The annual haze has become as predictable as the durian season. Between mid-August and late September, fine particulate matter settles on every horizontal surface in the city. We see it most on window sills, fan blades and the tops of door frames. Here is the routine our crew leads switch to during haze weeks.
1. Start at the top, finish at the floor
The rule of gravity matters even more during haze. Begin with ceiling-mounted fan blades, AC vent grilles and the tops of wardrobes. Anything you dislodge falls onto surfaces below, so you only want to clean each layer once.
2. Damp wiping beats dry dusting
A dry cloth pushes haze particles into the air, where they hang for hours and resettle. A lightly damp microfibre cloth captures them. We mix two drops of plant-based detergent into a litre of cool water for the sweep, and finish with a clean dry cloth on surfaces that need a streak-free look.
The trick is the second cloth. A wet wipe alone leaves a film of dust that has now turned into mud. Always finish with a dry pass.
3. The three filters worth checking
- Air-conditioner filter — most KL condos have a wall-mounted split unit. The filter slides out from under the front cover. Rinse it under a tap, leave it to dry for an hour, replace it. Twice during haze season, not once.
- Range hood filter — pull out the metal mesh tray and soak it in warm water with a dishwashing detergent for fifteen minutes. The grease that traps haze particles will lift off.
- Air-purifier HEPA — check the indicator. Many residents discover, mid-September, that they have been running the purifier with a saturated filter for a year.
4. Soft surfaces are the silent storage
Curtains, sofa cushions, rugs and bed throws absorb haze the way a sponge absorbs water. During haze weeks we vacuum soft surfaces twice as often using a soft-brush attachment. A monthly extraction visit makes a noticeable difference, especially if anyone in the household has asthma.
5. Close the window earlier than you think
Haze does not respect office hours. The hourly AQI on most Klang Valley monitoring stations swings rapidly between 5pm and 8pm. We advise residents to close windows by mid-afternoon during peak weeks and open them only briefly the following morning if readings dip.
6. Book a deep clean at the end of September
By the time the haze lifts, the cumulative dust on skirting boards, behind fridges and inside cabinets is more than a weekly routine can address. A deep visit reverses two months of accumulation in a single day. Our schedule fills out in early October, so book early.
Need help?
If you would rather hand the haze-season reset to a crew, our deep cleaning service tackles the whole list in one visit. Send us your unit type via the contact form and we will quote inside two working hours.