Why Japanese Homes Have No Mop and Bucket: 7 Floor Habits

Most of us finish mopping with a bucket of grey water and a floor that still feels sticky. In most Japanese homes there is no mop and bucket at all, yet the floors stay clean enough to sit and sleep on. In this video I share seven floor habits I grew up with in Japan: cleaning first thing in the morning while the dust has settled, a small hand broom and dustpan in every room, the dry floor sheet (Kao's Quickle Wiper, sold since 1994), the zokin cloth sewn from an old towel, wringing it hard and rinsing under the tap instead of using a bucket, zokin gake (wiping by hand), and going easy on wooden floors. You will also hear about my grandmother's wooden corridor in Nagano and the yellow bucket that ended up in my garage in Ohio. If your knees or back hurt, use a flat wiper on a long handle instead of kneeling, and follow your floor maker's care advice. Sources: Kao Corporation, Quickle Wiper product information (launched October 1994). Westwood, Mitchell and Legace (1971), "Hospital Sanitation: The Massive Bacterial Contamination of the Wet Mop", Applied Microbiology. Panasonic, care guide for wood flooring (Japanese). Chapters 00:00 Hook 00:39 Why No Bucket 01:22 Morning First 01:56 A Broom In Every Room 02:32 The Dry Sheet 03:12 Grandmother'S Corridor 03:47 The Zokin 04:26 Wring It Hard 05:06 On Your Knees 05:44 Go Easy On Wood 06:25 The Ohio Mop 06:55 Ten Minutes A Day 07:33 This Week Japan at Home: the quiet habits Japanese families use to keep their homes calm, clean and simple. #japanesehome #declutter #japaneselifestyle #japanathome