laundry

Here's a general idea of how to wash your clothes so you don't end up smelling like an onion!

Washing

Unlike your typical Western home, most homes in Japan have the machine attached to a water line that needs to be turned on every time before use. You should also turn off after use to prevent leaking.

You won't usually have access to a dryer, and will instead have to clothesline dry your clothes.

Let's move on to the various buttons. Here's a collective list of the buttons translated for those not familiar with kanji. After turning on the water, you might want to turn on the washer. Find the button that says 電源 入/切 (highlighted in red). That's your on and off switch.

Next, let's move on to the next two buttons. Course (コース) allows you to choose what course you want to set your laundry to depending on what you're washing. If you want the basic wash, just turn on the washer and press Start (スタート). The washer will basically do all the work such as measuring the necessary amount of water.

Not everyone's washer is going to look like this, but here is the general idea of what these buttons mean. If you're doing the basic laundry wash, a light will indicate which stage it's currently on during the wash cycle. If you want to just do one of the following stages, press the corresponding button and press Start (スタート).

水量 （すいりょう）water volume

予約（よやく）set (this can be used if you want your laundry to start later in the day)

洗い（あらい）wash

すすぎ spin dry

脱水（だっすい）drain

室内干し（しつないぼし）indoor drying

Drying

Now...it's time to dry! As previously mentioned, you most likely won't have access to a dryer. You'll have to clothesline dry your clothes either indoors or outdoors. You can find cheap hangers either at Daiso or Nitori.

Here are some tips for how to hang dry different types of clothing:

  • Trousers - can be draped over a hanger, or clipped from the bottom of the pant-leg and hung upside down.
  • Sweaters - should be treated with care so that they don't stretch out in the drying process. DO NOT put these on a hanger while wet as they will stretch out.
  • T-shirts - should be hung upside down by clips. This will keep the neckline from stretching out.
  • Sports Wear - can be hung up normally, as this material is generally made to avoid stretching when wet.
  • Button Up Shirts - should be hung on a hanger and smoothed out as much as possible while wet to minimize wrinkles.

Drying Materials

These are just a few examples of the different types of drying racks and clips that come in handy when drying clothes! As mentioned above, you can find these at Daiso, Nitori, or even Amazon!

These clips are necessary to air out your futon! They should be able to stretch over your balcony like the photo above.

If you have an actual clothesline (made from rope rather than an actual pole) you'll need these bad boys.

If you have an actual pole, this drying rack is very convenient and you don't need a million individual clips.

You can either buy a pole and hang it outside (refer to the photo in the "Drying" section) or you can buy something like this if you want to dry your clothes indoor.

Detergents, Softeners, etc.

Detergents

Now that you know how to wash, let's move on to soap. The general word for detergent is 洗濯洗剤(せんたくせんざい). The official word on the bottles will say 洗濯用合成洗剤 (せんたくよう ごうせいせんざい).

Some detergents will contain bleach or softener. If you're looking for no bleach, look for the kanji 漂白剤なし (ひょうはくざいなし). The bottles that contain softener will say 柔軟剤入り (じゅうなんざいいり).

Softeners

Not everyone uses softener, but just in case you want to buy it. The general word for softener is 柔軟剤 (じゅうなんざい). The official word on the bottles will say 柔軟仕上げ剤 (じゅうなんしあげざい). The softener in Japan is very scented and the scent is typically represented on the bottle. If you're looking for one without a fragrance, look for 無香科 (むこうか).

Bleach

Detergent, softener, and bleach all look very similar. So, to prevent you from buying just bleach look for the general word for bleach - 漂白剤 (ひょうはくざい). The official word for bleach on bottles is 衣料用漂白剤 (いりょうよう ひょうはくざい).

Caring for your Futon

If you haven't used a futon before, here's some helpful tips to keep your futon clean as well as your tatami!

If you're not using the futon, make sure to fold it and put it away in your closet. Leaving your futon out on the tatami all day allows mold and dust mites (ダニ) to accumulate underneath your futon. If you don't know about ダニ, click here to get educated about them.

Make sure to air out your futon whenever you can. Since you can't wash it like a normal blanket, you need to air it out. Hang it outside when it's sunny and relatively dry (not humid). That's where the giant clips (refer to "Drying Materials") come in. Many people also use beaters (depicted in the photo) to beat out dust.

Finally, always make sure your tatami is clean. Vacuum the tatami and wipe it. They make cleaners specifically for tatami mats (refer to the "Cleaning" page). Tatami takes a long time to make, so please make sure to take care of it.