Haruko Niitsu, who is called a national treasure in Japan for her excellent cleaning at Tokyo Haneda Airport, arrived in Taiwan yesterday to attend a forum on cleaning and give advice to workers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport).
Niitsu was born in Shengyang City in China’s Liaoning Province to a Chinese mother and a Japanese father. Her father was an orphan adopted by a Chinese father after the World War ll.
When she was 17, her family relocated to Japan through a program that helped people of Japanese descent residing in China return to their homeland.
Photo: CNA
Niitsu holds a license issued by the Japanese government to clean buildings and is a professional training counselor for more than 700 cleaning technicians at Haneda.
Because of the crew’s extraordinary work, Haneda was named the world’s cleanest airport by Skytrax in 2013, 2014, last year and this year.
She has also published several books teaching people how to efficiently clean their houses.
Niitsu changed into her Haneda uniform after arriving at Songshan airport and went directly to coach Sincere Group workers.
She first watched them do their restroom routine, including wiping the mirrors and countertops, scrubbing sinks and cleaning the toilets, and then demonstrated what she would do to make them cleaner.
The toilet seat cover, the seat and the rim under the seat should all be wiped as well as scrubbed, she said.
“You cannot clean these areas using a brush with a handle, because you will miss a lot of spots, such as the area inside the toilet rim. Smells would eventually come from these spots if they remain dirty, and because the air inside the restroom does not always circulate properly, the walls would absorb the odors and make the restroom smelly, so you need to find ways to clean those difficult-to-reach spots,” she said.
Niitsu showed her cleaning kit, which contains a small paint brush, several pencil-like sharpened bamboo sticks, wipes and other items.
The tools could either be bought or made, she said.
Niitsu, who is also known for her ability to use 80 different kinds of detergents, said her expertise comes from years of on-the-job experimentation.
“It all depends on the material of the item you are about to clean,” she said.
For example, to remove black spots on a stainless steel water fountain, she said that a neutral detergent must first be used to clean the surface, then an acidic detergent must be applied to remove the spots.
Compared with women’s restrooms, Niitsu said that it is more difficult to clean the men’s.
“Women are more aware of keeping the restroom clean, and the urine is less likely to splash out of the toilets, because they have to sit down. Men are less careful when peeing at urinals,” she said.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
RSS