posted
The only detergents that I found and were affordable to the normal Egyptian were some kind of washing up liquids. i did buy CIF in Metro but it was really expensive, canīt imagine normal Egyptians would buy that. There are ways to clean that are cheap, isnīt supposed to be good to use lemon and vinegar? havenīt tried it personally but that would be eco friendly and cheap.
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I do not think so since the girl there says they live in Damietta which is not Cairo!!!
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
Jik it. Everyday I soak my kitchen cloths in Jik removes stains. Household bleach
-------------------- Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away. Posts: 564 | From: planet earth | Registered: Jan 2008
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Her daughter moved to Cairo and not Damietta. Also she just finished high-school in June.
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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(madame f)^Yes they are good. I can tell you that vinegar is so damn effective. It takes all bad smells away, good for keeping ants away - of course it smells bad for few minutes. Lemon is fine too, I use this one mix that has citric acid, you can find it on the same shelf that vinegar is. It freshens up laundry sooooooo well.
And sodium carbonate - unbelivable how well it takes difficult stais away better than any commercial product. I was so amazed. And ashamed that I did't know these before, there are loads of good advice when you search.
Plus sides are they are so cheap and better, extra bonus they are not bad chemicals and they are good for environment (for the precious water resources).
Can recommend highly.
Posts: 758 | From: Finland | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:Originally posted by madame f: The only detergents that I found and were affordable to the normal Egyptian were some kind of washing up liquids. i did buy CIF in Metro but it was really expensive, canīt imagine normal Egyptians would buy that. There are ways to clean that are cheap, isnīt supposed to be good to use lemon and vinegar? havenīt tried it personally but that would be eco friendly and cheap.
my mother and a lot of egyptians I personally know use a lot of chemicals i will ask about their scientific names and i will post
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
Dettol,never heard of it. i use mr clean and comet and dawn dish soap.. and love my swiffer
-------------------- your ass is so tight when you fart only a dog can hear it.when you queef only a cat can hear that one. Posts: 9776 | From: You like If only mosquitoes sucked fat instead of blood. | Registered: Jul 2007
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quote:Originally posted by madame f: The only detergents that I found and were affordable to the normal Egyptian were some kind of washing up liquids. i did buy CIF in Metro but it was really expensive, canīt imagine normal Egyptians would buy that. There are ways to clean that are cheap, isnīt supposed to be good to use lemon and vinegar? havenīt tried it personally but that would be eco friendly and cheap.
my mother and a lot of egyptians I personally know use a lot of chemicals i will ask about their scientific names and i will post
Hm, what do you mean Ahmad with scientific names? Vinegar is vinegar for example. Sodium carbonate is baking soda.
posted
a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil in a water-spray works wonders for cleaning - and eco-friendly, and smells nice
my granddad used to clean his windows with crunched up newspaper - and it worked! might have been the chemical in the ink used or something, but his windows were spotless.
Posts: 1056 | From: UK, Middle East & Europe | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:Originally posted by madame f: The only detergents that I found and were affordable to the normal Egyptian were some kind of washing up liquids. i did buy CIF in Metro but it was really expensive, canīt imagine normal Egyptians would buy that. There are ways to clean that are cheap, isnīt supposed to be good to use lemon and vinegar? havenīt tried it personally but that would be eco friendly and cheap.
my mother and a lot of egyptians I personally know use a lot of chemicals i will ask about their scientific names and i will post
Hm, what do you mean Ahmad with scientific names? Vinegar is vinegar for example. Sodium carbonate is baking soda.
I know their Egyptain names but do not knwo their English names these are like Mayet E-NNar(it is NAOH) and chlore(I do not know what is it) and some other things
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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quote:Originally posted by DawnBev: my granddad used to clean his windows with crunched up newspaper - and it worked! might have been the chemical in the ink used or something, but his windows were spotless.
They do a lot this in Egypt.
Posts: 758 | From: Finland | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
the problem is using laundry soap to clean it all and ya ive seen that. using dettol and clorox is ok every so often but nto always safe agree. trouble is find the right cleaner for what ur doing bathroom cleaner toilet floors kitchentops stove not laundry soap for everything orsometimes nothing at all just water. but importnat is using the hot water and i boil clenaed utensils after washing always to kill bacteria. there so many bacteria in egypt you cant clean to much believe me.
Posts: 62 | Registered: Jun 2009
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sometimes, I'll get a jar of Stones original Beeswax furniture polish from www.lakeland.co.uk, its expensive, but I like the paste, and its from a 1760 recipe and smells gorgeous.
Posts: 1056 | From: UK, Middle East & Europe | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:Originally posted by DawnBev: my granddad used to clean his windows with crunched up newspaper - and it worked! might have been the chemical in the ink used or something, but his windows were spotless.
They do a lot this in Egypt.
Yes ,me too But do not know why it works,I use water on the glass then I do 2 trials the first to make the water dry out then I do it one more as a finishing.
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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quote:Originally posted by Pamela in Blue: trouble is find the right cleaner for what ur doing bathroom cleaner toilet floors kitchentops stove
But you do not need different detergent for everything. To put very strongly, that's just an idea put in people's head so they would BUY more, more money for the companies.
It is just the same in cosmetics, we have been convinced very well that we need every bottle there is in the market. Actually your skin might be better if you do not use all those cosmetics (look at the INCI lists, meaning ingredient list). Some of them can cause skin irritation and also few are carcinogenic.
Night cream, day cream- oh you ladies know the list goes on and on In Egypt it is very hard to find certain things, my makeup remover wasn't good but then I read you can use olive oil. It was better than my commercial stuff It removes my water proof mascara well (normally I do not use water proof but this was was brought to me by mistake so I need to use it since my brand is not available here). And it doesn't contain any crap like sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate etc.
Posts: 758 | From: Finland | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
my windows are filthy - but its always raining here, and my neighbours is renovating his house and using a wood-saw thingy outside, so there's a lot of sawdust blowing in my direction, onto the windows, sills, garden plants, and inside the house if ive left the door/window open
never mind bacteria in egypt (someone mentioned earlier), my house is not too clean at the moment - its an old house (1908), and still being renovated bit by bit (I keep spending money on holidays instead), but I keep hoovering up Sam's crumbs, and the kitchen and bathroom's clean. I need some replastering doing soon to sort out a rising damp problem, so that will be a messy job and plaster everywhere - not looking forward to that
Posts: 1056 | From: UK, Middle East & Europe | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
I know using newspaper to clean windows is common, even in the States, but I hate the feeling of newspaper and I'd rather clean with a towel and then wash it instead of having a whole wad of bunched up soppy newspapers. lol
I know baking soda is good for cleaning, and since we finally managed to find some here, I do plan to use it in my cleaning. If I could find lemons, I would use them too, but the lemons I got now were brought to me by a friend from Kuwait. Unless I can get regular delivery, I think they are too hard to find. Limes are just not the same!
I never have bleach in the house, or any kind of bug sprays. I really hate chemical stuffs. I just use some light ones when cleaning.
Posts: 1283 | From: Cairo | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
cloudberry: olive oil is excellent for skin and hair! its a versatile thing
Posts: 1056 | From: UK, Middle East & Europe | Registered: Jun 2006
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quote:Originally posted by tina kamal: Dettol,never heard of it. i use mr clean and comet and dawn dish soap.. and love my swiffer
have not heard of Dettol !! it is sooooooooo famous!
I didn't know Dettol either - until I came to Egypt
Are you serious!?!?! It is so famous in the middle east and Saudi Arabia I think the original company is located in UK
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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quote:Originally posted by ** Ahmad**: Yes ,me too But do not know why it works,I use water on the glass then I do 2 trials the first to make the water dry out then I do it one more as a finishing.
Aha, so you are actually cleaning or at least you are making an effort! Good job, your future wife is gonna love you even more if you help out once in a while!! Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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Mayet E-NNar(it is NAOH) and chlore(I do not know what is it) and some other things [/QB]
mayet E-NNar is lethal stuff, incredibly dangerous and will eat through anything it touches, possibly called Caustic Soda in UK
chlore is a very mild bleach, so mild it doesnt touch stains on worktops or anything else.
Posts: 15090 | From: http://www.egyptalk.com/forum/ | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Dettol is a marvel, if you get the 4 in 1 for kitchen or bathroom you'll always love it..its expensive and really cleans deeply leaving behind a fantastic smell, if you want a cheaper good product, then Mr. Muscle is fine, all 3 are excellent.. Grime remover, bathroom and kitchen cleaner. Those products are found in Metro and Carrefour along with the big super markets. Egyptians don't use expensive detergents to clean, they think its a waste of money..I'm a detergent man and love to clean and polish things back to new..I use Pledge furniture polish to clean off the sticky black finger prints on switches and fridge doors and on the tv screen. As for the oven, ours is self cleaning Posts: 3219 | From: Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone. | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by cloudberry: The thing is people think you need to kill everything almost 100%. Wrong. Normal cleaning is fine. If you clean TOO well that's not good either. If you scrub everything with Dettol and Clorox, that's unnecessary. Especially clorox is not mild chemical why would anyone want to strain their bodies with so much chemicals over the years?
I agree that it's unnecessary, people shouldn't get obsessed with killing bacteria. Studies have shown that kids who grow up in a household where everything is constantly being disinfected often don't develop a proper immune system and get sick more often than those being exposed to a "normal" variety of bacteria.
quote:Originally posted by cloudberry: Night cream, day cream- oh you ladies know the list goes on and on. In Egypt it is very hard to find certain things, my makeup remover wasn't good but then I read you can use olive oil. It was better than my commercial stuff It removes my water proof mascara well (normally I do not use water proof but this was was brought to me by mistake so I need to use it since my brand is not available here). And it doesn't contain any crap like sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate etc.
Castor oil works well too. Some people claim it makes eyelashes and eyebrows thicker and darker.
I only use organic toiletries which are not really available in Egypt. But you can get a wide range of organic oils, handmade soaps etc., they are very reasonably priced and of good quality. Instead of using cream, you can use a facial toner, for example rose water, thyme water etc. and then rub a few drops of oil into the skin. Works great and this way you avoid all the crappy stuff which is contained in many creams, like preservatives, silicones, mineral oils etc.
quote:Originally posted by ** Ahmad**: I know their Egyptain names but do not knwo their English names these are like Mayet E-NNar(it is NAOH) and chlore(I do not know what is it)
quote:Originally posted by ** Ahmad**: Yes ,me too But do not know why it works,I use water on the glass then I do 2 trials the first to make the water dry out then I do it one more as a finishing.
Aha, so you are actually cleaning or at least you are making an effort! Good job, your future wife is gonna love you even more if you help out once in a while!!
I live alone so I have to do cleaning and cooking Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
Ahmad..'Mayet el narr' is what you use in automotive batteries and is H2SO4 Sulphuric acid in a diluted form, while NaOH is sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, while 'botass' is KOH which is caustic potash used in washing with washing soap like sunlight and domino brands in poor households.
Posts: 3219 | From: Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone. | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Dzosser: Ahmad..'Mayet el narr' is what you use in automotive batteries and is H2SO4 Sulphuric acid in a diluted form, while NaOH is sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, while 'botass' is KOH which is caustic potash used in washing with washing soap like sunlight and domino brands in poor households.
I do not know I hate chemistry I will ask and will be back
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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posted
to add: but I use Mayet Elnar to clean the toilets maybe I was mistaken in its chemical name but I buy Mayet Elnar to clean the toilets
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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Oh Loved One that sucks but I so know what you're talking about. Thank God I didn't have to live there long term. I agree that Egypt is, hands down, the filtiest place I've ever been and I lived in the inner city of Detroit for 7 years, lol.
Has anyone else experienced the leaving of leftovers/food on plates in the kitchen overnight only to wake up the next morning and find ants crawling all over the place? I refused to go in the kitchen when it was in such a state. I was just flabbergasted that ppl were ok with having all that filth in their home. For the most part my inlaws' flat was "tidy" meaning no clutter but it obviously hadn't been deep cleaned in a long while. Mind you these are country people who, for the most part, are undereducated and relatively poor. The family members I stayed with in Cairo were better at keeping things clean and bug free but things were still dusty and not thoroughly cleaned. Those family members were better off financially and their personalities reflected this. Honestly, I could tolerate the filth more than the shitty personality of that part of the family. But that's neither here nor there.
Posts: 2735 | From: my desk | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
i am from uk and i have oppseive compulisive disorder, i am a clean freak
i useing fairy in hot soapy water with a clean sponge, has to be a frsh one, to clean my kitcken and seatees etc. i also use this to clean my bedroom furnitur and skirting boards etc. i dry with clean towel etc. so no streaks.
i use flash for the floor and cif for the bathroom,
in the uk their is a book and programme called kim and aggie HOW CLEAN IS YOUR HOUSE
this is full of hints and routines and things that you should do in the house.
IT IS FULL OF NATURAL CLEANERS THAT IS CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE,
VINEGAR AND WATER TO CLEAN WINDOWS using newspaper to dry.
lemom juice to clean kitchen,
caustic soda to clena toilets etc.
anymore info then just pm me.
i am not going to use this site much, i felt i was being a liittle crude making me look cheap.
i am actually a good muslim girl etc,
i apologise if people felt i was crude and did not want to cheapen myself.
Posts: 223 | From: london | Registered: Jul 2009
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quote:Originally posted by ** Ahmad**: Yes ,me too But do not know why it works,I use water on the glass then I do 2 trials the first to make the water dry out then I do it one more as a finishing.
Aha, so you are actually cleaning or at least you are making an effort! Good job, your future wife is gonna love you even more if you help out once in a while!!
Haha, what a delusional woman. Why do you think men get married in the first place ?
Posts: 6335 | From: Straight to my heart. | Registered: Sep 2007
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quote:Originally posted by caitlin: i am from uk and i have oppseive compulisive disorder, i am a clean freak
i useing fairy in hot soapy water with a clean sponge, has to be a frsh one, to clean my kitcken and seatees etc. i also use this to clean my bedroom furnitur and skirting boards etc. i dry with clean towel etc. so no streaks.
i use flash for the floor and cif for the bathroom,
in the uk their is a book and programme called kim and aggie HOW CLEAN IS YOUR HOUSE
this is full of hints and routines and things that you should do in the house.
IT IS FULL OF NATURAL CLEANERS THAT IS CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE,
VINEGAR AND WATER TO CLEAN WINDOWS using newspaper to dry.
lemom juice to clean kitchen,
caustic soda to clena toilets etc.
anymore info then just pm me.
i am not going to use this site much, i felt i was being a liittle crude making me look cheap.
i am actually a good muslim girl etc,
i apologise if people felt i was crude and did not want to cheapen myself.
come on!! it is ok ,so stay but do not chase me or vader Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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quote:Originally posted by Dzosser: Dalia..the stove you've posted is epical comedy, where on earth did you get that from
A friend of mine from Germany took this picture. He was visiting me for a couple of weeks and stayed with someone I knew. The room in which he slept (and payed good money for) was halfway clean because a European girl had rented it before and apparently took good care of it, but the rest of the house was ... well, you can imagine. And not only that -- my friend would buy food or drinks for himself only to find that his "host" had eaten it all up since he hardly ever bought anything for himself and the fridge was usually empty. Upon learning all this I was actually quite embarrassed because I had recommended that accomodation and because I think this guy gave Egyptian hospitality a really bad name.
The guy whom he was staying with didn't do a single thing in his own house. He had a cleaning lady coming in once a week for a couple of hours, but of course that's not enough to keep a huge apartment clean. He would cook something, for example, and then just leave the dirty stuff on the stove for days until the cleaning lady came and took it away. Same thing with his clothes that he would just drop on the floor until the cleaning lady picked them up.
Posts: 2803 | Registered: Feb 2007
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quote:Originally posted by LovedOne: lol, speak for yourself about that kitchen cloth. Mine get washed after a day or two of light use. Daily if I'm baking a lot or using them quite often.
Good, you are wise then Most people don't realise this.
There is also one reason why I keep my toothbrush somewhere else than in the bathroom/toilet Posts: 758 | From: Finland | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
ok!!I did it. Mayet Elnar is H2so4 and use it when the toilet is so dirty ,the bottle id for 2.5LE(imagine this just two and a half pounds) I use Chlore ( it is Chlorine )when the toilets are not so dirty(I do not remember the price but is cheap) I use something called Max Killer to kill aunts (bottle for 8 pounds) I use Flash for the floors and walls(and of course I use water!!!)
Note:I will not answer any one who tells me what a so dirty toilet is!!!
Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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quote:Originally posted by ** Ahmad**: ok!!I did it. Mayet Elnar is H2so4 and use it when the toilet is so dirty ,the bottle id for 2.5LE(imagine this just two and a half pounds) I use Chlore ( it is Chlorine )when the toilets are not so dirty(I do not remember the price but is cheap) I use something called Max Killer to kill aunts (bottle for 8 pounds) I use Flash for the floors and walls(and of course I use water!!!)
Note:I will not answer any one who tells me what a so dirty toilet is!!!
Ahmad. I do hope you mean ants as in small insects and not aunts as in your mum and dads sisters Posts: 4476 | From: Scotland | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by ** Ahmad**: ok!!I did it. Mayet Elnar is H2so4 and use it when the toilet is so dirty ,the bottle id for 2.5LE(imagine this just two and a half pounds) I use Chlore ( it is Chlorine )when the toilets are not so dirty(I do not remember the price but is cheap) I use something called Max Killer to kill aunts (bottle for 8 pounds) I use Flash for the floors and walls(and of course I use water!!!)
Note:I will not answer any one who tells me what a so dirty toilet is!!!
Ahmad. I do hope you mean ants as in small insects and not aunts as in your mum and dads sisters
yes of course ants not aunts!! Posts: 2417 | From: Cairo | Registered: Jun 2009
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In Egypt it is very hard to find certain things, my makeup remover wasn't good but then I read you can use olive oil. It was better than my commercial stuff ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
It removes my water proof mascara well (normally I do not use water proof but this was was brought to me by mistake so I need to use it since my brand is not available here). And it doesn't contain any crap like sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate etc.
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Honestly, I could tolerate the filth more than the shitty personality of that part of the family. But that's neither here nor there.
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