An unhealthy obsession with germs.

last updated 8 January 2015

Japan

Mihoko Tsukino

Stand back: The Japanese have discovered antibacterial wipes, said Mihoko Tsukino in Tokyo’s Yomiuri Shimbun. Over the past year or so, “antibacterial and sterilizing products” have flooded the stores, until now they are “an inescapable part of daily life.” The Japanese wife of past decades was content to wipe down surfaces with plain old soap and water. Now, “deodorizing and sterilizing goods are to be found in just about every home.” And toilets, even in private residences, come “equipped with bottom-cleaning sprays” that squirt up at the user. “Neither men nor women, it seems, can rest till every last part of their home and body is sparkling clean.” The trend is costing Japanese businesses money. In hotels, where it used to take 10 to 15 minutes to clean each room, it now takes 30 to 40 minutes. Every “trace of a previous occupant” must be removed, down to the last hair or fingerprint. Many businesses report that their customers increasingly demand “touchless toilets” with seats that sail upward at the wave of a hand before a sensor, and with automatic flushing. Scientists who study germs, though, tell us not to worry so much, as most bacteria are harmless. In other words, while keeping clean is fine, there’s no reason to get “overly obsessed.”