16 People On Things They Couldn’t Believe About America Until They Moved Here

[RingTailedLemur]

Scotcat, is that why in the UK you can see carpet in bathrooms?

Carpet in bathrooms?  But, one toilet overflow and.. eep...

I've got Lino in mine but carpet is very common.

I've never had a toilet overflow, nor known anyone it has happened to.

[Yvaine]

Scotcat, is that why in the UK you can see carpet in bathrooms?

Carpet in bathrooms?  But, one toilet overflow and.. eep...

I've got Lino in mine but carpet is very common.

I've never had a toilet overflow, nor known anyone it has happened to.

I wonder if this ties back in with the discussion a few weeks ago about US vs. UK toilets. US toilets are filled much fuller with water, which leads both to fewer skidmarks and more overflows? Everyone I know (in the US) has had a toilet overflow at some point.

[Venus193]

I agree.  My mother had carpeting in both her bathroom and kitchen.  She never had the toilet overflow or back up, but I couldn't imagine never dropping anything in the kitchen.

[nutraxfornerves]

Although it's widely believed that the term "Black Friday" comes from businesses finally becoming profitable ("in the black") on that day, more recent research has found that this is not true.

The earliest use of "Black Friday" with regard to shopping was in Philadelphia in 1961, where heavy traffic caused problems

For downtown merchants throughout the nation, the biggest shopping days normally are the two following Thanksgiving Day. Resulting traffic jams are an irksome problem to the police and, in Philadelphia, it became customary for officers to refer to the post-Thanksgiving days as Black Friday and Black Saturday.

The earliest mention of "in the black" is from 1981--also in Philadelphia.

Source

[RingTailedLemur]

Although, talking about water damage, UK bathrooms don't have power outlets (except, occasionally, those "shavers only" things).

It confused me when I couldn't find the promised hairdryer in a hotel room in Canada, until I remembered about the power outlet thing and looked in the bathroom for it (and there it was!)

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

Although, talking about water damage, UK bathrooms don't have power outlets (except, occasionally, those "shavers only" things).

It confused me when I couldn't find the promised hairdryer in a hotel room in Canada, until I remembered about the power outlet thing and looked in the bathroom for it (and there it was!)

Where would a hairdryer be in the UK?

[perpetua]

Although, talking about water damage, UK bathrooms don't have power outlets (except, occasionally, those "shavers only" things).

It confused me when I couldn't find the promised hairdryer in a hotel room in Canada, until I remembered about the power outlet thing and looked in the bathroom for it (and there it was!)

Where would a hairdryer be in the UK?

In the bedroom, usually. Or wherever else in the house you want to plug it in. Mine's in the bedroom.

I could never understand why American family houses have so many bathrooms and why US folks always said they needed more than one because they could never get in the bathroom in the morning if there was only one, until I realised that hairdryers/styling devices etc were generally used in there and not in the bedroom.

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

Although, talking about water damage, UK bathrooms don't have power outlets (except, occasionally, those "shavers only" things).

It confused me when I couldn't find the promised hairdryer in a hotel room in Canada, until I remembered about the power outlet thing and looked in the bathroom for it (and there it was!)

Where would a hairdryer be in the UK?

In the bedroom, usually. Or wherever else in the house you want to plug it in. Mine's in the bedroom.

I could never understand why American family houses have so many bathrooms and why US folks always said they needed more than one because they could never get in the bathroom in the morning if there was only one, until I realised that hairdryers/styling devices etc were generally used in there and not in the bedroom.

For some reason that seems so odd to me. I've blow dried my hair in other rooms in my house. Heck once I did it out on a patio (long story), so I can understand the the concept of not doing ones hair in the bedroom. But it just feels...odd. It'd take me awhile to adjust.

[perpetua]

Not half as odd as it seems to me the other way around! I can't imagine using anything electrical in a room where there's steam and water, it seems terribly dangerous to me, although I'm sure your stuff must be wired differently somehow to make it safe.

[jedikaiti]

Not half as odd as it seems to me the other way around! I can't imagine using anything electrical in a room where there's steam and water, it seems terribly dangerous to me, although I'm sure your stuff must be wired differently somehow to make it safe.

Yup! For some time now electrical devices (at least ones likely to be used around water, like hairdryers) have been required to have fault protection built in - if it was made to code, and falls in a sink or tub full of water, it should cease functioning rather than electrocute anyone.

Also, GFCI outlets are increasingly common in kitchens and bathrooms - they're designed to shut off power at the outlet if a similar fault is detected.

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

Not half as odd as it seems to me the other way around! I can't imagine using anything electrical in a room where there's steam and water, it seems terribly dangerous to me, although I'm sure your stuff must be wired differently somehow to make it safe.

When I step back and think about, it does seem really unsafe!

[Katana_Geldar]

Although, talking about water damage, UK bathrooms don't have power outlets (except, occasionally, those "shavers only" things).

It confused me when I couldn't find the promised hairdryer in a hotel room in Canada, until I remembered about the power outlet thing and looked in the bathroom for it (and there it was!)

Where would a hairdryer be in the UK?

In the bedroom, usually. Or wherever else in the house you want to plug it in. Mine's in the bedroom.

I could never understand why American family houses have so many bathrooms and why US folks always said they needed more than one because they could never get in the bathroom in the morning if there was only one, until I realised that hairdryers/styling devices etc were generally used in there and not in the bedroom.

For some reason that seems so odd to me. I've blow dried my hair in other rooms in my house. Heck once I did it out on a patio (long story), so I can understand the the concept of not doing ones hair in the bedroom. But it just feels...odd. It'd take me awhile to adjust.

I prefer doing my hair in the bedroom, the lights better, I can sit down and I don't leave hair all over the sink. It's also less annoying if there's just one bathroom like at our place.

[RingTailedLemur]

I'd love to have a proper dressing table, with a chair and a lighted mirror.

[katycoo]

Scotcat, is that why in the UK you can see carpet in bathrooms?

Carpet in bathrooms?  But, one toilet overflow and.. eep...

I've got Lino in mine but carpet is very common.

I've never had a toilet overflow, nor known anyone it has happened to.

I wonder if this ties back in with the discussion a few weeks ago about US vs. UK toilets. US toilets are filled much fuller with water, which leads both to fewer skidmarks and more overflows? Everyone I know (in the US) has had a toilet overflow at some point.

It must be.  I'm in the same camp - noone I know has had a toilet overflow and while they can be blocked, noone just owns a plunger.  I assume you can buy one but its not a common household thing as blockages are so uncommon.

Honestly - its sounds like your toilets are more trouble than they're worth - you should change to our system!

Not half as odd as it seems to me the other way around! I can't imagine using anything electrical in a room where there's steam and water, it seems terribly dangerous to me, although I'm sure your stuff must be wired differently somehow to make it safe.

Well - the steam clears pretty quickly from the inbuilt fan and I don't use the hairdryer/other appliances in the shower or bath or with a full sink.  Taps simply being available don't make the bathroom any more dangerous than the kitchen for electrical appliances.

[Katana_Geldar]

I've only had two toilet overflows in my experience, and that was with a broken or blocked toilet. I'm more worried about damp from the shower in a carpeted bathroom.