The Japan Weather Association has forecast that the amount of cedar pollen in the air this year will likely be relatively larger than that in average years in many parts of the country.
Natsuko Fukuchi, an official at Kao Corp., a major manufacturer of daily commodities, has some cleaning tips to reduce pollen in the home. According to Kao's research, more than half of the pollen that enters homes accumulates on floor surfaces. Because pollen is much lighter than other kinds of dust, it gets quickly blown up into the air when vacuum cleaners are used. Soon after the vacuuming is finished, the pollen falls back down to the floor.
"Even though people believe they have cleaned the floors, there are times when the pollen has not been removed at all," Fukuchi said.
Fukuchi recommends cleaning floors by wiping them with a cloth soaked in water and then wrung, or a wet-type cleaning sheet. So as not to let pollen that has accumulated during the night rise up, it is better to gently wipe floor surfaces at times like early in the morning, before other family members wake up and start walking inside the house.
Pollen generally accumulates around places with a side on the outdoors such as windows and ventilation hatches, as well as the backside of TV sets where dust tends to accumulate. Pollen should be wiped off gently using wiping cloths or dust-removing appliances appropriate to each spot that requires cleaning.
Pollen also sticks to futon and laundry. Clothes should be dried indoors at least during the pollen season.
Special attention needs to be paid to futon because they are the second-largest places where pollen accumulates after floor surfaces.
When you hang and dry futon outdoors by folding them in two, hang them so that the side which touches the body while sleeping faces inward, as less pollen gets attached to that side.
When you bring in the futon, gently wipe both sides by hand and then clean them with a futon cleaner or a vacuum attached with a nozzle designed to remove dust.
"If you slap the surfaces strongly, pollen dusts get into the weaves. So avoid doing that," Fukuchi said.
Washing and drying tips
"Before the full-fledged start of the pollen season, small amounts of pollen are already circulating. If you have family members with serious allergy to pollen, it is better to hang and dry laundry indoors even before the start of the season," said Izumi Onuki, an official at Lion Corp., a major manufacturer of household commodities.
However, people sometimes want to hang clothes out to dry so they won't develop half-dry clothing odors. An experiment by the company showed that the amount of pollen stuck to wet bed sheets was double that on dried sheets.
It is preferable to start hanging laundry during early morning hours when it is very wet, while the amount of pollen in the air is still small. It is also recommended to avoid hanging the laundry out for a long time and to quickly bring it back in as soon as it gets dry. Before bringing it in, wipe away the pollen.
Pollen also sticks to dry clothes, mainly attracted by their static electricity.
Onuki said, "With a proper combination of clothes, the amount of pollen that sticks to them can be reduced."
When one dresses in layers and the clothes rub each other, materials made out of nylon, wool or rayon tend to get positive electrical charges. Materials made out of acrylic or polyester tend to get negative electrical charges.
Combining positive and negative electric charges in materials, such as polyester skirts and nylon stockings, might cause static electricity.
Onuki recommends a combination of clothes made from materials with the same tendency, such as wool sweaters and wool scarfs. It is also good to include cotton shirts and cotton underwear, which do not get much electrical charges.
Onuki said, "As such an outfit can also prevent shocks from static electricity, I recommend it even [outside of pollen season ] during winter."
Fabric softeners should be used when washing clothes at home, as they prevent static electricity from occurring and drive away static electricity from clothes so that it does not accumulate in the fibers. Recently, however, some people do not know how to use fabric softeners and put them together with detergents into the washing machine.
"By doing so, the effects of both the agents weaken. Fabric softeners should be used during the rinse cycle in the final process of washing. If your washing machine has a slot into which softeners can be poured, you should use it," Onuki said.
Keep room air clean
When pollen and other kinds of dust circulate in a room, they accumulate on furniture and floors, and the air grows stale. The easiest way to ventilate is to open the windows and let in air from outside, but doing so lets in pollen.
It is better to use air purifiers, which can keep air clean when windows are shut, or air conditioners with air-purifying functions. Both devices can filter out pollen, preventing it from circulating inside.
In recent years, devices with pollen-reducing functions have come out. The devices can collect pollen more effectively by controlling their air volumes.
Many people place air purifiers in living rooms or bedrooms. But Mizuru Osanai, an official at Daikin Industries, Ltd., a major manufacturer of air conditioners, said, "To reduce pollen, air purifiers should be placed at the entrances of houses and rooms. Set air volumes at maximum to quickly reduce pollen brought in from outdoors."
Air volumes should be set at maximum also when bringing in laundry hung for drying outdoors or when folding it. If air conditioners are used together with air purifiers, the air purifiers should be placed diagonally to the air conditioners. This positioning creates air flows that help clean the air more effectively.
It is important that air purifiers' filters, and air conditioners with air-purifying functions, be kept very clean. Although conditions differ by manufacturer and product model, the filters are netlike and can get dirty fast, as dust accumulates in the mesh webs.
The filters should be cleaned every two weeks or so by, for example, removing the dust using a vacuum cleaner with a nozzle attached, or drying the filters after washing them with water. If the devices are equipped with odor-eliminating filters made of cardboard-like papers, many of them cannot be washed in water. So it is necessary to check your device's instruction manual.
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