Imagine coming back from vacation and your house sparkling as if it had just been cleaned.
No, this is not science fiction - Japanese women know how to turn cleaning into an art.
The secret is not chemistry, but philosophy. Professor Sophia Kawasaki of Kyoto University explains in a study for the Journal of Cultural Ergonomics :
“The Japanese approach is a synthesis of minimalism and ritual.
Every action has a purpose, and every thing has a place." For example, the "5S" method (sort, organize, clean, standardize, perfect), originally developed for Toyota factories, is now used in homes.
But the main life hack is “half-hearted cleaning.” Instead of grueling hour-long marathons, Japanese women do 10-minute sessions in the morning and evening.
“I set a timer and focus on just one area: today it’s the shelves, tomorrow it’s the windows,” says Mariko, a blogger from Osaka.
The result? According to NHK , this approach reduces stress by 30%. Russian Anna from Perm, who implemented the method, admits:
“I used to hate cleaning, now it’s like meditation.”
And now - shock: Japanese women do NOT use rags! Instead - microfiber with a diagonal weave.
"These fibers capture dust rather than spread it," explains Muji engineer Hiroshi Yamada.
But that's not all!
The secret weapon is rice water. After cooking the rice, cool the liquid, add lemon juice and wipe the floors. The starch creates a protective film, and the acid kills bacteria.
“Since I started doing this, my child’s allergies have gone away,” rejoices Yulia from Krasnodar.
Be careful! Too much starch will make floors slippery. Cleaner Takeshi advises: "For 1 liter of water - no more than 50 ml of rice water."
