How to clean up after a dust storm in Cyprus

What the dust is and when it arrives

The haze is fine mineral dust from the Sahara or the Middle Eastern deserts. It gets in around closed doors and windows, and the smallest particles can reach deep into the lungs.

Spring is the peak season for dust over Cyprus, but autumn episodes, mostly on air from the Middle East, are common too, as in October and November 2023. In April 2026, in what the Department of Meteorology called one of the most severe episodes in recent years, PM10 in Nicosia passed 1,300 µg/m³ against an EU daily limit of 50.

Check the levels before you start

Check the Department of Labour Inspection's live air-quality site, airquality.dli.mlsi.gov.cy, or the official Air Quality Cyprus app for near real-time PM10 and PM2.5 readings from stations in Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, Paralimni and elsewhere.

During an episode the Ministry of Health advises avoiding unnecessary journeys and staying in air-conditioned spaces, with children, older people and anyone with heart or lung disease staying indoors. Dust often arrives in waves, so check the Department of Meteorology forecast too.

What to do while the dust is in the air

Don't clean yet: the dust will settle again within hours. Keep it out instead:

• Close windows, sliding doors and shutters, and go easy on extractor fans, which pull outside air in through every gap.
• Run split AC units if you need cooling. Wall-mounted splits recirculate the air in the room rather than drawing it in from outside.
• Bring in cushions, washing and pets, cover the pool, and run a HEPA air purifier if you have one.

When to start, and why not to wait for rain

Start once PM10 near you is back in the low band. Work outdoors early or late in the day, when it is cooler and glass isn't hot.

Don't count on rain to do it for you. Rain on dust leaves a muddy film that dries into spots and silts up drains: a Cyprus University of Technology study found solar panels hit by Saharan dust and then heavy rain were still losing around 13% of their performance. If it rains first, soak dried mud spots before wiping so the grit lifts instead of scratching.

The right order: outside in, top down, dry to wet

Clean outside before inside and top before bottom. Pick up loose dust before wetting anything, because water on a thick layer makes mud.

1. Pergolas, awnings and high window frames
2. Verandas, railings and outdoor furniture
3. Windows and sliding doors
4. Car, pool and garden
5. Indoors: fans and AC units, surfaces, fabrics, then floors

Verandas and balconies

Cypriot verandas are big, tiled and often open on several sides, so they catch a lot of dust. Stop it lifting as you sweep.

1. 1

   Mist it

   Sprinkle the floor lightly with a watering can so it is damp, not wet.

2. 2

   Sweep into a pan

   Use a soft broom and short strokes, and bin the dust rather than pushing it down the drain.

3. 3

   Mop from a bucket

   Warm water and a little floor cleaner. Change it when it clouds.

4. 4

   Wipe and check

   Wipe railings with a damp microfibre cloth and clear the veranda drain.

Windows, frames and sliding door tracks

Dry-wiping glass drags grit across it. Do the tracks first, then wet the glass before you wash it.

1. 1

   Clean the tracks dry first

   Vacuum sliding door and window tracks with a crevice tool, then scrub with an old toothbrush and soapy water and clear the drainage slots in the frame.

2. 2

   Rinse the fly screens

   Lift out insect screens and rinse them in the shower.

3. 3

   Wet, wash, squeegee

   Sponge water on to float the grit off, wash, squeegee, and buff the edges dry to avoid hard-water marks.

For upper-floor glass you can't reach safely, look for cleaners in the Cyprus Cleaners directory who list windows as a specialty.

Outdoor furniture, cushions and plants

• Shake cushions outdoors, downwind and wearing a mask, then vacuum them and wash removable covers.
• Wipe tables with a damp cloth before washing them.
• Sponge parasols and awnings and dry them open. Put away damp, they go mouldy (see our guide to mould in Cyprus homes).
• Rinse dusty plants with a watering can early in the morning.

Marble, terrazzo and tiled floors

Dust grit scratches polished marble and terrazzo, and a stiff broom throws the finest dust back into the air.

1. 1

   Pick up the loose dust

   Vacuum with a soft floor head (no rotating brush bar), ideally with a HEPA filter, or use a microfibre dust mop.

2. 2

   Damp-mop

   Use a pH-neutral stone cleaner, a well-wrung mop and a separate rinse bucket.

3. 3

   Buff dry

   Dry marble with a soft cloth to avoid water marks.

Sofas, curtains and bedding

If windows were open, dust will be in your fabrics. Vacuum sofas and curtains, wash bedding from the dustiest rooms, and vacuum rugs in both directions. For stains and trodden-in mud, see our carpet, sofa and mattress cleaning guide.

Air conditioner filters

Your split units have been filtering dusty air, so check the filters afterwards. Switch the unit off, lift the front panel and slide them out. Vacuum them or rinse them in lukewarm (never hot) water with a mild detergent, and dry them in the shade before refitting. For coils, fins and drain lines, read our air conditioner cleaning guide.

Cars

Don't wipe a dusty car or run the wipers on a dry windscreen: the grit leaves scratches and swirl marks. Pour water from a bucket over the car, roof first, to float the grit off, then wash with car shampoo and a soft mitt, rinsing the mitt in a second bucket. Or use a car wash that recycles its water.

Swimming pools

Dust clouds the water and settles on the floor as silt. You don't need to drain the pool:

1. Skim, and empty the skimmer and pump baskets.
2. Brush the walls and floor, then vacuum the silt. For a heavy layer on a sand filter, vacuum to waste, briefly.
3. Backwash or rinse the filter when the pressure gauge reads higher than normal.
4. Test pH and chlorine, then run the pump longer than usual until the water clears.

Cleaners who list poolside homes as a specialty can do the terraces and the house. Chemistry and equipment need a pool technician.

Solar water heaters and PV panels

Dust cuts the output of solar water heaters and PV panels, and rain won't fully clean it off, so the Cyprus University of Technology researchers recommend cleaning PV panels by hand after each episode.

On a flat roof with a parapet and stair access, common on apartment blocks and village houses:

• Go up early, while the glass is cool: cold water on hot glass can crack it.
• Rinse from a bucket and wipe with a soft sponge or long-handled soft brush.
• No pressure washers, scrapers, abrasive pads or strong chemicals. Manufacturers rule them out and they can affect your warranty.

Protect yourself while you clean

• Wear a disposable FFP2 respirator (the European equivalent of the N95) or a higher-rated FFP3 for dusty jobs, with the nose clip shaped so it seals.
• Cloth masks don't filter fine particles, and surgical masks don't seal against your face.
• Add gloves, and glasses for overhead work. Keep children away from dusty jobs.

Saving water during the clean-up

Water is scarce in Cyprus. Hosing down terraces, pavements, railings and cars is an offence under the water-waste law (Law 1/1991), and water boards fine people for it during droughts, as Larnaca's did in 2025. Use buckets, and if you have a solar water heater, save the cold water that runs before the hot for rinsing.

When it makes sense to hire help

A small flat is a morning's work. Consider help for:

• Villas with pools and big terraces: browse cleaners in Paphos or cleaning services in Limassol for villa or poolside specialties.
• Apartment block stairwells and lobbies, through cleaners for communal areas.
• Holiday homes, especially with a guest due. See holiday rental cleaning.
• Older or vulnerable residents, and homes that need a full deep clean once the dust has gone.

Cleaners listed on Cyprus Cleaners set their own rates, typically €9-€16 an hour, with deep cleans from about €120, and you contact them directly. About 35 are listed in Nicosia, 36 in Limassol, 13 in Paphos and 10 in Larnaca. See how much a cleaner costs in Cyprus.