SURPRISING Differences between British & American Houses! // Toilet Buttons?!
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- Опубликовано: 27 янв 2021
- Ever wondered about the differences between British and American houses? In this video, I uncover 11 differences between UK and US houses, including outlets, toilets, kitchens, size, and more.
It can be hard, sometimes, to adjust to live in a British house when you're used to the sheer size of many American houses, but that's why they tell you not to bring your biggest furniture across the pond with you!
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We have a giant Farmhouse sink and honestly filling that up to wash up would be a joke. It's over 30cm deep and wide and the length is over 60cm the washing up bowl only takes up half the sink and half the depth.
One reason we are much more careful with electricty in the bathroom is that the supply is at twice the voltage used in the US.
Who's setting fire to something on a uk water filled radiator? It's warm water, not lava. Perplexed.
Maybe she has a storage heater style radiator
Doesn't everyone dry their washing on the radiators. Yes it makes your house a bit more damp, but it's too wet outside and tumbledryers aren't that common. We don't have enough large enough radiators in my house to dry washing on them and it drives me bonkers.
@@philcoogan7369 I used to dry washing on the radiators until I bought a tumble drier. Used to drive me nuts - condensation on the windows, and the living room looked like a Chinese laundry!
Because they get properly, properly hot, and hot metal + dry dry material can, in some circumstances, spark a flame.
Yeah, I regularly dry items on my radiators in the winter as I consider the dryer a last resort, and if I've put a towel or something on the radiator in the spare room it usually stays there for a week before I get it off.
Reasons to use a washing up bowl:
1, it stops breaking glasses and plates on the metal sink.
2,It keeps water hot for longer.
3,when in the middle of washing up you can still use the sink without emptying the water out, you just remove the bowl.
4, it's better for the environment as you can reuse when water, like watering plants for example.
5 using tap to rinse at side of bowl before putting on drying rack.
Also if washing paints, oils etc allows you to dispose of the waste safely.
And you don’t have to put your hand in the dirty water to drain it
@@hollya6408 very true
When your other half comes in with half finished cup of tea and you’re washing up you can pour it away round the bowl and wash up said cup.
“I can confirm that a bungalow is NOT a tropical paradise getaway” LOL 😂
Yeah. My partner and I live in a disabled accessible bungalow on a council estate. This really made me laugh!
It is a word the UK picked up from India
In California, where I live, a bungalow is strictly defined as a one or one-and-a-half story house with a low-pitched gabled roof, eaves that project well away from the house, and a covered front and/or back porch or veranda usually supported by tapering square columns. I grew up in such a house, and my boyhood neighborhood had many other houses answering this description.
The word Bungalow comes from an Indian word, bangalo, simply meaning a home in the Bengal style.
A bungalow was a house being built by an Irish man he ran out of bricks so he said I'll just bung a low roof on 😄😄
There is absolutely no chance whatsoever if you hang anything over a British central heating system that you are going to cause a fire.
Hahaha I was thinking the same, I always dry my clothes on the radiators lol xxx
@@TammyNewmanArt I did melt my vacuum cleaner hose on a hot radiator, but that was an oil-filled electric radiator.
One thing to add to the "toilet flush" debate is when you talk about pulling a cord from the ceiling, it will be a chain that is attached to the cistern. I've never seen just a rope/fabric cord used for that. But what you might see in toilets in public places is a red cord having from the ceiling ... don't pull that! That's the disabled alarm, eg for people who have fallen and can't get back up.
Interesting thoughts!
Handle flushes are very common in the UK. Button flushes are more usual In the rest of Europe. Small button for liquid waste, large for solids.
Plastic bowl for washing up means you have space for rinsing by the side of it if you only have a single sink. Agreed pointless if the plastic bowl is only a little smaller than the sink! But it's good for saving water for the garden in times of drought: yes we do have them! But anyway, a double sink is always preferable; just not possible in small kitchens!
What's so complicated about seperate hot and cold taps? But anyway, mixer taps are much more common.
No clothes have ever been burnt on a radiator and they certainly do speed up the drying process!
Please let us have more differences when you think of them!!! Food for thought a lot of the time!
@@58andyr If you don't use a washing up bowl how do you rinse things without diluting the soapy water?
You will NEVER set anything on fire by hanging it on a radiator.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial Yeah you definitely shouldn't on an electric radiator
@@BurnCKC electric ones are storage heaters not radiators and one in background of video is gas central heating so water filled
@@Cootsy69 is it a single or a double rad?
@@dave_h_8742 a double gas radiator won't burn your clothes it's the double electric ones with the vents on the top that burn your clothes
I couldn't deal with the microwave OVER the cooker. I'm five foot tall, if I have to pull a hot bowl of soup out of the microwave, I just know, one slip/tip & it's going to be all down my face /head /front... 😩. In Australia they're installed in our kitchen the same as in Britain - on the bench top or built in somewhere, usually at waist height or a little higher. Not head or face height.
Me too shadowcat!
I'm six foot four inches and mum was a foot shorter when a teenager shaving or doing hair I'd have to kneel down on a stool to get head in the mirror as headless otherwise.
I love that Americans go on and on about the push button. The last one I fitted was made in America. Most have been handles and have been British made.
You've been in UK for ten years and never seen a cooker? Yes, the modern kitchen has separate hobs and ovens as an option but equally popular is the cooker all in one, we have a range cooker with two ovens, a separate grill, five gas burners and a warming pad, all in one unit. And, my microwave is built into the kitchen cupboards, its above the dishwasher!
Just to confirm the flush buttons on Toilets are actually the way you thought. Small button for smaller flush and large for larger flush
And they are way less complicated than the 3 seashells
Yes, all 3 of mine are the same! XD I think if they are the other way round, it might have been installed incorrectly...😅
I think it varies between different brands.
@@mathiash.1379 hahaha, Love the pop culture reference, :) underrated film as well.
Reasons for kitchen bowl: a) means you don’t scratch your sink, b) you can pour stuff down the sink drain when your sink is full of dishes (you can also use the half sink), c) save water - my grandparents always used the soapy dishwater to water their garden (soapy dishwater is accordingly good for getting rid of aphids)
Useful when u rinse dishes when washing up 😅
Brit here, and I was laughing at this part. Yep, what Evie said, I don't have a half sink, just a single one so as I'm washing my dishes in the bowl, I can have the tap (faucet) running into the sink, but behind the bowl, so I can rinse bubbles or sauce etc away without it spilling into my 'clean' soapy water. As kitchens become more modern and people upgrade, I see more and more bigger sinks with half sinks also, and extra rinse functions over them, so bowls will, over the next generation or two probably become less of a thing. The same with ovens, its still very common to have the stove top on top of the over, just a more modern finish when upgrading to have an integrated stove top, particularly a very flat one, flush with the counter surface almost.
@@sianp5227 'faucet' lmfao
@@wolvesofthevoid1439 well that's what they call it 🤷♀️
The word bungalow has it's origins in India (from the times of Empire) essentially from Bengal
No - I remember learning this in the 90s, when I was an estate agent. Somebody was building a house, but ran out of bricks, so he had the bright idea of telling the workmen - let's just BUNG A LOW roof on it, and the name stuck!!
Wow,patcharin, I never knew that! I live in a bungalow, It's huge! This seems very out of date. She may live in a tiny terraced house but I have lived in many Terrace houses and are usually big and solid, often built over 100 years ago. She hasn't been very far because in most parts of the world have push button toilet flushes how does she cope with flushes that just need to be waved to! Many people don't have washing machines in thier kitchens these days. And having issues with washing bowls? The washing bowl is good because when you wash really dirty things, instead of the dirty old food going in your washing water it goes in the sink and straight down the plughole , and so keeps dish water cleaner. Many people have dishwashers as well!
@@davidwallin7518 ????
Setting a fire with a radiator good look with that we dry our clothes on ours
I mean the maximum temperature would be about 99 centigrade
Never heard of a radiator burning stuff unless it is a storage heater and you can alter radiator temperature and water temp via airing Cubbards so you dont burn you self while using hot water taps I used to always dry clothes on the radiator
@@emmamaclean737 there’s a more modern radiator in one of the rooms of my house which says don’t cover not 100% sure why.
The things one can burn on a radiator are limited to hands, forearms, elbows, . . ..
There is no way a water rad will ever start a fire
How about u put a plug in the sink and fill it up wiv hot and cold till it’s just right
When I was a kid we had an antiquated hot/cold water system like this!
I used to hate it go for a bath 🛀
Duck
Someone used it all emirsion heat on wait 40 mins try again
Where do we pour our brews then
And I will use a bowl and use less water
When I lived in the UK whilst at school, the washing-up bowl was used by us boys to keep the soapy water, and we used the hot water tap over the other space in the sink to rinse the dishes before stacking them.
Your washing up bowl anxiety is so funny. 😂
I'm with you on washing up bowls. I never use them at home. Useful for when you go camping, or for soaking your feet in if they're sore.
Sinks and bowls
Like lots of things here the explanation for why things “are” is cultural inertia. If you imagine a 1920s/30s house of a working or middle class household the kitchen sink was porcelain construct holding about 5+ gallons of water. These are often now called “Butlers sinks”. This was used for multiple purposes including part of the weekly wash and bathing the children. This was often the only HOT TAP in the home, The bath supply being generated from a separate gas appliance (the geyser) as an American don’t go there unless you want to be gobsmacked, they were the device of the devil and common in UK households until the 1970’s.
So to get a reasonable depth of hot water in which to do the washing up whilst not spending a fortune a bowl was used (enamel not plastic). Like everything else from 1939 till 1952 the war brought a halt to easy availability of household goods so the status quo held on. As prosperity gradually came in the 1950’s the shiny stainless steel sink became a highly desired item. In the 1950’s this was not seen as a utility item but as a luxury. So having acquired one you didn’t want to scratch it so you used a plastic bowl. I well remember being told off by my mother and her step mother for not being “careful” with the sink.
Even now approaching 80 I would not dream of risking scratching the sink or draining board and so also use a plastic draining rack; pointless perhaps but guilt lingers.
Nice explanation. England /Britain is very old... they're are lots of cultural hangovers from times gone by, usually which had their origin in good reason... not just because... 'Brits be crazy'.
E.g. washers in the kitchen - because that's where the plumbing is, especially in very small terrace homes where there might only be one other room in the house with plumbing... the bathroom, & you possibly won't be fitting a clothes washer in that tiny room - it's barely big enough for the bath & basin!
Same thing with the hot/cold taps. I'm sorry for the treason I am about to commit but as a brit, mixer taps are just clearly better. And I don't mean the weird ones that despite coming from the same tap, stillmanage to clearly separate the hot and cold water, those are pretty awful, I mean ones where it's mixed as it comes from the tap. Yes you can just mix hot and cold in the sink but it uses more water for inferior results and why not just have it the right temperature out of the tap?
I know the historical reasons why they were separated and if you still have a hot water tank that heats the water when electricity is cheap and store it for example then it makes sense. But most houses nowadays use combi boilers and both the hot and cold water is perfectly safe to drink. My fellow brits, it's time to move on and embrace the nicely temperatured, flowing water you get with mixer taps.
That all being said, I find it pretty ridiculous when some americans throw a hissy fit over the separate tap set up and can't seem to figure out how to not burn their hands. It's not that complicated.
@@Person01234 You'll need to get the regulations changed, most water authorities still require kitchen mixers to only mix the water outside the actual fitting, you have to be able to deliver cold direct from the rising main without it coming into contact with potentially stored hot. This saves DIY kitchen installers using the type of mixer tap you like in situations where it would be inappropriate.
That said, separate taps are better than either type of mixer, ask anyone who goes to get a glass of water just after someone ran a sink full of hot to do washing up, have to waste a ton of water or drink warm water, while cooling the water in the sink already unacceptably in the process.
Re the geyser, we had an old ASCOT water heater and every time you tried to light it it would throw a hissy fit, and when it did light, it lit with an almighty great bang and you thought that the bloody thing was about to jump off the wall it was attached to
@@Person01234 With separate hot and cold taps it can be difficult or impossible to quickly wash or rinse you hands without having to put up with water that's too hot or too cold.
Oh wow, your point about the washing up bowl is absolutely hilarious!! I never thought about it before. I always thought that a washing bowl stops the sink from scratching and reduces breakages of glasses etc.
Not all houses in the UK (especially older houses) have the height for ceiling fans which is why they probably aren't more common
I use my radiators a lot in the winter to dry clothes, it does not set ur clothes on fire lol
Never understood this drying clothes on a radiator, it fills the house with humid air and stops the radiator from actually heating the house so one's boiler is running for longer increasing one's gas or oil bill. That's why we have tumble dryers. Even better if on a smart meter and use cheap night time electricity to use the washing machine and tumble dryer.
@@tonys1636 you are supposed to fill a container that hangs at the back of rads with water or the air is too dry and drys out your throat same as A.C. in a car on long journeys.
We use 240v over here so don't bring your own electrical appliances. Electrical switches and outlets are not permitted in bathrooms because electricity at that voltage will jump gaps so if they get wet or your hands are wet and you touch them you will get a shock and a shock at 240v will very often prove fatal.
230 V now - we met in the middle with the rest of Europe which used to be 220V - 230 V is an EU standard since 2008 which is now ironic...
@@nicksavage567 Well technically we did change, but since you are allowed an error range up to 245 V many did not bother making the change down to 230 V. Which is why an EU appliance now has to be able to work at ranges between 210 V and 240 V, because not many other European countries changed either.
Strange that British electricity is stronger and more deadly than in most other European countries. We use a ground breaker (I think it is called), as soon as a short is detected it cuts the voltage. Sometimes for the house, sometimes only for the bathroom. Presto, outlets in the bathroom!
I was in a hotel in Spain this summer, and they had a standard 230V Europlug socket in the bathroom 😱. I didn't use it.
As a Brit living in America, I miss draining boards. They are so useful and sinks with boards are unobtainable here. I have an enamelled cast iron sink. The slightest bump into the side chips or cracks china and glassware. Stainless steel or resin sinks have more "give" and do much less damage. I would only use a bowl in a porcelain or cast iron sink.
The bathroom electrical thing is because of the higher voltage. There are many small homes in America too, its where the poorer people live.
Re Bowls. If you accidently leave a tap running the Bowl fills up overflows into the sink and drains, you never get a sink overflowing.
You do know it is impossible for the sink to overflow, there is an emergency drain.
@@agharries if its a trickle yes, but if you leave a tap running the overflow will not generally cope, and overflows block easily and you usually find this out the hard way. I speak from bitter experience!
If it gets hot in England we open a window
@@deckard6_634 and winter is only 1 day away
You have no idea of hot and muggy it gets here
Yeah and that works🙄 you get half a dozen blue bottles within 10 minutes.
@@davidhealy4534 tf is a blue bottle
I wish we had door nets like thereis in Canada, I remember saying that when I have my own house I'd definitely invest in a net. But I think most people had celling fans
Most hot taps today (in my experience and because of old plumbing/old hot water systems) do not instantly give hot hot water straight away; so usually you can at least get your hands washed before the actually-hot water comes through.
Great fun, so many differences. Well done for adapting.👌
A combo washer drier is ok only faulty ones will not work right. And combos need filters cleaning out.
With regards to taps that’s why you have a plug for the sink
Hang on a minute, I'm British and I'm pretty sure that the smaller button on the 3 loos in the house IS for a pee, and the bigger one is for the other. If that's not the case, that freaks me out!
My husband is insistent it is the other way around and I can confirm our toilet is the other way around haha!!
Just double checked mine...small button for short flush, big button for longer flush. However, if you keep the small button pressed down it will carry on flushing until you release it or until you use all the water in the tank.
All mine are like yours (small button for a pee), I think hers may have been installed incorrectly, as the buttons can be taken off 😅
The kitchen bowl is made of plastic where as the sink is made of ceramic or metal. The idea of the bowl is to stop people chipping either the plates in the metal sink or chipping the ceramic sink when cleaning metal pots and pans.
Correct. That's my understanding, as well. Traditionally that's the reason several women have given me.
I too am from Florida but have lived in the UK many years. You gave a good account of the main differences but I have a few more. It took me a long time to get used to no screens on the windows or doors. True, there aren't as many mosquitoes here but there are flies.
You can't cook in a British kitchen without scales or scissors handy.
Most people hang their washing outside.
The indoor walls are solid, you don't have to find the studs to hang a picture but you have to use those funny Rawl plugs.
Who doesn't hang their washing outside? 😳
@@MsCateStar Americans!
We usually have separate laundry/utility rooms that we hang clothes in and usually use a dryer for undergarments, towels, bedding, etc!
Another amazing video and epic comments!! I wonder if you have been converted to the washing up bowl yet!! 😂😂😂
The bowl thing is for the soapy water and before and after going in the soapy water you can rinse the dishes with the tap in the gap between bowl and sink. You then soap them in the hot soapy water in the bowl. Rinse off and done. Without the bowl, there’s no where to rinse off the excess dirt at the beginning or suds after. Fine if you have a second sink or a waste disposal but as you know, a lot of houses don’t have that. Thats the reason behind the bowls as far as I’m aware.
@@GirlGoneLondonofficial Also this isn't specific to the UK as far as I know, in other European countries this is also more or less common, depending on the country.
I’ve never in my life seen someone so angry about the washing up bowl before... I love mine
Maybe not angry; just a little frustrated, non-comprehending.
I agree with her. I hate bowls for dishes. Ma Maw uses one.
@@dicem8977 well I guess I’m yer maw! Haha
@@katrinarowell9417 Fair enough hen but I think you might be younger than me. Cheers though.
@@dicem8977 how do you ken how old I am? Hahah might just had a lot of work done !
I used to use a washing up bowl in secondary school because they said it stops food waste blocking pipes
Yep... and protects dishes and glasses
They could’ve given you one of those plug things used to trap food waste you can take out to empty into the garbage. I’ve got one.
The washing up bowl in the U.S. is called a dish pan. My mother when I was growing up in the 60's always used one. She never put the dishes directly in the sink.
Same here
Ahhh, young Padawan . . . you will begin to learn a great many things as you grow older here, eventually!
1) Bathroom electrical sockets . . . yes, any moisture getting inside any of the 3 holes can indeed cause problems to an open uncovered socket. However, if you're that desperate and can't be bothered to do your hair in the bedroom or whatever - then just take an extension lead into the bathroom with you - and good luck!
2) Radiators . . . they have always been an quintessential requirement over here really. On rainy or misty damp days outside, you cannot hang clothes out on the line to dry. So just bung them on to your radiators instead. Plus, on cold or wintry days, you can warm most of your clothes up on them ready for when you get out of bed in the morning . . . as you can't beat pre-warmed clothes, or a nice pair of warmed up socks going on your feet!
3) Hot & Cold taps . . . just depends what you want to use them for really. And that large thing below the taps is called a sink or basin . . . invented to mix said water to your preferred temperature in it, and long before those modern mixer taps things were ever thought of . . .
4) House prices . . . you could likely buy a 3/4 bed detached house up here for the price of a 1 bedroom flat in London. If you want to live where everything is so expensive, then you end up paying the price for doing it . . . Flats, Terraced, Semi-Detached & Detached are their usual names. . . until you get all the way up to Mansions & Palaces . . .
5) Washing up bowls . . . Sometimes metal sinks can get scratches from the likes of knives and forks, etc, unless you only eat with plastic utensils? So it saves that from happening . . . Or, the old farmhouse style sinks were a lot larger, but made from porcelain usually, hard to scratch, but drop something heavy into it and it could get a crack. Hence using a bowl for both reasons.
5A) The smaller side option sink a lot of people use as a rinser . . . so you take the newly washed item out from the washing-up bowl, and then rinse it there before stacking it on the drainer. One reason why your "mixer" tap actually swivels that way . . .
5B) There will come a time as you get older when your tired feet might really require a good long soak. And then in comes that same washing-up bowl you now don't have to use. This is so you can just sit and read, or watch the TV, etc, and just steep your feet in the prepared warm/hot water at the same time.
6) Toilet Flushing . . . the flushing option various everywhere really. Mine has an attached push down handle. A slow full push offers a short flush, a heavier push down offers a harder flush on it. Again, different styles of toilets will vary. Just be thankful we haven't started using any Japanese ones over here, or you may need to an instructional manual just so you don't press the wrong one!
7) Microwaves, washers, dryers, and so on are classed as white goods - meaning they usually go into our kitchens here. Most houses built from from back in the day, unless you were rich enough and could afford better, were small in size, so space was at a premium. With no extra rooms available they had to go somewhere, so in the kitchen they went . . .
8) Ovens . . . again, there are various options available. Split-Level and built-in = usually means one above the other. Their placement simply depends upon space in your kitchen and what can go in it, and where. As you showed, you can have the oven hidden beneath the counter and the burners or electric hobs on the top. You can also just buy an over that will push into the gap between counters. I have, and still prefer my older style type of the single unit push-in oven, along with the raised grill above it for ease of use.
So, there ya go, bonny lass, your former questions and worries have now been answered in a concise and, I hope, coherent way for you . . .
House prices - you missed out Castles, when mentioning Mansions & Palaces!
@@davidwallin7518 - Bugga!
The "Washing up Bowl", is used like this, put dishes in and fill with warm soapy water. You then have space to pour fluid down the side and still run the tap. You can also remove the bowl and use the sink.
haha! love your grandma. There are lot of townhouses in America in and near cities. But yes, equally, there are a lot of suburbs and, of course, rural areas where there are little to no townhouses
Lots of toilets have lever flushes.
Mine does.Can't stand these pushbutton types plus they break far more often than a simple lever.
In the us if a lever breaks its a simple diy project that takes an hour or so. If that. Anyone can change out the lever or the flapper or valve.
Don't let this blow your mind, but I have lever flushes with two different levels of flush !!
Your rant about the washing up bowls really made me laugh :)
The name " Bungalow " originated in the 1800's in India .
The dish pan is something I remember growing here in the US. My grandmother’s used it. It’s still something that you can purchase here but not used like it use to be.
Laughed so much and your explainations which were spot on, as a 50+ year old Brit I never knew the toilet button thing, always thought it was the other way round (like you first thought). Great video!
I am a baby-boomer. It was common to have a "dishpan" to wash dishes in. It was commonly stored under the sink. If a dishpan wasn't available, we used the "macaroni" pan (being Italian), which was deep. The dishes, etc. were scrapped and rinsed and then washed. The separate pan was used to save on water, as opposed to having the faucet/tap constantly running. As an avid Brit tv watcher (RUclips), The Brits do have a good idea in having a switch for the outlet. That should happen here in the U.S. On that same subject, wouldn't it be a good idea for those same type of outlets (with switches) be used in bathrooms over there? That would eliminate the risk of a short circuit/fire. Anyway, great chennel. I'm enjoying it.
Back in the days befor Stainless steel sinks we had "Belfast sinks" pot/porcelain, bowls were used to stop it chipping or the crockery breaking. My Cousin moved to an old house 30 years ago that had a stone slab wilth a hollow an inch deep carved in it, they got a proper sink when they fitted a new kitchen, the first job on moving in.
When I was little I asked a relative why his house was called a bungalow and he said 'well, when the builder was
building it he ran out of bricks so his boss said just bung a low roof on'!!
😂
The old jokes are the best.
@@charlieyerrell9146
Might not be a joke……could be true and they just changed the plans. Impossible to know.
The washing up bowl is simply the best….you can soak things in the bowl separately, you can take the bowl with water in, to clean up a problem….or even to soak your feet…lol
The plug thing made me laugh. I can imagine not thinking to turn on the socket has caused plenty of frustration. The washing up bowl thing probably has multiple explanations. One would be that it protects fine china and glassware from collisions with a stone or metal sink, at least to some degree. Also it gives you somewhere to soak stuff without tying up the sink. Sone people have multiple bowls - one for washing, one for food prep.
Oh and the microwave thing - it always looks so awkward to me on US shows when people have to reach up over the hob or oven to get stuff out of the microwave. Hot liquids, potentially superheated and you have to reach and lean over to take this thing out of the microwave and head level. I'm sure that never goes wrong :-)
One option is a portable A/C, widely available in the UK. Not hugely expensive. I have friends in the US who have exactly the same kind of units who used it on an as needed basis. We used ours last summer when it was hot. Gets pushed into a corner in the winter
the washing up basin helps you take out basin if it has dishes in it, to gain access to our single sinks. or you can pre treat clothes in it without taking out counter space without taking away of the abity to use the sink when its needed. or use it as a portable sink for when cleaning stuff with soapy water around the house easier to get into than a bucket if your cleaning stuff at the same level your basin is at
A washing up bowl is to stop breakages and also makes it easy to still use the sink as you can move the bowl with the items
I'm from London - first time I arrived in Miami for work, I got out of the hire car with its nice a/c and instantly felt slaughtered by the heat - my sunglasses instantly fogged up and I realised this was not a place for walking.
Okay. Here’s a question for you. How do you water your plants with the used washing up water when it’s in the sink? It’s all about water conservation. Something the British have been doing for hundreds of years.
Thank you for these videos, you are covering things that others are not. Will make our move easier from the US.
I lived in Massachusetts and we had water radiators in each house we lived. i loved them. The only thing was to check the furnace regularly to make sure there was enough water in it.
Ref washing up bowl I would suggest it's due to many houses having only one small sink. Having a bowl allows you to lift it out of the sink if you need the sink for some other purposes while you are doing the washing. However we have two sinks in our kitchen but still use a bowl. We just like it that way!
You make me laugh!🤣
A washing up bowl gives you the opportunity to take everything out of the sink safely and easily, all in one go.
Example: your sink is full of dishes and you suddenly need to clean your baking tray or frying pan. You can take all the dishes out from the sink easily in one go, clean the other item, then return the washing up bowl with the dishes in to be cleaned later by a nephew or niece who wants to earn some pocket money!
Hope this helps!
The bowl in the sink comes from the days when we used to compose the potato and veg peelings when we had allotments gardens or just growing vegetables in your garden and so the bowl is so we didn’t need to pick out all of the vegetable peelings after draining the sink and just simply took the bowl out side an threw the vegetable peelings on the compost heap/mound. That isn’t done anymore unless you have a compost bin but the bowl just stuck and that’s the reason also it has the added benefit of not damaging the edges on knives as metal on metal will damage edges on knives and the plastic bowl is less likely to damage cups, plates and glasses. Hope this answers your question. Also hot water radiators will not damage or set your clothes on fire lol.
You southerner with your fancy new-fangled double sinks, mixer taps, shaving outlets, and push-button flushes; not to mention your warm summers. :-)
U just put the plug in the sink and put both taps on, let the sink fill and there u go you have perfect temperature for the water. With regards to the washing up bowl it stops the sink getting too dirty causing lines and just destroying the shine on the sink so we use a bowl it makes sense
I think some Americans are used to just turning on the tap and letting water (wastefully) wash down the drain. Here in Australia I remember meeting an American who was rolling her eyes as she explained about how Australians are weird because when they use a sink - eg bathroom basin to brush your teeth - they keep turning the tap off & on. I had to explain to her that we have been taught from a young age to conserve water, as we seem to be perpetually in drought. Esp in rural areas, some people shower with a bucket in the shower to collect any excess water from the shower head, & use it to flush number ones in the toilet, or use it to water the garden, wash the car etc. It's good to live in other countries & experience the differences in the way others live 👍🏼
@@MsCateStar my mothers washing machine water hose goes in to the toiled. And most of the times they just let the water fill buckets to use it for the toilet. Damn. Different countries different solutions 😄
Oh the ever present washing bowl! I am an in student and I have been told that the washing bowl is there to collect the food scraps that result from washing the dishes because it's not safe to allow them down the drain. It doesn't make much sense to me but well, UK is pretty different
Random but ceiling fans scare me. I was on holiday In Spain & I swear the fan was hanging on by a thread & swinging all over. I felt like I was In Final Destination 😂😭
Re hot and cold taps. The idea is that you put the plug in the plug - hole and mix the water in the basin.
I needed a washing up bowl in my last house because I had a Belfast sink, which was way too big to fill.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the under-counter fridge.
Or built in ovens and microwave
During my childhood most sinks were made of stone. They were large, sometimes shallow, sometimes deep. In the 50s/60s plastic came in and washing-up bowls became popular. Less water was required and breakages were reduced.
Washing up bowl - originally used when homes used metal sinks. If you use a metal sink in an unheated house the hot water goes cold really quickly. The bowl also allowed housewives to soak dishes but have access to a sink in the mean time because the bowl can be left on the side to soak but also keeps their sink shiny.
I use a Washing bowl at work to clean up tea mugs and dishes in the canteen away from my office, I use it at home as I can chuck it in the dishwasher so I don't have to clean it :)
I’m sure it’s already been said but it’s my lunch hour and I don’t have time to look, but a radiator is not going to cause a fire if it has a towel on it… no matter how hot it is. We use them for drying clothes, towels, bed linen etc.
A year late but, the washing up bowl is a throwback to when every house had a thick ceramic wash basin, if you scrape metal across the ceramic, it becomes discoloured a dirty grey colour that no amount of scrubbing would ever remove.
Same thing with stainless steel really, if it gets scratched up it provides habitat for bacteria.. maybe the washing up bowl should stay lol
I grew up in South Africa and we used a washing up bowl as well. It's usually to easily dispose of any food or oil that may come off the things you are cleaning, to then easily dump in the loo or drain as supposed to clogging up the kitchen drain. Food disposals aren't as popular here as in the USA. Although they do seem to be a thing now.
I noticed in America that the shower heads seem to be fixed to the wall whereas in the UK (and anywhere in Europe) you can take them down and hold them in your hand to wash all over.
Yes, my husband hates American shower heads!
It is usually one or three degrees warmer in London, due to all the Hot air, and your radiator, (Rad.) being up too high.
I am a Brit that just uses the sink for washing up. A bowl is just extra annoyance so I'm with you there.
Microwaves are more commonly built-in now with newer kitchens just not above the hob. I always think that looks a bit odd. Also I much prefer our built in ovens when halfway up the unit as you can see what you are cooking more easily.
I definitely agree with you Americans thought that the washing machine in the kitchen is not ideal. In every flat I've lived in I've always had it re-plumbed in a hallway cupboard.
Enjoyed your video!
We like to water our rose bushes with the washing up water in the summer.Hence the washing up bowl.
Hi, you can use your radiator, to dry clothes on and they won't do any damage. It's just the electric heating that gives of hot air do not cover these types of heating...
I lkve it over there and miss it so much I wish I could visit again 💗
A second bowl in the sink protects the stainless steel bowl from puncture damage from a knife, I have seen a few sinks punctured by a sharp knife, requiring the sink to be replaced. It is also sometimes useful to wash vegetables.
Depending on what type of radiator you have you can put things to dry/heat on the radiators here in uk.
Some bungalows in uk can be 2 stories if they have had a loft conversation or they were built with the second floor in the loft.
Regarding flushing the loo here are still toilets with handles you push down but they are usually in older buildings. As for the 2 butting not all button toilets have 2 some just have 1. And last no not all the time is the smaller button Giving more of a flush sometimes it does once a smaller flush it depends on the manufacture. In my old house the smaller button was indeed a smaller flush. However I usually just pressed the larger own.
Ovens with hobs as one were common place with the older generations but you're right many are separate now in the UK.
I don't like washing up bowls either, I put it on the counter top then put the washed washing up in it ready to be rinsed off and put on the drainer.
Both of my hotels in London and Windsor had air conditioning. The surprising thing is that it was on (very low) and it was like 40F degrees outside
The bowl for me makes sense if you have a single sink so you can still empty or rinse items whilst doing the dishes. If you have the 1 and a half or double sink they done make sense.
A brief explanation of the differences in separate taps/faucets in the UK is due to the individual heating/boiler systems we use. The cold water systems in the UK are, ‘mains’, fed and the water pressure can reach up to 6 bar. Whereas internal hot water systems vary in each property, from low pressure tank fed to mains fed combi boiler systems. If a dual fed, one spout, ‘mixer’, tap/faucet was connected to a low pressure hot water system, the higher pressured cold water could be forced into the hot water system. The water in both systems are safe and uncontaminated, but that’s why they were separate. The modern combi boiler warms the cold mains water as it passes through the boiler, so the pressure differences aren’t as great. That’s why you’ll find more mixer taps/faucets in modern bathrooms, instead of the separate taps in older bathrooms.
We have a washing up bowl that's slightly smaller than our sink because we only have a single sink. I only wash up once a day, having the washing up in a bowl means we can remove the washing up from the sink and have better access to the sink (filling pots & stuff) ! Also means we can still pour stuff into the sink around the bowl, without contaminating the washing up water! Say you started washing up & you realise you didn't pour out that half left glass of drink (not water), bam! You can pour it down between the bowl & sink!
Literally just more convenient!
As for the microwave and the oven our houses as you stated tend to be small with small kitchens so space is at a premium
in France we call that houses which share walls with the neighbor house "maisons mitoyennes" (lit. terraced houses). it's common in cities, and in a cold country, it can be more economic to warm in winter.
I moved to the U.S. 20 years ago from England and make a point to live in a brick house with radiators (baseboard heat). I hate forced air heating, it just dries the entire house out. It does really irk me how much people charge here for flimsy wooden frame houses with ugly metal or plastic siding. I like living in a sturdy brick house. Oh, I lived in England for 24 years and the power never went out once. It goes out here at least 5 times a year. The power grid is so old and out of date, if the wind blows in the wrong direction it kills the power. So sad.
I guess you could say that's the difference between paying higher taxes here than the US then?.... Also the US military probably takes a huge chunk that could go to infrastructure right? Xxx ♥
Anything that raises temperature also drives humidity down. Temperature reduces the air's capacity to hold water. The only compensation is to add a considerable amount of water, as, for example, is found in the tropics.
British houses are also wooden framed.
@@RockTo11 since when?.... Or are we talking about the internal structure, because every house I see in London is built with bricks! 😂
@@RockTo11 Unfortunately true, judging by the cheap nasty houses they've built behind where I live.
I’m from Maine and grew up with “dish pan” and still use one about half of the time and I’m in my 60’s! It keeps your glasses and dishes from banging around on the metal sink and I use it all the time when I’m baking and cooking so I can continually wash my hands and wash out my pots and pans as I go. That way you’ve got hot soapy water to wash in but you can rinse them without filling your sink full of water every time you try to rinse. Your rents water can just go down the side of your dish pan. If you’ve got some cookware that needs to soak you can do it in the dish pan and still be able to run water etc. again without filling up your sink. I’m totally enjoying your videos by the way, I love anything British.
In the UK, we don't have electrical "outlets". We have "sockets".
Not all homes in the UK, have push-button flushing for toilets. Many still have a handle flush.
We also don't have "cord" flushes. We have a *chain* .
Also, we don't have a "sink" in the bathroom. Instead we have a "hand basin".
The washing up bowl has many uses. You can fill it with water to take elsewhere in the house and garden to prepare vegetables, or wash things. It can be used on the drainer top or worktop to soak stubborn deposits on dishes, whilst you use the sink for something else. Some people also use the sink to wash dishes in soapy water, put clean water in the washing up bowl to rinse off the soap suds before stacking on the drainer to dry. Most newer, and many older houses now have a water meter, so you pay for your water, metered by the cubic metre. Rinsing dishes and washing anything under a running tap wastes more water than using a sink or bowl.
I love your rant on Washing up bowls. I do not lose much sleep over it but I have used one all my life and when I have not had one, say when on holiday I find it strange. Having the second mini-sink is a modern invention. I guess using the bowl goes back to when there was NO SINK. If you only have a single sink then a bowl is really useful to empty things that have been soaking or Tea while washing up. If you have a mini sink or two big sinks then there is not much need and it just comes down to habit, upbringing.
I love the discussion it's created - so many different reasons to use one! Totally makes sense that the bowl is really helpful with a single sink!
In Ireland I was always told we using washing us basins(bowls) to keep the sink clean 🤣 if the bowl is dirty when somebody is coming over, we can hide is away 🤣
Concerning washing up bowls, we have two, the one that’s normally in the sink for washing crockery, pans etc, and another one for hand washing clothes that are sensitive and need hand washing. It means that you don’t contaminate your food preparation equipment with the dirty clothes that you’re washing.
Air conditioning is quite common in most hotels. Also with regard to your feet getting singed , try sticking a small pillow between your bed and the radiator...
I'm an ex pat American in UK for 41 yrs now. Have always refused to use a washing up bowl! I have a nice big Belfast (farmhouse) sink.
I miss the power buttons on outlets. We lived in a cute house in the UK for a while. Now the living situation is an apartment in Houston
look into the actual safety design of British plug sockets to truly understand how great the design is.... For instance, did you know that the top hole in the plug socket isn't a live socket hole?... It's actually a locking mechanism for the 2 lower holes that contain the live wires & if you look at the socket without a plug in, then you'll see the 2 little plastic door covers that only flip up once you start putting a plug inside, this prevents people from sticking things in the socket & getting electrocuted 😌😉
Haha very funny - as a Brit that’s all highly amusing. And no, I won’t be changing my beautiful taps for an ugly mixer-tap nor getting rid of my washing up bowl!