Why does it feel impossible to keep my apartment clean in uptown?

Posted by Different_Pain5781@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 30 comments

I live in Uptown in a tiny 1 bedroom and swear I spend more time cleaning than actually living. Between work, the humidity and the dust that seems to appear out of nowhere, I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle. Even after vacuuming, mopping and wiping down every surface, the next day my floor has crumbs and dust on literally everything.

Anyone else in Dallas dealing with this?

Does it get easier or am I just cursed by Uptown living? I’m desperate for real advice here.

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baggedBoneParcel@reddit

Build a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsi%E2%80%93Rosenthal_Box or two. These move a huge amount of air and can cut down on dust.

Air purifiers don't really help all that much with dust they don't move enough air and dust particles are too heavy.

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Obsidianrunner@reddit

Dust is made up of fine particles of solid matter, including dead skin cells, soil, pollen, pet dander, and tiny fibers from fabrics. Unfortunately, there will always be dust where there are people.

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xxxmarshiexxx@reddit

Try some dehumidifiers. I get the disposal ones from walmart, put them in my closer/bathroom and it controls the humidity pretty good. Highly recommend if you have a bathroom with 0 windows and a closet connected to your bathroom since the humidity can cause mold on your clothes and shoes.

The dust and stuff could be from all the pollen recently. I’m in design district and the past week everything on my balcony has had layers of pollen on it. Been wiling down a lot of my outdoor balcony things because they’ve been turning orange/yellow from all the pollen.

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dallasuptowner@reddit

Check the MERV rating of your air filter, if your apartment building is putting it in, they are probably putting the cheapest ones they can get.

I started buying MERV13 filters a few years ago and it made a huge difference for our allergies and general dust.

They can restrict airflow, MERV13 might be a bit too much for your HVAC but it's probably fine.

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IEatLightBulbsSoWhat@reddit

crumbs? i don’t think that had anything to do with your geography

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mineraloil@reddit

Crumbs are all you 😂😂

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Ill_Primary_7203@reddit

Lol seriously I thought this was satire

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kelseyhart24@reddit

I toured a few MAA Katy Trail units in 2022 that were filthy upon arrival, including the bathtub had brown dust I swiped with my finger. I told the leasing agent I wouldn’t be signing and I wrote a fair review online.

Once Uptown, always Uptown.

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LightLeader1234@reddit

The seals around your windows may be old. You might want to hold a candle to your window frames - maybe start with your bedroom and move the lit candle around the edges of the windows. If the flame bends, there’s an air leak. There are simple, inexpensive solutions to seal gaps.

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New-Texan2020@reddit

The spring time in north Texas has pollen in the air everywhere and every day. Also, dust from west Texas blows into DFW. Not much you can do but continue cleaning daily

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msondo@reddit

Cheap floors? I feel like laminate always feels dirty after a few hours. Real materials like proper hardwood and tile don’t feel dirty immediately.

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Different_Pain5781@reddit (OP)

Yeah that makes sense. I think my floors are laminate too… maybe that’s part of why it feels like I’m cleaning nonstop. Do you have hardwood or tile?

Does it really stay clean longer?

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msondo@reddit

I think those materials are actually a bit porous and this the dust has places to hide until you sweep it up

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MrTacocaT12345@reddit

Get a robot vacuum and run it daily. This is life-changing

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AdHour943@reddit

They have come along ways in the last 3 years or so.

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MrTacocaT12345@reddit

Yes I run my Roborock Qrevo Edge every 1-2 days. I have not had to mop or sweep in 4 months. It works better on floors than carpets though.

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klamaire@reddit

Robot vacuum, a good air filter, and clean/dust from top to bottom. Clean your ceiling fan before you dust your furniture, for example.

This content creator does a good job of covering how to keep your house clean. Organized Chaos https://youtube.com/shorts/ZnlfyimnBAE?si=MKcYGjItiuA2G8h9

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klamaire@reddit

She puts out a lot of religious content. Enjoy or ignore as desired. :)

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DigitalArbitrage@reddit

This could mean the HVAC ducts in your apartment need to be cleaned.

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UnoMaconheiro@reddit

Uptown is kinda wild with construction literally everywhere and a lot of those old buildings have the worst HVAC. That dust isn’t you being messy it’s like just coming in through vents and windows all the time.

Change your AC filter more often like every month instead of every few months. Throw a little air purifier in your bedroom or wherever you actually sleep. And ngl stop trying to deep clean everything every single day. You’ll just burn yourself out and it barely even helps.

Some folks just do biweekly cleaning instead of killing themselves over it. Modern Maids and The Maids do apartment stuff in Dallas too. They’ve got the big vacs that actually pull the dust up instead of just moving it around.

Oh and yeah the humidity here is brutal. A tiny dehumidifier can actually make a difference if your place is over 60 percent inside.

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Regular-Sorbet9513@reddit

Yeah air purifiers are your friend here

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SnowJiu13@reddit

Over a decade ago i lived at the thomas manchester and this was a big problem

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Dallas2houston120@reddit

HEPA air purifier and a small robot vacuum that runs daily will change your life.

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Special-Steel@reddit

This

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junglist_xpedition@reddit

As mentioned, air filter regularly. I like to do them every third week. And a 10 minute vacuuming every evening when I get home, whether it needs it or not... Also a hand duster is super cheap and takes a total of 5 minutes. Probably half that in a studio...

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Different_Pain5781@reddit (OP)

Haha yes I feel you. It’s like I clean leave for five minutes and boom crumbs everywhere again. I don’t know if it’s the humidity or what but it’s maddening.