[kimba01]

In MI it is snow. Yuck.

[dynimagelv]

I prefer the alkali......dont have to shovel it.

[RedRockAAAA]

Ok ... I got the do not dust jokes, very cute, very funny ... I needed some funny this morning. Got the snow thing and the alkali observation. I will run a test on the humidifiers. If my dry sinus headaches kill me, I will not be back to respond. The humidifiers were doctor recommended. But then, they don't know all either.

Specifically, is there anything to be done to reduce the powder such as extra caulking around the windows? Or is this stuff gonna come in anyway via the normal breathing of the house.

Humidity played no part in our decision to move here. Well, maybe the really wet kind that came with hurricanes.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

the white stuff on the ground is USUALLY alkali....it grows the heaviest in the low parts of the valley [Lamb and Charleston] after a summer rain followed by some heavy heat, it looks like foam on the vacant lots there.

Dyn, my first house was in the Wilbur Clarke Estates at Lamb and Charleston. Lamb was a narrow two lane road out in the desert, just off Boulder Highway (Fremont St.), that meandered through a mesquite forest at the time. Only neighbor was a goat farm down towards Stewart where one of the union halls is now. Every morning on the way to work, I had to stop for a family of quail, or some other critters crossing the road.

And the alkali was so deep that my little neighborhood had sunk, and the builder had to take back all the homes, raise them, remove the slabs, and put in wood floors. Of course they didn't have to reveal stuff like that to buyers in those days, so we didn't find out until after we moved in and started asking why the houses were up in the air. The first time it rained and I stepped out onto the gravel area, next to the patio, in the back yard, I found out about alkali. I went in up to my knees. It was like quick sand. I spent a few months hand digging and wheelbarrowing every bit of it out, then I drove a few blocks away and loaded up on some good fill dirt, and put in grass.

About 15 years later I rented a house on Rio Mayo from friends who had bought it at the same time I bought the one on Berkley St. It had settled and the walls split open, and they had spent a ton fixing it up. The floors were still uneven, and there were cracks in the walls.

I still wouldn't buy in that part of town even though they say they do things differently now.

[ElizaTeal]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

the BEST way to live with the 'desert mist' is to NEVER EVER dust......when you sit a glass down...ALWAYS use the SAME spot for future glasses....NEVER write your name in the dust......if you do this successfully, it will just look like you have matte finish furniture.

If it is fine dust, protect your electronics by keeping them covered when not in use.

Also white cars some how appear cleaner than other colors.

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by zonababe

If it is fine dust, protect your electronics by keeping them covered when not in use.

Also white cars some how appear cleaner than other colors.

in theory, I agree with ya zona....but in practice.....I now live in a house with a dirt back yard [compliments of my two dawgs] they bring in a ton and a half od dust with every trip. I dont bother to cover and everything keeps workin away lol.......

ALSO in some parts of the valley a tan car is better....depends on the dirt in your area

black cars are NEVER EVER clean.

[dynimagelv]

Redrock.....the only thing you can do is to keep the doors n windows closed....change the AC filter frequently.....and get used to it......its a loosin battle.

[lexusman199]

Dang my car is grey.

If I get it washed every week will it atleast stay clean for the week?

The only problem with that I can see is that

A) you'll probably get swirl marks

B) the wax won't stay very long

[sheriwx]

Dust. It accumulates quickly. So quickly, in fact, that if you don't dust before you turn on your humidifier, you get mud on your blinds!

[lexusman199]

That's DISGUSTING!

Does that happen in condos too?