Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cleaning and dust

Too much dust in apartment

Aanidaani — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:13:24 -0800

Dust, dust, everywhere! I recently moved to a new apartment on the 12th floor of a high rise building in Philadelphia and find that dust accumulates all over everything like crazy. Is there something I can do to slow it down? I generally keep my windows open all day, which I'm sure contributes to my problem. I've looked at a few room air filters, but I don't know about their efficacy--has anyone else had experience with this?

accident involving lots and lots of soot-like dust and my bedroom...

krautland — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:01:04 -0800

accident involving lots and lots of soot-like dust and my bedroom... my landlady has a bunch of guys converting the loftspace below her roof into a proper attic she can store items in. one of them broke through the floor and into my bedroom below. we're talking a big hole here - he actually landed in my bed.

the whole room is covered in 2cm of soot-like fine black dust. it went into all the cupboards and closets. all my clothes are severly blackened. it looks sort of what you'd imagine the inside of a chimney to be like and the stuff it itchy and makes me cough.

if you have dealt with this kind of problem before, would you mind giving me some basic info on what to do? I'm not talking financial issues here, obviously that needs to be worked out but my questions at this point are more basic:

how do I clean that kind of mess thoroughly?
are all my clothes ruined or can I get that stuff out?
is this something dangerous beyond just a hassle or nothing to be too worried about?
I'm also not sure what to ask her to do before I go back and sleep in there again. the mattress is covered, the sheets are ruined, do we need professionals to clean this or how do I do it?

one more thing on the soot: I washed my hands four times now and I still feel it all over them. this stuff does not go away easily.

Which air sterilisers/purifiers work?

rose selavy — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:02:50 -0800

Do you use an air steriliser or purifier? Does it work? Tell me about it please. I've just moved house and it has become very clear that the previous occupants actually never cleaned the place. At all. (I found a bus ticket from 1951 in the skirting board!) There's dust and grime everywhere, and as much as I've been scrubbing away, it's an old house so I know more is lurking in the exposed floorboards, the old furniture etc, and when I wake up, I find I have a really bad sinus headache and a sore throat. The air is always full of dust and it settles everywhere.

So I'm thinking of getting an air purifier. These AirFree sterilisers caught my attention because they have no fan or filter - so are presumably quiet and easy to maintain. But they're pricey. Can anyone offer personal experience with these, or recommendations with purifiers in general? I've heard HEPA purifiers are good, but are they noisy? And if you live in London like me, where did you get yours?

Dust Buster?

aspenbaloo — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:32:14 -0800

Has anyone paid to have their air ducts cleaned? We've got quite a bit of dust in the house and are considering having someone come and suck all the dust and debris from our air ducts. If you've had this done how much did it cost and did it help with air quality and dust in the house?

Out, out, damn dust!

minervous — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 15:48:14 -0800

City dwellers! How do you dust? I live in New York City, but I assume this issue can be found in any big, dirty city.

I'm the tidy sort, and I generally dust and vacuum and clean 3-4 times a month. But the dust that accumulates in my apartment is a whole other kind of dust than what I'm used to. There is a lot of it, which I expect. But ... it's black. And it's sticky - for example, when I wipe my windowsill with my usual method of damp, clean rag, the dust doesn't get picked up, it's just smears around at most. It takes persistant attacking with cleaner, numerous rags, and sometimes, for goodness' sake, scrubbing. What is this madness?

I've tried Swiffers - no better (and I don't like paying for them). I've tried vacuuming first - not great. And keeping my windows closed is a winter-only option, as I would much rather dust more often than use an air conditioner. I just want a better dusting option.

Any and all help - different materials, home-made ideas, etc - much appreciated. Thanks!

Refresh my sofa

cillit bang — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 23:55:02 -0800

My sofa has been in a cupboard for a while. It stinks of dust. How do I clean it? A couple of weeks ago I dug a sofa out of the back of a storeroom in my flat (no idea how long it had been there). It's clean and in good condition, but it still smells like the back of a dusty cupboard when you get too close. What can I do about this?

This sucks

bilabial — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:40:56 -0800

Why won't my Shark HEPA vacuum roller spin on it's own any more? The last time this happened we fixed it by getting rid of all the people hair that had twisted around the roller, which was at the time keeping it from spinning. Now, it only spins for a few seconds after I flick it into action. Currently, there is no obstruction, on the roller or the little spinner thing that seems to move the roller. The hose seems to suck just fine now that we've cleared the giant hairball/ plastic bag combo that one of my old roommates left for me to find.

The machine makes no ungodly noises, and I've checked out some other AskMe threads, notably this one. I have also not done any upkeep for this machine besides banging out the filter with each use (which I know is counterintuitive with my allergies). It's clearly time to order another Shark brand filter from the internet, but I have to wait for a paycheck on that one.

Because we've lived in this apartment with cats for almost 2 months without using the vacuum, I'd like to take care of this.

All about Electrostatic Cleaning (cloths)

Jack Karaoke — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 17:02:51 -0800

Should I buy a bulk pack of Swiffer electrostatic cleaning cloths, the 3M version, or a washable electrostatic cloth? Or is there a DIY route to charge cloth or other materials? I imagine there is little difference between the Swiffer cloths and 3M products, but wonder if the washable type is really as effective. I can't pretend to understand the principles behind electrostatic dust catching, but it seems like I should be able to charge my own cloths, or even mount a sheet of metal on the wall and wipe it down every so often.

Thoughts, DIY craziness?