Home Improvements And Decorating Tips From Japan

Home decorating the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry-room all start with the appliances. However, with so many new, energy efficient, and ecologically friendly products coming out in the near future, one wonders if they shouldn't take a look at some of the new designs and decorate and design these rooms to accommodate the new appliances.

Americans crave the security of round-the-clock comforts. They want convenience at a fingertip, just in case they are needed. The most ever-present example of American's love affair with fingertip-gratification is the hot water heater.

Unlike valets who get intermittent curbside rests, water heaters just sit there, forever cooking gallons of hot water, ready at any time. After all, we never know when we might wake at 2am and decide that we want a shower, to do a load of laundry, and run the dishwasher.

It is time Americans embrace the new home ecotechnologies? Notorious for their thriftiness and love of high-tech gizmos, the Japanese have already discovered that going green is good for the environment and the pocket book.

Many Japanese families use "tankless" water heaters that hang on a wall and heat water when needed. There is no reservoir. The water is heated the moment the faucet turns on, and the heating stops when the faucet is turned off.

Further savings can be obtained by installing flow reducing faucets.

The combination toilet/bathroom sink is another common fixture in Japanese homes. The toilet/sink is flushed and you wash your hands with water that is used to fill the tank. Some models incorporate a flush lever that swings left for a half-tank flush and right for the full flush.

The Japanese also have motion sensors that turn on the lights and heat when they sense body heat in the room. Some even follow the person, heating the area where the person is occupying.

The Japanese also use washing machines that spin clothing dry, almost. Reducing the need for long times in the dryer.

The Japanese have a new commercial laundering system that requires no detergent, works with cold water, and recycles water. The system, patented by the Florida firm, Tri-O-Clean, saturates wash water with ozone, an oxidant used to disinfect drinking and swimming-pool water. Water from the washer is recovered, filtered, replenished with ozone, and reused for future washes. This reduces water use and water pollution.

New products on the horizon include microwaves that dry clothing. This type of microwave will accommodate zippers, reduce drying time by 25%, and reduce wear on delicate fabrics.

Ultrasonic dishwashers gently bombard grimy dish grease with high-frequency sound waves that create vapor bubbles which dislodge cake-on grime. This will reduce hot water use by 25 to 50 percent.

Then there are the new refrigerators. Frigidaire and Whirlpool are neck and neck in the race to produce the first chlorofluorocarbon-free superefficient refrigerator.

The new products will have different requirements than our current products. For example, a 'tankless' water heater hangs on the wall, and is about 3' square by about 1' deep. This is a great space saver, and can even move the water heater out of a basement into the laundry room.

When most people think of home renovations and designs they think of manipulating and decorating space.