Summer Apartment care guide

Summer in Ibaraki is hot and stinky. Not only do you suffer, but so does your apartment. Below are a few tips to keep out those horrible pests and keep your cool in the warmer months.

Tatami
Some of us will have at least one room with tatami mats. Tatami is easy to maintain. You just need to vacuum and wipe them with a clean damp cloth once a week. Whatever you do, don't spill liquids on them. If an accident should occur then wipe it dry as quickly as you can.

Tatami mats can be home to some nasty creatures. During the warm and humid months you can prevent/control tatami bugs (daniだに in Japanese) by using one of several kinds of pesticides.

The easiest and most effective pesticide is one which comes with a needle to poke into the corners of the tatami mats. Once the needle is in, press the spray button. Use this pesticide every 6 to 8 weeks if you have tatami bugs. You know you have them when you get mysterious little red bumps on your body.

An important thing to remember is not to wear shoes or to drag furniture across your tatami. Replacing them is expensive, even for the cheapest "fake" ones , so take good care of them.

Even if you have carpet rather than tatami, you may want to "bomb" your apartment with a household product designated to kill all dust-mites and any other bugs. The process is as follows: cover everything in your room with bed sheets. Release the chemical spray, leave the room for about two hours, and aerate upon returning. It is very effective, but it releases chemicals into your living area.

Futon
If you don't have the luxury of sleeping on a Western-style bed every night, then you will truly experience the Japanese lifestyle.

You should put away your futon every day to prevent mold from growing between your Tatami and the futon. This applies to wooden flooring too. You also need to beat your futon occasionally outside to air it out. If you're at home during a sunny day, hang your futon over the outside rail (you might want to wipe the rail clean before putting the futon over it), and hit it with a futon beater. You can get these from the 100 yen shop.

Don't leave your futon unattended outside because it could fly off in a strong wind or get wet in the rain. You can buy futon clasps that look like huge clothesline pins at 100 yen stores too.

If a nasty predecessor has neglected to air out the futon, or if you simply don't have the time to put out the futon (after all, you are at work for most of the day), you might be able to borrow a "futon drier" (futon kansouki) from a friend. These machines are often used during the rainy season when there's not enough sun to air out your futon. A huge cushion with hot air warms up your futon and the bed cover ? the downside is that you have to be in the room to supervise the futon drier ?you wouldn't want your flat to burn down, would you? After two hours, your futon is free of dust mites.

Note: Even if you have a bed, you might still be sleeping on a futon mattress, which needs to be taken care of just like a futon.

Bathroom
The bathroom of your house is a haven for mold. You can keep the mold under control by cleaning your bathroom weekly with regular cleansers. However, every few months, you should use extra powerful cleansers that will get rid of the mold.

Dehumidifiers
During the warm and humid months, buy dehumidifiers for your drawers, closets, and kitchen cupboards.

Dehumidifiers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. For your drawers and closets, you can buy pocket-sized ones that can be hung between your clothes. For bigger spaces, you can use those that come in the shape of plastic containers. All of them contain little white rocks or powder that literally sucks up the humidity in the air.

When the pockets are fat and juicy, or when the plastic containers fill up with water, it's time to change them. Even during winter, you should keep them around to protect your clothes, shoes, and food from mold.

If you don't want to bother with all that, you can spend the money and buy a "real" dehumidifier machine. They're not too expensive (around the 15,000 yen mark), and they're worth it. In addition, many newer air conditioners have a Dehumidify setting. Before purchasing a dehumidifier, have a look at your air conditioner first. Clean the air conditioning filter regularly.

Cockroaches (Gokiburi)
These insects look nasty but are quite harmless. You should know that they can fly, come in various sizes from tiny to huge, and make a horrifying sound when they crawl across the room. If you kill them by squashing them, you will release its eggs. Therefore, if you don't want more of them, DON'T CRUSH COCKROACHES!!!

It is much wiser (though not as satisfying) to capture them or spray them with pesticide made especially for cockroaches. You can also find some "cockroach motels" that have a sticky bottom and a smelly something that attracts them there so when they crawl in, they are stuck there. Place these motels close to your food, usually by the fridge, sink, table . . . anywhere that is likely to have a single crumb of bread, cheese . . . anything! You certainly want to avoid the proliferation of these horrible insects. When they get big, they look like Dragon Ball Z's creature, So don't wait. You then pick the motel up and dispose of it.

If you don't have cockroaches and want to keep it that way, then you should keep crumbs off the floor, wash your dirty dishes every day, and keep food sealed.

Kitchen
The Japanese solution to in-sink waste disposals, come in the form of a plastic triangle-shaped sink waste basket. These can be found at your local grocer or home store. The key is to purchase the mesh bags that allow the liquid to pass through while retaining the organic waste.

The key to keeping your house smelling good especially during the summer months has a lot to do with the drain. It is recommended that you purchase drain cleaner. It comes in liquid (配水管洗浄液 Haisuikan Senjou Eki, literally "liquid drain cleaner"), powder (配水管洗浄剤 Haisuikan Senjou Zai, literally "Drain cleaning agent") or tablet form. Almost all have a picture of a drain on the packaging. Right before bed, put some of the chemical into your drain. Rinse in the morning. This needs to be done more often during summer. Put the cleaner down each of your drains, including your bathroom sinks and shower. If an abiding stench emanates from your sink, call the landlord.

Food storage is key in the hot, humid summers (and in other seasons as well). Do not leave anything out for more than a few hours! During the summer, make sure that your refrigerator keeps food sufficiently chilled. If food looks questionable, the safest approach is to throw it out.

Miscellaneous Anti-bug Gadgets
Mosquitoes abound during the summer. To keep them away, you can buy the "mosquito fighting machine". It looks really cute: round and in a variety of bright colors. The machine keeps mosquitoes away without the smell of the coils. 'Refills' for the machines last up to 6 months.

As for rice, you can buy a device that keeps it free from rice mites. This is sold next to the rice bags. Place the sealed container in with your rice, and it will prevent mites from forming for a year.

Cleaning Chemicals
Japanese supermarkets stock some of the most powerful household cleaning products known to man. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Always use plastic gloves and leave the windows open because the fumes can be overwhelming. Spray the products on and let sit for a while. Use an old toothbrush for spots that need lots of scrubbing. Rinse the entire area with water. And get it all dirty again if you like cleaning for fun.