How to Clean Bathroom Vent Filters in Japan

    I live in what I consider a fairly fancy Japanese "mansion" which is really essentially a condo by American standards. It wasn't cheap and we pay for upkeep but the place is ours. The building was completed in 2011 and we've lived here since the middle of that year, the only owners of this specific apartment ever.
    
    And in all that time I never knew how to clean this vent.
    
    This is the vent above the bathtub in our bath and shower room. Cleaning the tub itself is such a hassle that cleaning beyond that rarely crosses my mind, yet last year I noticed that the efficiency of the clothes-drying function on the vent was significantly diminished. At that time, I attacked the vent through the vent-guard with tweezers. After 30 minutes and a stained neck, I gave up but the drying function increased, so I figured that was good enough at the time.

    Now I am on this attempt to better clean my home and I finally figured out how to better clean this bad boy, so here are my tips for others who might also be in the same position.

    Check for indentions that are around thumb-sized, like the one to the right of the TOTO logo in the photo above. Try to pull it out gently. Depending on the model it may be in a different layout or come out a slightly different way.

    I was so shocked when this actually came out. It was almost like I had finally figured out what I was doing. Take the thing out gently and head to the garbage can. Do not chuck it in.


    I recommend using an old but cleaned toothbrush to help gently scrub away the dust from the filter into the garbage bag. While the results in my case were not entirely spotless (obviously due to the years of neglect the vent was put through by me), it was significantly less fuzzy and that meant it could go back into vented home for now.
    After doing this, I noticed an even greater improvement in clothes drying speeds as well as drying in general from the vent that was no longer clogged by years of dust.
    Now, on to Pinterest to look up how to even more thoroughly clean the filter so that it may look shiny and new the next time I set about cleaning it.