Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dirty

RelationshipFilter: How do you tell a new boyfriend that you think his apartment is dirty

Muffy — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:12:14 -0800

How do you complain about something in a way that's not a put down? I have been dating this guy for a month. Overall things are going well, but I have been to his apartment and think it needs a clean. I'm no neat freak, and on the whole the apartment is tidy enough, but it's pretty grubby and needs a good clean. But how do you bring this up with a new partner without them feeling judged as a lesser human being? One friend suggested I try to make light of it, like a clean apartment is my own psychosis, and this is more about my own preference than about a problem he has. Suggestions?

Are there dirty tricks?

gadha — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:48:15 -0800

Is it true about dirty tricks being played in the US elections? Watching the US election on the BBC last night one interviewed woman was talking about how in some areas leaflets were being distributed saying that republicans vote on the day of the election and democrats the day after, and in others signs that if you had an outstanding warrant you could get arrested there.

Is this sort of thing true? If so who does it and why isn't it being stopped?

Need an hour of trippy video, stat!

stenseng — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:44:21 -0800

Help! I have five-ish hours to locate, download, and burn some source of psychedelic imagery/video for a friends' show in Seattle. Think Electric Sheep, only less screensaver, more burnable to dvd. I'm looking for about an hour of trippy colors/shapes/textures to burn to a dvd, to be projected behind a live show. If I *have* to, I'll bring my laptop and run Electric Sheep on screensaver, but I'd like to eliminate the element of chance computer malfunction/lack of vga input/etc. etc. that happens at a live venue. Anyone know where I can download fairly hi-res trippiness on the quick?

Dirty laser printer!

dance — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:43:02 -0800

My HP1200 Laserjet has begun producing very unsatisfactory output - the text is repeated (faded) down the page and there are black marks at regular intervals at the side of the page and at the top. I've tried looking into this via Google and on HP's website but can't find a similar description of my problem. I would love the solution to be as simple as buying a new toner cartridge - but is it? Can anyone shed any light? Thanks

Make plastic look new?

ooklala — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:21:23 -0800

How can I clean the plastic of a cellphone that has become matte again without ruining it? On my phone the place where your ear goes, and the keys are now shiny from ear oil and fingerprint oil/sweat. I personally make sure that my hands are not greasy from other things when I touch the phone and have had it for only a few months. What can I do to stop this shininess problem?
Also, does my obsession of never ever having hands that are the least bit greasy (from things like french fries, etc) touch my phone actually doing anything? Will the grease just "wash out" or does it harm the plastic? If the oil does not do it, what does?

What do our cat's paws suddenly look dirty?

iknowizbirfmark — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:41:54 -0800

Our orange tabby's fur looks a little dark and dirty in a few spots around his paws and claws, but he keeps himself clean and no the dirt doesn't show or come off when we wipe him with a wet paper towel. What gives? My girlfriend recently moved in with me and my dogs, and now Tabby's paws look dirty, but it's almost like his fur is changing color in a few spots. He might be digging in the (cat safe) plants, but it doesn't really seem like his paws or claws have dirt in them or on them, so we don't think that's it. Could this be a medical condition? Could it be related to the three dogs he lives with now? Something else about my apartment? Is he in danger? Is this a "go to a vet, OMG!" situation? What the hell is going on?

how do you keep fingernails clean?

krautland — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:47:14 -0800

how do you keep fingernails clean? since I've relocated to london, I can't keep my fingernails clean any longer. I'm not quite sure what to blame, perhaps it's that nasty ink they use on newspapers here, perhaps I should keep my fingers out of certain dark spots. alas, suddenly they're dirty a couple hours after having left my house with them pristine, clean, nice, washed.

I'm a guy and I keep my fingernails relatively short, yet I see people with considerably longer nails have no problems with dirt all day long and into the night. so what's the trick? do other people dash into closets with files and scissors every couple of hours? or how do they do it?

Not clean, not yet dirty

bookish — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:33:45 -0800

I don't normally wash my clothes after each wearing. I'm lazy/cheap and I hate wastefulness. But I also don't like to fold them up and put them back in the drawer, because even a little smell or dust will negatively effect the surrounding clean clothes. Both my boyfriend and I do this, and we do not have a good place to put these limbo clothes in our apartment. Where/how do we store our not clean, not dirty clothes?

Why aren't public restrooms cleaned better?

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:30:35 -0800

Why aren't public restrooms cleaned better? I'm talking about the walls, visible plumbing on urinals, toilet seats, etc.

I'm generally speaking about bathrooms in fairly large big-box type places (Wal-mart, etc) or in what you would refer to as a "public building" such as a library or a school.
A few things I notice often in these restrooms is:

- a drain in the floor
- tiled walls up to maybe 5-6 feet high
- materials such as steel, plastic, tile

Why not just spray everything down with a hose, grab a long-handled brush with soap and scrub everything down, then rinse it all into the floor drain?

This seems like a more efficient option assuming the cost of water and soap isn't going overboard and that anything that gets wet won't rust or become ruined. Wouldn't an employee/janitor/custodian prefer this method than to put on gloves and liberally wipe everything down?

How do I clean a filthy pile of everyday American coins?

sidereal — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:30:40 -0800

How do I clean a filthy pile of everyday American coins? Nota Bene: These are NOT collector coins.

I have a pile of American coins - pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters - that have accumulated in my car in a place under the dashboard where you toss things (I'm sorry, I don't know how else to describe it.)

They have accumulated over many months, and the copper pennies are a bit oxidized, and the rest of the lot are gummy from spilled drinks (colas, coffee) and the vagaries of heat, cold and humidity.

It's not a lot of cash, but I can't tender them at any reputable place without offending anyone due to their filthiness, and I can't put them in machines, they'll gum up the whole works. It would be silly to throw them away, but they just aren't usable at this point.

My web searches turn up a lot of useful information about cleaning precious or collectible coins, which is not helpful. (Actually, the advice on those is DON'T, you'll ruin their value.)

Is there a simple way to launder (ha ha) this money without resorting to Aqua Regia, or scrubbing each and every one individually? Some magic combination of vinegar, ammonia and shoe polish in a Crock Pot or something?

Extra points for telling me what that place under the dashboard where you toss things is called. Also tell me if there's a better category for this other than "grab bag", kthxbai

What options exist for confronting dirty in-laws?

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:32:51 -0800

Do you have any advice on how to handle filthy, filthy in-laws? Here's the super-condensed version-

Parents-in-law are filthy people living in a filthy house. No hyperbole here. There is animal urine and feces ground into the carpet in every room in the house. I've heard that there's mold growing in most of the house and they suffer from constant respiratory infections. (neither my wife nor I have stepped foot in the house in five years - we don't want to expose our daughter to the nastiness) Plus, they're hoarders, both of useless stuff and animals. Seriously, fire is the only way to clean their house at this point.

I don't just say this as a son-in-law either; my wife and her older sister agree on this point. They are in the process of talking with the younger siblings in order to form a consensus on what to do about the situation.

My question is, what can be done? Once the kids all agree that something needs to be done the options are confronting their parents and... what? Call the county? Have the house condemned? Call mental services? Sadly, just saying, "your house is dirty and needs to be cleaned," won't be enough, as there may be mental stability issues, and direct confrontation is likely to drive the parents deeper into their downward spiral. They're likely going to have to bring the force of law to bear, so what are the options? What services exist for this situation?

Dirty Jokes for Grandma

sciurus — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:52:42 -0800

What are some good, somewhat dirty jokes suitable for telling to my Grandma? I'm not looking for Aristocrats-type jokes, just slightly dirty things.

My grandma really likes dirty jokes, used to watch Springer regularly, but she's also the kind of grandma who uses words like Davenport and always acts proper in public. After a vodka or two she lets loose a bit and likes hearing a dirty joke to two.

Once again, nothing really CRUDE, so much as naughty.

Thanks!

Shouldn't you be able to see the bottom?

TrashyRambo — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 20:02:45 -0800

How can I stop myself getting skin / ear / eye / anything infections after swimming in a dirty pool? I went swimming in an (expensive gym) pool today. There were loads of kids in the water and it looked murky, with stuff floating in the water and scattered on the bottom. It didn't seem very chlorinated.

I didn't stay long. I got out and showered. When I got home my skin was itching in patches, my eyes were stinging and my left ear felt vaguely tight. I've had another shower with plenty of soap and flushed my eyes with drops, but no improvement. What can I do now to avoid the lurgy?

Clean my fridge - I need beer

cleve9 — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 21:02:35 -0800

Dirty, gross refrigerator in garage. A bit of mold inside and lots of black stuff filling every crevice. Mechanically sound, but is it possible to get it clean enough to use again? We recently bought a house that came with an old refrigerator in the garage. I've always wanted a "beer fridge" but was sadly disappointed when I opened the door and got hit with a nasty smell and saw a few things growing inside. How do you clean something like this? Is it worth it or should I just get rid of it?

What's up with the drummer's dirty shoes? (Some songwriters get laaaazzyyyy...)

hutta — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 23:46:58 -0800

Joe Jackson's The Band Wore Blue Shirts - The drummer's shoes are dirty... In the song, there are the following lines: "Me and the bass guitarist / Have even shined our shoes / The drummer's shoes are dirty...[something something]"

The internet lyric sites say "the drummer's shoes are dirty to confuse," but I don't fully trust them. I can force my ear to hear that, but it doesn't make a lot of sense unless he's just trying to force a quirky rhyme for "shoes." Can someone confirm this?

At first, I heard "the drummer's shoes are dirty with two kinds of fluids." That makes me smile, but after listening more carefully, it can't possibly be right.

Big dust bunnies in Toronto

typewriter — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 21:15:44 -0800

Can anyone recommend a a good non-agency house cleaner in Toronto? (Also bonus points: out of curiousity, does anyone know the maid service that Globe and Mail reporter Jan Wong worked for in her series, "Maid for a Month"? Okay, I'm mostly over my lefty guilt over needing/wanting someone to clean my house. But it's time. And guess what? I don't have time. Deadlines left and right, dusty house and Japanese students on their way to stay with me. Don't want to cause an international incident with my dirty house. I've read the other threads about maids etc. but would like a good recommendation preferably with references in Toronto. I'm not rich, but know I probably need to pay for a decent job. Thanks.

You're a dirty robot.

kuperman — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 13:30:18 -0800

On the topic of songs with robots and warped vocals, I seem to remember a video of Bender from Futurama to the tune of "Dirty Robot" by Arling & Cameron (from their "We Are A&C" album). Did I just dream this or did it really exist? If so, where? Bonus points for providing a link to media.

How can I clean a dirty pasta maker?

teem — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 19:42:54 -0800

What is the best way to go about cleaning a very dirty pasta maker? I bought an Atlas Marcato at a very reduced price because it had been sitting on the display shelf of a supermarket's deli section (along with the other props they use to make it look like a cosy little Italian grocer). It is in great structural shape, and there is no rust or corrosion to be seen, but it is covered in grease. What would be the best way to clean this thing up?

It says here strictly not to wash with water. I'm trying to understand why. If it's to prevent rusting, would thoroughly drying it be enough to combat rust? Or is there something inherently damaging about the machine contacting water?

What cleaning methods would be fine to try, and what should I definitely not do?

Looking for links to the story/photos of the incredibly messy, disgusting house.

daver — Wed, 20 Oct 2004 09:36:39 -0800

LostLink: Looking for links to the story/photos of the incredibly messy, disgusting house. I believe it was a metafilter link, but I've had zero luck finding it here or googling it... Here's what I remember: The link was to a bulletin-board style forum where somebody had posted 8-9 photos of the house he and his mother lived it. It was totally, completley trashed, with things piled high in every avaliable space. It's not this link or this one . THe mother may have been an ebay addict. Anybody recall where this would have been?

What's the best heavy-duty bathtub cleaner?

grumblebee — Tue, 19 Oct 2004 05:32:36 -0800

I have to use a disgusting bathtub. I refuse to use it without cleaning it first. But the task looks daunting. What's the best heavy-duty bathtub cleaner? I'd also be grateful for any cleaning tips.

How do I make digital music sound more lo-fi?

Jimbob — Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:01:42 -0800

I'm after tips for processing audio to "dirty it up" - techniques and software [more inside]. I've been having fun producing music on my PC for years, but it's always disturbed me that everything I produce sounds so clean, electronic and tight, even if I try to add some human variation to the beats and melodies, and try various effects like tube distortion etc.

Does anyone have any tips on how to "dirtify" loops (ie. exported from Fruity Loops or similar software) to make them sound older, more natural, muffled, like they've come off vinyl or tape, rather than been digitally rendered? I'm trying to put together some beats for an MC friend, but they're sounding too "electro" and not very "old school". I guess I'm looking, really, to make music that sounds sampled even though it's original.

So, any ideas of VST plugins / software / methods in Cool Edit / hardware-based techniques to chill out my beats?