open your windows. Haven't had to dust in 3 weeks.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


Or stop sweeping and give up


----------



## ArabianNights

iCaesar said:


> Or stop sweeping and give up


Man I really miss my vaccuum cleaner. I never thought id ever say that, but I do


----------



## iCaesar

ArabianNights said:


> Man I really miss my vaccuum cleaner. I never thought id ever say that, but I do


I dont , I gave up


----------



## ArabianNights

iCaesar said:


> I dont , I gave up


Well as it happens, your Egyptian so maybe that's why. So suck it up dude


----------



## iCaesar

haha yea , Egyptian and male , Sweeping and cleaning isnt my thing


----------



## Helen Ellis

Keep windows closed when possible or close voile curtains if you need the windows open, use a vacuum cleaner, get a Super Mop, use a damp microfibre cloth for dusting/cleaning. Keep your a/c filters clean. Then accept the dust.


----------



## Sonrisa

I have asked Santa to get me one of those sucker robotic thingies that runs around the flat hoveering all day long (or for as long as you program them for). 
Wondering if you can get them in Egypt, or I'll have to fly Santa to Europe to get me one?


----------



## MaidenScotland

ArabianNights said:


> I am wondering whether anyone has any magical potion that they can recommend, or if they know what locals do about this problem. Everything gets covered in dust, in my apartment here. Even my books had dust all over them - I just wiped a bit of tissue over the cover and the result was black muck. I wear separate flip flops for the house and always take my shoes off by the door. But my house slippers still accumulate dust and dirt, which then spreads throughout the house as I walk around - how?  today I spent the afternoon wiping my tiled living room floor and I washed my flips slops front and back. 2 minutes later, the tiled floor was again full of street-dirt! I hadn't even left the house! I dont get it, what am I doing wrong? How the flippin' 'ell do I get rid of this dirt? You dont really notice it, until you scrape a bit of tissue over a surface or touch something. Every little thing gets covered. Is there something that I can buy to spray my house with - like a dust/dirt repellent or something? I cant spend all my time cleaning endlessly, its really becoming a chore




:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


----------



## Gounie

Well if it's muck then you must live in Cairo? I live on the windy and very dusty Red Sea Coast. The wind pushes the sand even round the panes of glass in the windows. I have stuck insulating tape all aroud the window frames and doors which helps a little. The mossie netting just sieves the sand before it comes in! I had a pair of those white airline slippers which I used to wear around the apartment. When I took them to Cairo they turned black on the bottom which must be all the horrible pollution. Someone told me not to bother with a vacuum cleaner as the dust just blows straight through. For six years I just swept everywhere. Then I bought a vacuum cleaner. Wish I'd bought one six years before!! And with two cats that have been moulting since the spring and haven't stopped yet it is a full time job. Thank goodness I just have a small apartment and not a big villa


----------



## aykalam

In Cairo there's no way of keeping the dust out, even with double glazing and properly fitting window frames. 

Best solution if you can afford it: pay someone to do the cleaning for you


----------



## canuck2010

I seal most of my windows off with weather tape so they are air tight. It works.


----------



## hurghadapat

ArabianNights said:


> Yeah the first thing I did this morning, when I realized how much dust I had in my apartment, is close the windows... but the dust still came back!
> 
> I have one or two windows that have this mesh thingy on it. Does that trap dirt from entering? I.e is it safe to keep those open? I need to circulate "fresh air" (I know, maybe not so 'fresh' in Egypt ) into my apartment every now and again.


Those "meshy things" are your mosquito nets so need to be kept closed otherwise you will be eaten alive....but unfortunately this is one of the joys of living in egypt where you are surrounded by desert and the sand gets everywhere....and just wait until you have a sandstorm


----------



## afrowoman

Short answer: you can't, dust will invariably get in no matter what you do.

Long answer: invest in a vacuum cleaner and keep your windows closed, and as a previous poster said keep your aircon filters clean. Leave your shoes at the door and keep a pair of slippers or flipflops by the door for when you get home to change into immediately.


----------



## MaidenScotland

I never brush the floors, I always wash with cold water to lift the dust then with clean hot water to clean.. or at least the maid does


----------



## Lanason

MaidenScotland said:


> Ior at least the maid does


:lie: I bet you clean as well :clap2:


----------



## MaidenScotland

Lanason said:


> :lie: I bet you clean as well :clap2:




Yes Adrian I do, I have even done my own ironing at times


----------



## Lanason

MaidenScotland said:


> Yes Adrian I do, I have even done my own ironing at times


Really :jaw:

I wouldn't have gone that far


----------



## Sonrisa

Sonrisa said:


> I have asked Santa to get me one of those sucker robotic thingies that runs around the flat hoveering all day long (or for as long as you program them for).
> Wondering if you can get them in Egypt, or I'll have to fly Santa to Europe to get me one?


Answering my own question...You can get them in Egypt! Just saw them St. 9 Maadi - for 5000LE  (and got a pic to prove it) 
I havent been good enough, so thats going to be a nono for Santa, a Maid works out cheaper.


----------



## Whitedesert

I keep the windows shut, and run the fan on the aircons, cleaning the filters weekly. That is phase 1. Have a philipino maid who comes in twice a week to clean floors and all surfaces, even inside cupboards because the "stuff" gets in there too. Have one of those vacuum cleaners that works with water, not just a airbag, that helps too. The water is actually black after she is finished every single time! Good idea to have inside shoes, dont wear the ones inside that you wear outside. We keep a shoe rack at the front door, South East Asian style, from my days in KL. Thats it! after that "Galas", you just live with whats left.


----------



## marenostrum

you can buy some wind stop seasl you can put around your windows. They are adhesive very easy to install.
imho it has made a difference.


----------



## redfoxleo

Moe599 said:


> Great magic trick. Do like I do. Don't open your windows. Haven't had to dust in 3 weeks.
> 
> Sent from my Nokia N8 using ExpatForum


Over time u will get used to it, Just close all windows, people over here never notice that, because they are used to that, that is why they don't live over 60.


----------



## ChrisOld

Copied post


----------



## Alejandra

ArabianNights said:


> Yeah the first thing I did this morning, when I realized how much dust I had in my apartment, is close the windows... but the dust still came back!
> 
> I have one or two windows that have this mesh thingy on it. Does that trap dirt from entering? I.e is it safe to keep those open? I need to circulate "fresh air" (I know, maybe not so 'fresh' in Egypt ) into my apartment every now and again.


You are right! There is NOT fresh air in Egypt, and it is safer to keep the windows closed! I have many allergies, so the doctor advice me to tape the windows inside the house closing all the gaps between the frames and doors, also I put some foam tape in the door frames, and I did not have any more respiratory problems during the 4 years that I lived in Egypt! Good luck :ranger:


----------



## Peter Mitry

*Dust & Dirt*



ArabianNights said:


> I am wondering whether anyone has any magical potion that they can recommend, or if they know what locals do about this problem. Everything gets covered in dust, in my apartment here. Even my books had dust all over them - I just wiped a bit of tissue over the cover and the result was black muck. I wear separate flip flops for the house and always take my shoes off by the door. But my house slippers still accumulate dust and dirt, which then spreads throughout the house as I walk around - how?  today I spent the afternoon wiping my tiled living room floor and I washed my flips slops front and back. 2 minutes later, the tiled floor was again full of street-dirt! I hadn't even left the house! I dont get it, what am I doing wrong? How the flippin' 'ell do I get rid of this dirt? You dont really notice it, until you scrape a bit of tissue over a surface or touch something. Every little thing gets covered. Is there something that I can buy to spray my house with - like a dust/dirt repellent or something? I cant spend all my time cleaning endlessly, its really becoming a chore


Try double glazing and draft excluder. double glazing is not just about keeping cold out, it also keeps, noise and dust out. Its expensive here because nobody uses it; must be a business idea for someone?


----------



## Whitedesert

Peter Mitry said:


> Try double glazing and draft excluder. double glazing is not just about keeping cold out, it also keeps, noise and dust out. Its expensive here because nobody uses it; must be a business idea for someone?


you have to be kidding. 8 years ago, when you looked for an apartment you were asked if you wanted one with windows. We have progressed to windows, well, for most ex-pats anyway, but double glazing! I want to see that happen.


----------



## MaidenScotland

I have double glazing in my office


----------



## Whitedesert

MaidenScotland said:


> I have double glazing in my office


Only saw that in the USAid building in Maadi, but then the outer walls were rocket proof too


----------



## aykalam

Whitedesert said:


> you have to be kidding. 8 years ago, when you looked for an apartment you were asked if you wanted one with windows. We have progressed to windows, well, for most ex-pats anyway, but double glazing! I want to see that happen.


I had double glazing in my previous place here in Cairo, which had been installed years ago by the last owner. It is not cheap but I guess that's because it's all imported. Or do they actually manufacture it here? :confused2:


----------



## MaidenScotland

Whitedesert said:


> you have to be kidding. 8 years ago, when you looked for an apartment you were asked if you wanted one with windows. We have progressed to windows, well, for most ex-pats anyway, but double glazing! I want to see that happen.


No idea where you were looking but I am sure we have had windows for more than 8 years


----------



## Peter Mitry

MaidenScotland said:


> No idea where you were looking but I am sure we have had windows for more than 8 years


Depends where you look; there are still plenty of 'Egyptian Finish' properties around which are just shells with no windows, no doors, no tiles or plaster so that you can finish them yourself.


----------



## MaidenScotland

Peter Mitry said:


> Depends where you look; there are still plenty of 'Egyptian Finish' properties around which are just shells with no windows, no doors, no tiles or plaster so that you can finish them yourself.


Of course there are but that was not how I read it given we were talking about double glazing.


----------



## wordsmithy

The robot thingies are available in Radio Shack. I saw one in the store in City Stars a week ago.


----------

