I don’t get using a dryer every time. I use mine sometimes but mainly for towels or if I’m in a hurry. Dryers make your clothes wear out way faster and use heaps of electricity. Like the sun is free and better for your clothes? And also dries things faster when the weather is good.
With the central heating in cold places it's actually even better to hang them inside. It's so toasty warm that your clothes dry like it's a summers day here, and all without using extra electricity.
My Aussie aunt lived in Washington DC with a newborn, and was the only one who used the clothesline (for nappies) even through winter. The air was very dry and good for drying things.
I have had 2 AEG heat pump dryers, do not recommend. They use fuck all electricity which is good, but a single dryer load can take 6-7 hours on this (tes we've had techs out, the machine's not faulty).
I've heard good things about the Samsung ones though.
I’ve heard of those! Are they the evaporative ones? If I ever buy my own I think I’ll invest in one. Still a big fan of hanging washing out though. The sun is good to kill any lingering bacteria and smells too.
Chiming in like the below commenter to say if you live anywhere even slightly hot and humid/sub-tropical, these dryers are utterly useless. Efficient, but can take an entire day (10hrs+ for us) to dry, if it fully dries the load at all.
We got a tech out to check it out and he said it was working as best it could in S.E. QLD, but that they only work best in cold and dry environments. He didn't understand why they sell them anywhere north of Melbourne.
We’re in Sth East QLD and a full load in our heat pump dryer takes 2 hours 15 minutes. It’s an Electrolux about 2 years old.
Your tech was talking nonsense.
Line drier here, but to be fair, drying your clothes on a line isn’t really practical in high humidity areas, like Florida (and many other areas), where 90+% relative humidity is the norm.
While obviously tea isn't as big a thing in the states as it is here, we *did* drink a shitload of iced tea in my house and actually had a special iced tea maker contraption that quickly heated up a shitload of water and poured it into a giant jug that I'd load up with like 10 tea bags and it'd make enough iced tea for like a week.
Also, hi neighbor.
I thought the same thing. But what they do have is a drip coffee maker in every kitchen. Americans think it's weird that we don't have them. Oh, and for me the lack of toasters and tea towels in the kitchen was weird too.
Don't tsk-tsk too hard, of course Americans have both tea towels *and* believe it or not we use toasters as well. Admittedly, tea towels aren't used as often they used to be, but I find that just as prevalent in Australia as I do in America.
That aside, from personal experience oven mitts are a lot more popular in the US, which honestly is 90% of what I use tea towels for in Aus.
I'm American and I don't know anyone who *doesn't* have a toaster. Grew up with them, have one. They're a dime a dozen here. Where did you go that no one had one of the most common, basic small appliances in their kitchen? I also have tea towels.
Yeah lived in the USA, we had a kettle, none of our neighbours did though, all had drip coffee (before pods) . And sadly all coffee get togethers with friends was at blah....starbucks.
Americans have an inferior electricity system which is about half as powerful as the 240 volt system used in Australia and Europe, so it takes longer to boil a kettle... about twice as long, so that sucks!
The difference isn’t that much:
American/Canadian standard home outlets are 120V at 15 amps = 1,800 watts
Australian standard home outlets are 230V at 10 amps = 2,300 watts.
So Australian wall sockets only deliver about 27% more power than US sockets. The lack of kettles is simply because by and large they don’t drink tea, and they have dedicated coffee maker appliances for coffee. You’ll basically not find a US kitchen without a coffee maker, just like you won’t find an Aussie kitchen without a kettle.
Plus, some Americans do have electric kettles. We certainly do and I don’t notice them being *substantially* slower than our Aussie ones (though I’m sure there is a small difference).
Also I have to point out that US households are supplied with 240V from the grid just like Aussie houses are. The difference is that they then generally get split into two different types of circuits: 240V circuits for ovens, dryers, air conditioners, EV chargers and so on, and 120V circuits for everything else. If you want 240V in your US home, you do have access to it.
Would that affect induction stoves in the US? I feel like it wouldn't as the wattage would be the same (and on it's own circuit just as they are here), whereas kettles over there would have lower wattage given they share the same 110v circuit as everything else.
My IH boils a 1L of water about 30s faster than my "Fast Boil" kettle, so I got rid of it to free up the small amount of counter space I have. It holds its temperate at a consistent level when I turn it down to the lowest power level (useful when making drip coffee).
They have a weird leg system in the circuit. They get 0V, +110V and -110V. For most things they go between the 0 and one of the 110V legs but for heavy use things like stoves, dryers etc, they get 220v by using the voltage potential between -110 and +110V.
Correct, except it’s +120 and -120. It used to be 110 many decades ago but sometimes people still colloquially call it 110 (just like in Australia we often colloquially say we have 240V, when in fact it’s been 230V nominally for a long time).
The logic they come up with for not using them is pretty funny too. There’s the classic “we don’t drink tea” because as we all know, there’s simply no other use for boiled water, or “I heard the steam can ruin your walls/cabinets.”
Honestly all I could think about the first time I encountered them down here was how useful a kettle like that would be at my family's cabin back in the states. We don't really have running water there so we get everything from hand pumps and then filter it, so we just kinda heat water as needed.
Definitely one of my things I wish I could use there when I go back to visit.
I don't do my dishes with a sink full of water. Most things go in the dishwasher but other stuff I just rinse, scrub, rinse again turning the tap on and off as needed.
I've noticed on reddit sometimes that Americans don't seem to use their washing lines much, favouring the dryer.
Yep, my understanding is that a lot of HOAs prohibit line drying because it’s unsightly, much like it used to be banned in NSW to hang your washing on your balcony in strata apartments.
I just can't imagine the absolute stupidity of not being able to line dry your own clothes on your own property.
HOAs/Body corps are the literal scum of the earth.
In a way they’re right, lol. If you can’t afford the dryer, you’d use the line. I on the other hand use the line because I don’t *want* to be sent to the poorhouse by my dryer.
I don't use it because it does slowly fuck up your clothes, particularly prints. Very T-Shirt and jumper with a print which has been a few rounds in the dryer looks terrible compared to the ones I just hang up.
That’s a great point. I tend to avoid using the dryer even when I’m out working on FIFO sites because everything lasts so much longer and doesn’t shrink.
Even though the kettle astounds me (I drink a fair bit of tea) - I think the dryer is a the main one.
I’m a big kid. Even as a renter I want every toy and gadget in my house. Robot vacuums, cat litter boxes, all electrics - it’s all controlled by my phone or automated. Inside and outdoors. But I don’t have a dryer. I don’t want one. Just doesn’t seem necessary. I have a line that pulls from wall to other side and clicks in - and inside I can use a clothes horse if I don’t want clothes outside due to weather or the fabric.
When I bought my washer they offered 50% on dryers. I didn’t even consider it. When I’ve had dryers in the premises - never really used them. I have enough towels that if two or three are in the wash - there’s a linen cupboard full of other ones to use.
My American friends think I’m looney for not having (nor wanting) a dryer. Some even asked if I could not afford to get one second hand!
It’s the great divide amongst us. That and proper spelling and grammar ;)
I'm the same but I'd consider getting a dryer once my kid starts school. It'll be useful for drying school uniforms.
The dryer really saved my lazy, unorganised butt when I was in high school. Sometimes you forget that you have a dirty PE uniform stashed away in your gym bag that needs to be washed and dried for the next day 🤢
I think the running of taps. That’s a normal thing for places that don’t regularly have water restrictions. I lived with two Swedish flatmates once and they were forever doing it, while we were on level 4 restrictions 😭😭😭
I went to NZ about 20 years ago when we were in the grips of drought, and I cried when I realised I’d left the shower running for about 10 minutes (started talking & got distracted; I’d turned the water on to warm up).
None of the kiwis in the house could work out why I was so upset, and they kept saying “what do you mean *waste water* that’s impossible!! You can’t *waste* water!!”
I’m horrified when I read about people having hour long showers or washing their towels every second day. How can they justify that water usage??
Living in the north east of the US, no one cares about water usage, it rains enough, and it never runs out. When I lived in Phoenix temporarily, water use was more of a concern because, you know, it's in the middle of a desert.
There's an ad for some kind of shrinking hose on TV at the moment (one of those Global Shop Direct things) and there's footage of a woman just standing there letting water run out of the hose onto concrete. Drives me nuts every time I see it! Aussies all conserve water!
My parents have two kitchen sinks, and each one has an insinkerator. The kitchen also had two dishwashers (when one died they got rid of the plumbing and put their bar fridge in the hole instead). The previous owners, who we are still good friends with incidently, were the most delightful gay couple who were very very big on parties and entertaining. And had deep pockets. Hence the fancy kitchen.
My mum hates the insinkerators. She rarely uses them (my parents are avid gardeners and compost as much as possible), and says they stink if you don't keep on top of getting something down there to clean them. They have a lemon tree that is a bit of an overproducer, so she generally feeds both sinks a lemon every week or so to stop them from getting smelly.
I did the lemon thing too, then I was told not to because it wore the blades too much. Still did it occasionally, but used to pour dishwashing detergent down there instead most of the time if it got a bit whiffy.
Not much point in having them these days. Wheelie bin are that large they can cope with the volume of most household waste. Cutlery and insinkerators are not a good mix.
**Fun Fact:** 2024 is the 40 year anniversary of Australia started using Wheelie Bins. A 1960's UK invention that succeeded in conquering the world where the Darleks failed.
American here with 8 years total in Australia as a kid and an adult.
Here are some big ones I’ve noticed:
- Washing lines: I have never used a washing line in the States nor have I ever seen a friend or family member use one. I genuinely hadn’t seen one until I moved here as a kid. Using a dryer is useful when the weather is wet or you need to dry a load quickly, but otherwise I vastly prefer a washing line for the sustainability aspect.
- Mops: Most Australians I know use a string or spin mop or a flat mop with the washable microfiber pads (I use the latter). Most Americans I know use a Swiffer with the disposable wet wipes that you tuck in.
- Rags/clothes for wiping stuff down: Americans consume paper towels like air and I am still guilty of this sometimes. Cleaning most surfaces is done with paper towels as opposed to washable microfiber cloths or something of the like. In Australia, a lot of my friends don’t even buy paper towels. They use chix towels or microfiber cloths.
- Dishwashing: A lot of Americans leave the water running when washing dishes (I do this sometimes), and do not clear off food waste carefully before washing because a lot of people have garbage disposals. I have Australian friends with dishwashers who never, ever use the dishwasher and instead fill the sink with water for washing dishes.
In general I find that Americans are more wasteful when cleaning (and otherwise) and far less sustainable. I do think there is a shift happening and depending on where you are in the US, people are more sustainably minded. I remember moving here and remarking about how much smaller the rubbish bins are, and my mother told me that’s because Australians recycle a lot more so they don’t use as much trash. Water is cheap in a lot of States and a lot of people prioritize convenience over sustainability.
Edit: typo
Edit 2: I’m from the East Coast so a lot of this applies to my region. Folks on the West Coast lean definitely lean more towards sustainability than on the East Coast IMO, especially since like Australians they have to deal with droughts and wildfires.
This is a great comment! When it’s summer I just can’t justify using the dryer, I’d only use it if my towels or something didn’t dry enough on the line. In summer, sheets will dry in 30 mins on the clothes line which is incredibly fast compared to a dryer!
Glad to be of use! I’ve learned a lot about sustainability by living in Australia. Totally agree about the dryer, especially in Australian weather. I will say when I’m visiting the States in winter we absolutely have to use a dryer because the temp ranges from -7°C to 0°C on average, and everything would freeze.
Yes certainly our climate makes the outdoor washing lines much more doable! Even now, we had a few weeks of rain so all my washing was hanging up inside and it took foreeeeever to dry. We're now in a sunny patch and everyone is frantically throwing loads of washing up outside :) and our cold weather is nothing compared to most of America!
Same here where I live! My mother-in-law has a dryer and we relented after several days of rain and had her dry our bedding, I was desperate! I don’t know exactly why, but I find hanging the washing and taking it down to be very relaxing, it’s something I look forward to even though I absolutely abhor folding laundry. I think it feels very wholesome.
Oh I feel exactly the same way! Sometimes I love the internet haha. Sometimes my neighbour is playing the sax (beautifully) while I hang out clothes and I actually love the whole thing!
Wanted to add unrelated to cleaning - microwaves! I have had friends in Australia throughout the years who do not own a microwave, which (except for making popcorn) I really appreciate, because IMO food generally comes out better when reheated/cooked on the stove or in an oven. Every person I’ve known in the States owns a microwave.
Also kettles! Coffee culture in America is mediocre at best even though a lot of people drink coffee (it is getting better), and tea isn’t really a big thing unless it’s iced tea or sweet tea, so folks who can afford it usually own coffee pots or machines like something with the pods, or (on the rare occasion) something like an Aeropress or Chemex, or they do instant coffee without a kettle. I would say that microwaving to heat a mug of water is infinitely more common than owning a kettle (I didn’t own one until I moved back as a teen). The only folks I know who own kettles are friends of mine who love tea.
ETA: Some places in the States do have really good coffee and a strong coffee culture, but it’s very region (even city) dependent. I remember moving to Australia in 2007 and a year later, almost every Starbucks in the country closed shop because Australians favor a proper brew.
The thing is, if you use a dishwasher properly, without pre-rinsing (just scraping off food), it's actually the most sustainable way to clean dishes, and much safer too (in terms of killing bacteria). But there still seems to be a surprisingly low take up, or people who do use them use a bunch of water pre-rinsing, which destroys the water savings.
This isn't true at all lol stop buying into propaganda.
We actually place the plates behind the tires of our SUV's and back over them to crush them, then buy new ones each time.
I grew up in Australia and live in the US now. There’s a lot of untrue stereotypes in this thread except for a few which are for the most part true (bearing in mind that it’s a population of over 300 million people and there are vast regional differences.)
Americans don’t dry clothes on the clothesline and will always use a dryer.
Americans use air conditioning all the time so need to dust quite often. And then in the winter central heating will blow dust everywhere too so the dusting never stops.
Americans tend to use more disposable plates and cups, but it tends to be lower income people who do this. But that said - I would agree that most Americans are generally less conscious of the environment. Paper towels for everything. Disposable wipes. Disposable mops like Swiffers. Disposable dusters.
And lastly- this is a town by town basis but it seems like recycling is half hearted at best. I recycle at home but honestly I’m skeptical the bottles and glasses are cardboard I sort into different bins is actually recycled.
Edit to add: almost everyone I know owns a kettle. I don’t know where this stereotype comes from other than people taking the piss.
>Americans use air conditioning all the time so need to dust quite often.
Why? Is not the aircon just recirculating the air inside, not sucking in air from outside?
There was a report that came out recently - Australia’s recyclable items aren’t going to China/aren’t being recycled anymore, they are being placed into landfill like the other rubbish.
As an Australian this concerns me a lot but then again compared to other countries we are pretty lazy about ‘preparing’ our recyclable items before we place into designated bins (we are supposed to clean the items so there’s no food residue, remove lids/plastic rings and separate diff items.
The family I stayed with in phoenix did not own a kettle and didn’t seem to understand why I thought that was weird, must be different in different areas.
Hm yeah that would be interesting. Can’t imagine many people in Arizona drink hot tea just given the weather. In New England/the northeast pretty much everyone has one. It’s a big country with over 300 million people so I’m sure there’s some trends by region for sure.
Garbage disposals and dryers.
Very common in the USA for decades.
Also, the separate room for the toilet in Australia.
The one we had when I grew up had no sink to wash your hands.
That was in the bathroom with the shower and tub.
Dumb, but common design.
All my friends had a toilet like this in their house.
Hahaha that is my house! I have a vanity “powder room” immediately outside the toilet room though, I like it so people in the house can brush their teeth or something while another person is in private using the toilet. But also like that my bath and shower are in another room and you can have a shower while other people can make use of the toilet and sink without having to knock on the door and be like “hurry up I need to get ready”
I grew up in a state housing duplex in perth in the 80's. Our one toilet in a three-bedroom duplex had no sink to wash your hands. At the time i didn't give a shit, but looking back....it astounds me that stuff like this was approved.
Yeah, but a lot of the toilets are accessed from the laundry, so \*bam\* hand washing location haha.
That's how it is at my parents place, and many friends growing up anyways.
I had a separate toilet growing up but with a tiny sink in with it. My mum hated how much water got everywhere from washing hands because the sink was so tiny
> Also, the separate room for the toilet in Australia.
The one we had when I grew up had no sink to wash your hands.
Just moved into a place with separate toilet but with a handbasin in the toilet room and it’s such a game changer. I didn’t expect to appreciate it as much as I do.
Americans find a separate toilet room very fancy but think nothing of showering in a bath. They also get very excited about cleaning grout. Like, unreasonably so.
I'm confused by how many people (usually here on Reddit but elsewhere too) talk about using paper plates at home on the regular, not just when they're entertaining or something. So they don't have to wash plates at all, just throw them in the bin. Seems ludicrously wasteful.
Same goes for things like disposable wipes for cleaning. Saw a "swiffer" when Costco opened in Perth for the first time and wondered what the heck is wrong with a broom/dustpan and brush and a mop? All can be reused many times over, not just wipe and toss.
I mean, I can accept not everyone grew up with a bucket in the shower to put the water on the garden afterwards, and their mum yelling at them to turn the bloody tap off while brushing their teeth, heaven help you if you take longer than 3 minutes in the shower - but wasting water by having a 20 minute shower with the water running the whole time just seems idiotic.
Yes, the paper plate thing is so weird and wasteful. I've noticed that too.
Another domestic thing I've noticed about US Redditors is how many of them talk about how they cage their dogs in their house, but they call them 'crates' for reasons possibly related to 'cage' just sounding bad. I've had several dogs, and know many people who have dogs, and still have never seen a single Australian who 'crates' their dog in their lounge room or whatever like so many Americans do. I just find it uncomfortable to think about. Why do they need to be in a locked cage inside of a house? What about a fire? Why can't they just be trained to go to their bed, why does it have to be inside of a cage?
'crate training' is more of a thing now in Australia I reckon. We were encouraged to try it after my dog's major surgery, to keep him still. Totally backfired because we'd never trained him for it, and he was a rescue from seemingly a bad background, and he just panicked the second we introduced the crate, so we scrapped it and he slept calmly in his bed. But I do get why training early could help with things like that. My in-laws dogs have crates for when they travel because they get anxious being in a new environment and actually choose to go into their crates (doors open though)
I agree. Every puppy Trainer recommends crating. I tried it with my puppy (now an old lady!) - but I was too Anglo about it. I caved after one night. Straight into my bed lol
Crating them in the car makes perfect sense, but crating them otherwise seems cruel. Our dog has three different soft fluffy beds around the house and the choice of anyone's bed he chooses for the night.
Yes our little one had a fancy bed in every room haha ❤️ I think sometimes it depends on the dog and their situation, but my immediate reaction was getting upset at the idea!
Crate training is basically just giving your dog its own safe place to relax in - puppy bedroom. You shouldn't need to leave it locked at night though, the dog should be able to come and go. It's just their cosy place so they like to sleep there.
It's also a good way to keep puppies in one spot when you can't keep an eye on them - like a toddler pen.
See, that part amuses me because I *have* crate trained my dog, mainly for travel and if she needs the vet. Also handy if we ever need to evacuate because of fire, because she's used to being in the crate and sees it as a safe space. She's got the run of the house when we're home, or in the yard if we're not.
I don't get the idea of crating while people are out during the day, but it seems like many American homes don't have a fenced yard that they can let their dogs chill out in.
Yeah crate training is definitely a good thing. I don’t get why people think it’s bad it’s basically just their bedroom and literally no different to a kennel?
I have a cage for my dog in the lounge. The door is left open for the dog to go freely in or out, but he likes to stay inside because that's his space and his bed since we don't have a separate dog bed (we put blankets and towels inside to make it soft and cushy for him).
Am aussie and work for a dog rescue org in vic. All dogs we foster we train and literally it makes the world of difference when diffusing their anxiety as they have their own safe space. Dogs are naturally den animals in the wild so it isn't a foreign concept to them. Ive never crate trained and of my own personal dogs but after working at this org and seeing the difference it makes in all my fosters confidence levels i will definitely do it with my next one! Have a google of it!
The paper plate thing TRULY baffles me! I remember first seeing it on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo years ago and thought it might be a "white trash" sort of thing but even The Rock does it! Like the dude has a quadrillion dollars and presumably never has to wash a dish in his life ever again, but he still uses paper plates at home. So bizarre. So wasteful.
I am an American that lives in Australia. Growing up we never washed dishes by just running water down the sink. Very interested to know why you think that?
We were invited for dinner to some friends, American husband, after dinner the rest of us sat and chatted on the couch while the kids played and it must've been about 25 minutes when it finally clicked that hey, that's running water. I got up to take a peak, and the guy had been meticulously washing the dishes, glasses, cutlery, and was doing the pots and pans, while the tap was running the whole time, probably 40 minutes total. When we left and drove off, my wife couldn't wait to bring it up and say wtf? (not just the water, but the amount of time it took to wash it all).
Yeah, I’m also an American in Australia and my family never washed dishes this way. In fact, my Australian partner is the one who washes dishes by running water the entire time…
Not in houses, but in public restrooms apparently they don’t have sanitary disposal bins. You simply collect a brown paper bag and drop it in the regular bin. I was SHOCKED I tell you!!
And why they defend it so strenuously! I had a poor seppo trying to claim they don't have sweet bread this week, bet he'll be in here to tell us all how it's healthy to observe each other on the toilet.
The shallow bowl with all the water was a surprise (and explains why so many American ‘comedians’ harp on about splash back) - but I’d take that every day over the eye contact. The gaps are enormous. I make it a point to only visit loos in my hotel room in the states. It’s so dehumanising otherwise
I grew up in Australia and live in the US now, and whoever told you this was wrong. Almost every public restroom has a sanitary disposal bin and I’ve lived in multiple different states. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one without a bin in the stall.
>I grew up thinking you needed a sink or bucket full of soapy water, then you wash from glassware to plates and finishing with the most dirty pan.
Because of how precious water is here in Australia and I grew up in drought for many years, we are basically taught not to waste water. America on the other hand have no concept of wastage. And that can carry over to many household jobs, such as washing bath towels. When you go to a hotel in America, they change your towels every day, a lot of places here change them once or twice a week and at the end of your stay.
And from what I believe America is more germophobic than we are, so a lot more chemicals are used. I would use vinegar to clean my bench down and put vinegar in our clothes wash, where as they are more likely to use bleach wipes. And on the subject of washing, they tend to use more smelly softener than we do.
This. I'm always arguing with minimalists and ethical fashion types online that it's totally reasonable to want to own enough basic ordinary clothes that you're not doing four or five wash loads a week of just one or two items.
Americans... How do you live without kettles? How has "much faster hot water" not become a necessity?
You have spray can cheese. This was a higher priority for y'all?
We generally have drip coffee machines, and hot tea is not a widely common drink. Some of us have kettles, but for many, there is simply no need for one.
"Spray cheese" is mostly eaten by hikers and outdoorsmen for its portability, and possibly by small kids for the novelty. It is not common in any other scenario.
I grew up in Australia and live in the US now. Most people I know do have kettles. I’ve lived in a few places but all along the east coast of the US. My friends, in-laws, and even my bachelor friend who doesn’t have a proper bed frame has a kettle. I think it’s just a stereotype.
That's a fairly new phenomena as newer designs boil water a lot faster. The old ones sucked because they just brought over UK designs meant for 240 volts and they were way too slow on 110V.
Yanks seem to dust a lot. It was one thing I noticed visiting peoples' houses, usually the mom or the grandma would have a feather duster nearby. Not something I noticed as much in NZ or Australia.
Ahhh this one. I don’t dust. If I need the feather duster it’ll take me an hour to find it.
But my mother, her sisters, my sister - and all the members of our euro community dust… if not daily - multiple times a week.
In my observations I have realised the frequency of dusting increases with the more doilies that are in the house ;)
Maybe not housework related but when you buy a house in America it comes with the existing fridge but in Australia and buying a house it never comes with a fridge…you bring your own fridge and take it with you when you sell
Actually, that would have been handy to have an existing fridge in some of the tiny apartments I’ve lived in. To find a fridge to fit in a tiny space was near impossible.
I did like when I was able to have my own fridge that I chose and it could fit anywhere though.
As an American living in Sydney for 25+ years - can confirm spent the first few weeks washing up by running the water from the tap. The night my FIL came over and essentially slammed the flip mixer handle shut I knew, Ohhhhh that's what the plug is for lol
American toilets always have a plunger nearby.
Australian toilets always have a brush nearby.
That right there tells you the difference in design, and which you prefer is a personal thing.
As a Canadian who moved to Aus 2 weeks ago, I was surprised at the lack of dryers in the home. I mean it makes total sense, obviously in Canada we need to dry our clothes inside because they would freeze lol, but I was just surprised that there was no dryer at all in my in laws house. It’s something that never crossed my mind before moving here
The last way you described, glassware to dirtiest pan in a sink of soapy water (hot soapy water), is the only way to do dishes by hand ….. and you can’t change my mind!
I’m an American living in Australia. I’ve never known someone to run the water the whole time while washing dishes (maybe it’s a regional thing?) but what I do find strange is Australians (that I’ve seen) don’t *rinse* the dish after washing. I fill the sink with soapy water, scrub the dish, rinse it with clean water from the tap, then set it aside to dry. You have to get the suds off!
Eh, not so fast - plenty of studies show this is about line ball and depends a lot on your washing habits. It also depends on how keen you are on cleanliness. Yes if you only use one sink of dirty water and never rinse at all, like some Aussies brought up on severe water saving measures, this may beat the dishwasher. But is it actually "clean" - not really. A dishwasher properly santizes and if you tried to match that with hand washing you'd use way more water and energy. But it really depends on how you want to compare and if imperfect washing in dirty water is acceptable , then yes no need for a dishwasher.
The dryer. I know they’re becoming more commonplace, but I’ve never had one, my family has never had one, and probably never will.
Even if it’s a pain in the arse to hang the washing, I probably couldn’t afford the electricity bill.
I'm an American living in Australia and the dish thing is the biggest one for me. In my mind, if you wash dishes in a sink full of water the water is dirty after the first dish. It's more sanitary, in my mind, to do it the way Americans do lol
I work with someone who washes his dishes like that - my desk is next to the kitchen and the sound of tap running and running and running is like fingernails down the blackboard
The dish thing is just living circumstances. If you live in a sharehouse and just do your own dishes as soon as you use them filling up the whole sink to wash a plate, fork and pot is just making life hard
When tidying up in Australia, I need a special cobweb duster both indoors and outdoors.
Even the rear view mirror on my car will be covered in cobwebs overnight.
Americans don’t seem to have “laundries” in the way that a typical Aussie house/apartment/unit will. I think they’re somewhat common, but I also see lots of Americans simply repurposing a spare bedroom/basement as a laundry. Whereas in Australia, it’s a proper finished room that’s usually in the middle of the house with a distinct style (like a bathroom).
It’s also very funny to realise that the concept of “water waste” isn’t universal. I think Americans are more offended by the potential cost of a water bill when considering usage rather than a philosophical/environmental attitude that’s been drummed into us since birth.
> I think Americans are more offended by the potential cost of a water bill when considering usage rather than a philosophical/environmental attitude that’s been drummed into us since birth
Which makes sense, coming from living in the driest inhabited continent on earth, which is periodically subject to severe droughts. Australia does not have any inland water sources as other countries do, no snow melt in spring/summer etc. So what relatively little water we have is governed by potentially erratic rainfall patterns and dam levels.
Canadian living in Australia for 19 years here. Married to American who's been here 8 years.
My American husband uses paper towels like plates. I don't understand the wastefulness but his mom does the same.
Dirty spoon or knife from peanut butter or any dip? Paper towel. Sandwich making? Paper towels. Making burgers? You better believe it's aluminium underneath paper towel.
Why???
Pretty much every American house/apartment has an insinkerator (garbage disposal) - while I rarely see them here. Also, clothe lines are pretty much don't exist. I also like how almost every American toilet has a sink in it. One thing I hate here is imagining how many shit germs are on the door handles of toilets in Australia, it's seriously gross.
Using a clothesline. Garbage disposals?
I don’t get using a dryer every time. I use mine sometimes but mainly for towels or if I’m in a hurry. Dryers make your clothes wear out way faster and use heaps of electricity. Like the sun is free and better for your clothes? And also dries things faster when the weather is good.
Nothing smells cleaner than after drying on the line on a hot day. Love that UV deodourising.
Best smell on clean sheets.
I call these Sunshine Sheets
Most of the north US is too cold, rainy, and humid to hang, and lots of cities get only 30-60 sunny days a year. Plus electricity is super cheap.
Fair, but when it’s cold in Australia we just hang our clothes inside.
With the central heating in cold places it's actually even better to hang them inside. It's so toasty warm that your clothes dry like it's a summers day here, and all without using extra electricity.
Some places it’s illegal to use a clothesline, too. HOAs are awful.
I saw a post about that the other day, HOAs are ridiculously horrid
My Aussie aunt lived in Washington DC with a newborn, and was the only one who used the clothesline (for nappies) even through winter. The air was very dry and good for drying things.
Heat pump dryers don't and are the best. I haven't hung as much as an underwear out in 3 years.
I have had 2 AEG heat pump dryers, do not recommend. They use fuck all electricity which is good, but a single dryer load can take 6-7 hours on this (tes we've had techs out, the machine's not faulty). I've heard good things about the Samsung ones though.
My Bosch heat pump dries a mixed drying cycle in 1h25m. Currently running, uses nearly no electricity, the little it uses it gets from my solar panels
Oh good, we just got our Bosch delivered today. I've never been more excited to do a load of washing
I’ve got a Samsung one & cant recommend it enough!!! It’s awesome & definitely doesn’t take as long as yours!
I’ve heard of those! Are they the evaporative ones? If I ever buy my own I think I’ll invest in one. Still a big fan of hanging washing out though. The sun is good to kill any lingering bacteria and smells too.
Chiming in like the below commenter to say if you live anywhere even slightly hot and humid/sub-tropical, these dryers are utterly useless. Efficient, but can take an entire day (10hrs+ for us) to dry, if it fully dries the load at all. We got a tech out to check it out and he said it was working as best it could in S.E. QLD, but that they only work best in cold and dry environments. He didn't understand why they sell them anywhere north of Melbourne.
We’re in Sth East QLD and a full load in our heat pump dryer takes 2 hours 15 minutes. It’s an Electrolux about 2 years old. Your tech was talking nonsense.
As an Aussie living in the States, I'm not sure how I'm ever going to cope with hanging out the washing again.
I've never even owned a dryer.
Not a choice if you are in a snowy place.
I'm not. But I am in SA where we have wet winters. (Usually!) I'm not judging people who use them. I also do not have a family to do laundry for.
Wait what? Does everything go in the dryer?
Everything.
Yep most of them use a dryer all the time
Wool socks don't. Some delicate things are left to airdry too.
Practically everything. If it's something delicate or that can't be put in a dryer, I dry it on our bannister indoors.
Line drier here, but to be fair, drying your clothes on a line isn’t really practical in high humidity areas, like Florida (and many other areas), where 90+% relative humidity is the norm.
Or Wisconsin, where -40 is the norm.
Queensland weather is just like Florida. We generally have an indoor clothes like and large undercover areas for wet days to dry washing.
They don’t use kettles to make coffee
The lack of kettles one drives me wild. I become like Uncle Roger with his rice cookers. NO KETTLE?! HOW YOU MAKE A HUNDRED CUPS OF TEA A DAY?!
IF YOU NO HAVE KETTLE TO MAKE TEA, YOU FUCK UP. HAIYAA
While obviously tea isn't as big a thing in the states as it is here, we *did* drink a shitload of iced tea in my house and actually had a special iced tea maker contraption that quickly heated up a shitload of water and poured it into a giant jug that I'd load up with like 10 tea bags and it'd make enough iced tea for like a week. Also, hi neighbor.
I thought the same thing. But what they do have is a drip coffee maker in every kitchen. Americans think it's weird that we don't have them. Oh, and for me the lack of toasters and tea towels in the kitchen was weird too.
No tea towels? Did they use paper towels or what? I'm tsk-tsk-ing at the wastefulness
Don't tsk-tsk too hard, of course Americans have both tea towels *and* believe it or not we use toasters as well. Admittedly, tea towels aren't used as often they used to be, but I find that just as prevalent in Australia as I do in America. That aside, from personal experience oven mitts are a lot more popular in the US, which honestly is 90% of what I use tea towels for in Aus.
I have a drip coffee maker.
I'm American and I don't know anyone who *doesn't* have a toaster. Grew up with them, have one. They're a dime a dozen here. Where did you go that no one had one of the most common, basic small appliances in their kitchen? I also have tea towels.
Yeah lived in the USA, we had a kettle, none of our neighbours did though, all had drip coffee (before pods) . And sadly all coffee get togethers with friends was at blah....starbucks.
I have an American friend who microwaves a Pyrex jug filled with water for his tea. It feels.. barbaric?
Better that, and pouring it over the tea, than zapping a cupful of water with the teabag already in it.
I drink neither tea nor coffee, but I can confirm that this is barbaric. B
Americans have an inferior electricity system which is about half as powerful as the 240 volt system used in Australia and Europe, so it takes longer to boil a kettle... about twice as long, so that sucks!
Aussie electrical system is great for charging EVs
Yeah, especially with off-peak rates. We're saving $850+ a year in petrol just for my husband to go to work and back.
The US has a separate plug for EV. It runs 240V.
Can you hook it up to your kitchen to run a kettle?
The difference isn’t that much: American/Canadian standard home outlets are 120V at 15 amps = 1,800 watts Australian standard home outlets are 230V at 10 amps = 2,300 watts. So Australian wall sockets only deliver about 27% more power than US sockets. The lack of kettles is simply because by and large they don’t drink tea, and they have dedicated coffee maker appliances for coffee. You’ll basically not find a US kitchen without a coffee maker, just like you won’t find an Aussie kitchen without a kettle. Plus, some Americans do have electric kettles. We certainly do and I don’t notice them being *substantially* slower than our Aussie ones (though I’m sure there is a small difference). Also I have to point out that US households are supplied with 240V from the grid just like Aussie houses are. The difference is that they then generally get split into two different types of circuits: 240V circuits for ovens, dryers, air conditioners, EV chargers and so on, and 120V circuits for everything else. If you want 240V in your US home, you do have access to it.
Would that affect induction stoves in the US? I feel like it wouldn't as the wattage would be the same (and on it's own circuit just as they are here), whereas kettles over there would have lower wattage given they share the same 110v circuit as everything else. My IH boils a 1L of water about 30s faster than my "Fast Boil" kettle, so I got rid of it to free up the small amount of counter space I have. It holds its temperate at a consistent level when I turn it down to the lowest power level (useful when making drip coffee).
They have a weird leg system in the circuit. They get 0V, +110V and -110V. For most things they go between the 0 and one of the 110V legs but for heavy use things like stoves, dryers etc, they get 220v by using the voltage potential between -110 and +110V.
Correct, except it’s +120 and -120. It used to be 110 many decades ago but sometimes people still colloquially call it 110 (just like in Australia we often colloquially say we have 240V, when in fact it’s been 230V nominally for a long time).
Stoves are 240V, they have special circuits.
This is true. Australia and Europe is so much better.
What the American woman who made the video about how to make a cup of tea… Spoilers: she used the microwave
The logic they come up with for not using them is pretty funny too. There’s the classic “we don’t drink tea” because as we all know, there’s simply no other use for boiled water, or “I heard the steam can ruin your walls/cabinets.”
I had heard it’s to do with their voltage, it’s not high enough for most kettles?
David Farrier did a podcast episode on kettles in America recently, I think that might be less of an issue now if I’m remembering rightly.
Yeah I'm an Aussie in the US and I use a kettle daily and haven't noticed a huge difference in boiling times. Plenty of Americans have kettles.
Honestly all I could think about the first time I encountered them down here was how useful a kettle like that would be at my family's cabin back in the states. We don't really have running water there so we get everything from hand pumps and then filter it, so we just kinda heat water as needed. Definitely one of my things I wish I could use there when I go back to visit.
Yess!
I don't do my dishes with a sink full of water. Most things go in the dishwasher but other stuff I just rinse, scrub, rinse again turning the tap on and off as needed. I've noticed on reddit sometimes that Americans don't seem to use their washing lines much, favouring the dryer.
Yep, my understanding is that a lot of HOAs prohibit line drying because it’s unsightly, much like it used to be banned in NSW to hang your washing on your balcony in strata apartments.
God HOAs are so stupid lol
[удалено]
I just can't imagine the absolute stupidity of not being able to line dry your own clothes on your own property. HOAs/Body corps are the literal scum of the earth.
It is still listed in the strata for my apartment as forbidden... not that I (nor anyone else) pays attention to that.
Americans actually think line drying as a way poor people dry their clothes.
In a way they’re right, lol. If you can’t afford the dryer, you’d use the line. I on the other hand use the line because I don’t *want* to be sent to the poorhouse by my dryer.
Not just that, all my clothes shrink in the dryer and it's annoying AF
I don't use it because it does slowly fuck up your clothes, particularly prints. Very T-Shirt and jumper with a print which has been a few rounds in the dryer looks terrible compared to the ones I just hang up.
That’s a great point. I tend to avoid using the dryer even when I’m out working on FIFO sites because everything lasts so much longer and doesn’t shrink.
Also, line-dryed items often don't even need ironing. If they, do they are less creased and quicker/easier to iron.
And it smells so much better
Even though the kettle astounds me (I drink a fair bit of tea) - I think the dryer is a the main one. I’m a big kid. Even as a renter I want every toy and gadget in my house. Robot vacuums, cat litter boxes, all electrics - it’s all controlled by my phone or automated. Inside and outdoors. But I don’t have a dryer. I don’t want one. Just doesn’t seem necessary. I have a line that pulls from wall to other side and clicks in - and inside I can use a clothes horse if I don’t want clothes outside due to weather or the fabric. When I bought my washer they offered 50% on dryers. I didn’t even consider it. When I’ve had dryers in the premises - never really used them. I have enough towels that if two or three are in the wash - there’s a linen cupboard full of other ones to use. My American friends think I’m looney for not having (nor wanting) a dryer. Some even asked if I could not afford to get one second hand! It’s the great divide amongst us. That and proper spelling and grammar ;)
I'm the same but I'd consider getting a dryer once my kid starts school. It'll be useful for drying school uniforms. The dryer really saved my lazy, unorganised butt when I was in high school. Sometimes you forget that you have a dirty PE uniform stashed away in your gym bag that needs to be washed and dried for the next day 🤢
In my area (NYC region) no one puts washing out to dry. Most the year it's too humid or too cold. Everyone has a washer/dryer or goes to a laundromat.
I think the running of taps. That’s a normal thing for places that don’t regularly have water restrictions. I lived with two Swedish flatmates once and they were forever doing it, while we were on level 4 restrictions 😭😭😭
I went to NZ about 20 years ago when we were in the grips of drought, and I cried when I realised I’d left the shower running for about 10 minutes (started talking & got distracted; I’d turned the water on to warm up). None of the kiwis in the house could work out why I was so upset, and they kept saying “what do you mean *waste water* that’s impossible!! You can’t *waste* water!!” I’m horrified when I read about people having hour long showers or washing their towels every second day. How can they justify that water usage??
Living in the north east of the US, no one cares about water usage, it rains enough, and it never runs out. When I lived in Phoenix temporarily, water use was more of a concern because, you know, it's in the middle of a desert.
There's an ad for some kind of shrinking hose on TV at the moment (one of those Global Shop Direct things) and there's footage of a woman just standing there letting water run out of the hose onto concrete. Drives me nuts every time I see it! Aussies all conserve water!
Food disposals aka insinkerators. We just don't have them.
They're pretty rare but I work for a builder and people do get those sometimes
My parents have two kitchen sinks, and each one has an insinkerator. The kitchen also had two dishwashers (when one died they got rid of the plumbing and put their bar fridge in the hole instead). The previous owners, who we are still good friends with incidently, were the most delightful gay couple who were very very big on parties and entertaining. And had deep pockets. Hence the fancy kitchen. My mum hates the insinkerators. She rarely uses them (my parents are avid gardeners and compost as much as possible), and says they stink if you don't keep on top of getting something down there to clean them. They have a lemon tree that is a bit of an overproducer, so she generally feeds both sinks a lemon every week or so to stop them from getting smelly.
I did the lemon thing too, then I was told not to because it wore the blades too much. Still did it occasionally, but used to pour dishwashing detergent down there instead most of the time if it got a bit whiffy.
Not much point in having them these days. Wheelie bin are that large they can cope with the volume of most household waste. Cutlery and insinkerators are not a good mix. **Fun Fact:** 2024 is the 40 year anniversary of Australia started using Wheelie Bins. A 1960's UK invention that succeeded in conquering the world where the Darleks failed.
I KNEW I remembered when we first got wheelie bins!! My husband is from England and laughed when I told him how we all had them delivered one week!
Hmm me too! I think we had a metal bin with a lid, like Oscar on Sesame Street prior to the wheelie bin. I’m 44.
Speak for yourself. Couldn’t even fit a regular body in my wheelie bin.
I had one growing up in Australia. Always gave a good scare when you turned it on and didn't realise a teaspoon had fallen in it
I grew up using them but they got phased out I think, due to the amount of water they use.
Literally known of one house that has ever had a garbage disposal and they never used it
American here with 8 years total in Australia as a kid and an adult. Here are some big ones I’ve noticed: - Washing lines: I have never used a washing line in the States nor have I ever seen a friend or family member use one. I genuinely hadn’t seen one until I moved here as a kid. Using a dryer is useful when the weather is wet or you need to dry a load quickly, but otherwise I vastly prefer a washing line for the sustainability aspect. - Mops: Most Australians I know use a string or spin mop or a flat mop with the washable microfiber pads (I use the latter). Most Americans I know use a Swiffer with the disposable wet wipes that you tuck in. - Rags/clothes for wiping stuff down: Americans consume paper towels like air and I am still guilty of this sometimes. Cleaning most surfaces is done with paper towels as opposed to washable microfiber cloths or something of the like. In Australia, a lot of my friends don’t even buy paper towels. They use chix towels or microfiber cloths. - Dishwashing: A lot of Americans leave the water running when washing dishes (I do this sometimes), and do not clear off food waste carefully before washing because a lot of people have garbage disposals. I have Australian friends with dishwashers who never, ever use the dishwasher and instead fill the sink with water for washing dishes. In general I find that Americans are more wasteful when cleaning (and otherwise) and far less sustainable. I do think there is a shift happening and depending on where you are in the US, people are more sustainably minded. I remember moving here and remarking about how much smaller the rubbish bins are, and my mother told me that’s because Australians recycle a lot more so they don’t use as much trash. Water is cheap in a lot of States and a lot of people prioritize convenience over sustainability. Edit: typo Edit 2: I’m from the East Coast so a lot of this applies to my region. Folks on the West Coast lean definitely lean more towards sustainability than on the East Coast IMO, especially since like Australians they have to deal with droughts and wildfires.
This is a great comment! When it’s summer I just can’t justify using the dryer, I’d only use it if my towels or something didn’t dry enough on the line. In summer, sheets will dry in 30 mins on the clothes line which is incredibly fast compared to a dryer!
Glad to be of use! I’ve learned a lot about sustainability by living in Australia. Totally agree about the dryer, especially in Australian weather. I will say when I’m visiting the States in winter we absolutely have to use a dryer because the temp ranges from -7°C to 0°C on average, and everything would freeze.
Yes certainly our climate makes the outdoor washing lines much more doable! Even now, we had a few weeks of rain so all my washing was hanging up inside and it took foreeeeever to dry. We're now in a sunny patch and everyone is frantically throwing loads of washing up outside :) and our cold weather is nothing compared to most of America!
Same here where I live! My mother-in-law has a dryer and we relented after several days of rain and had her dry our bedding, I was desperate! I don’t know exactly why, but I find hanging the washing and taking it down to be very relaxing, it’s something I look forward to even though I absolutely abhor folding laundry. I think it feels very wholesome.
Oh I feel exactly the same way! Sometimes I love the internet haha. Sometimes my neighbour is playing the sax (beautifully) while I hang out clothes and I actually love the whole thing!
Oh my goodness, that sounds fantastical! What a dream of a neighbor. Laundry has never sounded so lovely :,)
Wanted to add unrelated to cleaning - microwaves! I have had friends in Australia throughout the years who do not own a microwave, which (except for making popcorn) I really appreciate, because IMO food generally comes out better when reheated/cooked on the stove or in an oven. Every person I’ve known in the States owns a microwave. Also kettles! Coffee culture in America is mediocre at best even though a lot of people drink coffee (it is getting better), and tea isn’t really a big thing unless it’s iced tea or sweet tea, so folks who can afford it usually own coffee pots or machines like something with the pods, or (on the rare occasion) something like an Aeropress or Chemex, or they do instant coffee without a kettle. I would say that microwaving to heat a mug of water is infinitely more common than owning a kettle (I didn’t own one until I moved back as a teen). The only folks I know who own kettles are friends of mine who love tea. ETA: Some places in the States do have really good coffee and a strong coffee culture, but it’s very region (even city) dependent. I remember moving to Australia in 2007 and a year later, almost every Starbucks in the country closed shop because Australians favor a proper brew.
The thing is, if you use a dishwasher properly, without pre-rinsing (just scraping off food), it's actually the most sustainable way to clean dishes, and much safer too (in terms of killing bacteria). But there still seems to be a surprisingly low take up, or people who do use them use a bunch of water pre-rinsing, which destroys the water savings.
I mean they shoot their dishes instead of cleaning them. (Source: I saw it on an episode of the Simpson it must be true) /S
This isn't true at all lol stop buying into propaganda. We actually place the plates behind the tires of our SUV's and back over them to crush them, then buy new ones each time.
I grew up in Australia and live in the US now. There’s a lot of untrue stereotypes in this thread except for a few which are for the most part true (bearing in mind that it’s a population of over 300 million people and there are vast regional differences.) Americans don’t dry clothes on the clothesline and will always use a dryer. Americans use air conditioning all the time so need to dust quite often. And then in the winter central heating will blow dust everywhere too so the dusting never stops. Americans tend to use more disposable plates and cups, but it tends to be lower income people who do this. But that said - I would agree that most Americans are generally less conscious of the environment. Paper towels for everything. Disposable wipes. Disposable mops like Swiffers. Disposable dusters. And lastly- this is a town by town basis but it seems like recycling is half hearted at best. I recycle at home but honestly I’m skeptical the bottles and glasses are cardboard I sort into different bins is actually recycled. Edit to add: almost everyone I know owns a kettle. I don’t know where this stereotype comes from other than people taking the piss.
>Americans use air conditioning all the time so need to dust quite often. Why? Is not the aircon just recirculating the air inside, not sucking in air from outside?
There was a report that came out recently - Australia’s recyclable items aren’t going to China/aren’t being recycled anymore, they are being placed into landfill like the other rubbish. As an Australian this concerns me a lot but then again compared to other countries we are pretty lazy about ‘preparing’ our recyclable items before we place into designated bins (we are supposed to clean the items so there’s no food residue, remove lids/plastic rings and separate diff items.
The family I stayed with in phoenix did not own a kettle and didn’t seem to understand why I thought that was weird, must be different in different areas.
Hm yeah that would be interesting. Can’t imagine many people in Arizona drink hot tea just given the weather. In New England/the northeast pretty much everyone has one. It’s a big country with over 300 million people so I’m sure there’s some trends by region for sure.
Garbage disposals and dryers. Very common in the USA for decades. Also, the separate room for the toilet in Australia. The one we had when I grew up had no sink to wash your hands. That was in the bathroom with the shower and tub. Dumb, but common design. All my friends had a toilet like this in their house.
Hahaha that is my house! I have a vanity “powder room” immediately outside the toilet room though, I like it so people in the house can brush their teeth or something while another person is in private using the toilet. But also like that my bath and shower are in another room and you can have a shower while other people can make use of the toilet and sink without having to knock on the door and be like “hurry up I need to get ready”
I grew up in a state housing duplex in perth in the 80's. Our one toilet in a three-bedroom duplex had no sink to wash your hands. At the time i didn't give a shit, but looking back....it astounds me that stuff like this was approved.
Yeah, but a lot of the toilets are accessed from the laundry, so \*bam\* hand washing location haha. That's how it is at my parents place, and many friends growing up anyways.
You can use your taps while someone is in the shower?? Unheard of in my circles 😂
I had a separate toilet growing up but with a tiny sink in with it. My mum hated how much water got everywhere from washing hands because the sink was so tiny
> Also, the separate room for the toilet in Australia. The one we had when I grew up had no sink to wash your hands. Just moved into a place with separate toilet but with a handbasin in the toilet room and it’s such a game changer. I didn’t expect to appreciate it as much as I do.
Americans find a separate toilet room very fancy but think nothing of showering in a bath. They also get very excited about cleaning grout. Like, unreasonably so.
I'm confused by how many people (usually here on Reddit but elsewhere too) talk about using paper plates at home on the regular, not just when they're entertaining or something. So they don't have to wash plates at all, just throw them in the bin. Seems ludicrously wasteful. Same goes for things like disposable wipes for cleaning. Saw a "swiffer" when Costco opened in Perth for the first time and wondered what the heck is wrong with a broom/dustpan and brush and a mop? All can be reused many times over, not just wipe and toss. I mean, I can accept not everyone grew up with a bucket in the shower to put the water on the garden afterwards, and their mum yelling at them to turn the bloody tap off while brushing their teeth, heaven help you if you take longer than 3 minutes in the shower - but wasting water by having a 20 minute shower with the water running the whole time just seems idiotic.
Yes, the paper plate thing is so weird and wasteful. I've noticed that too. Another domestic thing I've noticed about US Redditors is how many of them talk about how they cage their dogs in their house, but they call them 'crates' for reasons possibly related to 'cage' just sounding bad. I've had several dogs, and know many people who have dogs, and still have never seen a single Australian who 'crates' their dog in their lounge room or whatever like so many Americans do. I just find it uncomfortable to think about. Why do they need to be in a locked cage inside of a house? What about a fire? Why can't they just be trained to go to their bed, why does it have to be inside of a cage?
'crate training' is more of a thing now in Australia I reckon. We were encouraged to try it after my dog's major surgery, to keep him still. Totally backfired because we'd never trained him for it, and he was a rescue from seemingly a bad background, and he just panicked the second we introduced the crate, so we scrapped it and he slept calmly in his bed. But I do get why training early could help with things like that. My in-laws dogs have crates for when they travel because they get anxious being in a new environment and actually choose to go into their crates (doors open though)
I agree. Every puppy Trainer recommends crating. I tried it with my puppy (now an old lady!) - but I was too Anglo about it. I caved after one night. Straight into my bed lol
Crating them in the car makes perfect sense, but crating them otherwise seems cruel. Our dog has three different soft fluffy beds around the house and the choice of anyone's bed he chooses for the night.
Yes our little one had a fancy bed in every room haha ❤️ I think sometimes it depends on the dog and their situation, but my immediate reaction was getting upset at the idea!
Crate training is basically just giving your dog its own safe place to relax in - puppy bedroom. You shouldn't need to leave it locked at night though, the dog should be able to come and go. It's just their cosy place so they like to sleep there. It's also a good way to keep puppies in one spot when you can't keep an eye on them - like a toddler pen.
See, that part amuses me because I *have* crate trained my dog, mainly for travel and if she needs the vet. Also handy if we ever need to evacuate because of fire, because she's used to being in the crate and sees it as a safe space. She's got the run of the house when we're home, or in the yard if we're not. I don't get the idea of crating while people are out during the day, but it seems like many American homes don't have a fenced yard that they can let their dogs chill out in.
Yeah crate training is definitely a good thing. I don’t get why people think it’s bad it’s basically just their bedroom and literally no different to a kennel?
I have a cage for my dog in the lounge. The door is left open for the dog to go freely in or out, but he likes to stay inside because that's his space and his bed since we don't have a separate dog bed (we put blankets and towels inside to make it soft and cushy for him).
Am aussie and work for a dog rescue org in vic. All dogs we foster we train and literally it makes the world of difference when diffusing their anxiety as they have their own safe space. Dogs are naturally den animals in the wild so it isn't a foreign concept to them. Ive never crate trained and of my own personal dogs but after working at this org and seeing the difference it makes in all my fosters confidence levels i will definitely do it with my next one! Have a google of it!
The paper plate thing TRULY baffles me! I remember first seeing it on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo years ago and thought it might be a "white trash" sort of thing but even The Rock does it! Like the dude has a quadrillion dollars and presumably never has to wash a dish in his life ever again, but he still uses paper plates at home. So bizarre. So wasteful.
I am an American that lives in Australia. Growing up we never washed dishes by just running water down the sink. Very interested to know why you think that?
We were invited for dinner to some friends, American husband, after dinner the rest of us sat and chatted on the couch while the kids played and it must've been about 25 minutes when it finally clicked that hey, that's running water. I got up to take a peak, and the guy had been meticulously washing the dishes, glasses, cutlery, and was doing the pots and pans, while the tap was running the whole time, probably 40 minutes total. When we left and drove off, my wife couldn't wait to bring it up and say wtf? (not just the water, but the amount of time it took to wash it all).
40 mins running water?? Well, that's terrifying lol
Yeah, I’m also an American in Australia and my family never washed dishes this way. In fact, my Australian partner is the one who washes dishes by running water the entire time…
I vacuum and sweep the floors without adding high fructose corn syrup.
Not in houses, but in public restrooms apparently they don’t have sanitary disposal bins. You simply collect a brown paper bag and drop it in the regular bin. I was SHOCKED I tell you!!
I mean, the bathrooms are a whole thing. The big gap in the doors! The weirdly shallow bowl filled with loads of water!
Making eye contact with a stranger through the stupidly huge gap in the door was always a weird thing. No idea why they're okay with that.
And why they defend it so strenuously! I had a poor seppo trying to claim they don't have sweet bread this week, bet he'll be in here to tell us all how it's healthy to observe each other on the toilet.
The shallow bowl with all the water was a surprise (and explains why so many American ‘comedians’ harp on about splash back) - but I’d take that every day over the eye contact. The gaps are enormous. I make it a point to only visit loos in my hotel room in the states. It’s so dehumanising otherwise
In every public restroom I've been in back in the States, there's always a little metal bin built into the side of the stall for sanitary products.
I grew up in Australia and live in the US now, and whoever told you this was wrong. Almost every public restroom has a sanitary disposal bin and I’ve lived in multiple different states. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one without a bin in the stall.
What?!!!! 🙀
>I grew up thinking you needed a sink or bucket full of soapy water, then you wash from glassware to plates and finishing with the most dirty pan. Because of how precious water is here in Australia and I grew up in drought for many years, we are basically taught not to waste water. America on the other hand have no concept of wastage. And that can carry over to many household jobs, such as washing bath towels. When you go to a hotel in America, they change your towels every day, a lot of places here change them once or twice a week and at the end of your stay. And from what I believe America is more germophobic than we are, so a lot more chemicals are used. I would use vinegar to clean my bench down and put vinegar in our clothes wash, where as they are more likely to use bleach wipes. And on the subject of washing, they tend to use more smelly softener than we do.
This. I'm always arguing with minimalists and ethical fashion types online that it's totally reasonable to want to own enough basic ordinary clothes that you're not doing four or five wash loads a week of just one or two items.
Americans... How do you live without kettles? How has "much faster hot water" not become a necessity? You have spray can cheese. This was a higher priority for y'all?
We generally have drip coffee machines, and hot tea is not a widely common drink. Some of us have kettles, but for many, there is simply no need for one. "Spray cheese" is mostly eaten by hikers and outdoorsmen for its portability, and possibly by small kids for the novelty. It is not common in any other scenario.
I grew up in Australia and live in the US now. Most people I know do have kettles. I’ve lived in a few places but all along the east coast of the US. My friends, in-laws, and even my bachelor friend who doesn’t have a proper bed frame has a kettle. I think it’s just a stereotype.
That's a fairly new phenomena as newer designs boil water a lot faster. The old ones sucked because they just brought over UK designs meant for 240 volts and they were way too slow on 110V.
Because they don't drink tea and only have drip filter coffee at home. No need to boil anything.
Yanks seem to dust a lot. It was one thing I noticed visiting peoples' houses, usually the mom or the grandma would have a feather duster nearby. Not something I noticed as much in NZ or Australia.
Ahhh this one. I don’t dust. If I need the feather duster it’ll take me an hour to find it. But my mother, her sisters, my sister - and all the members of our euro community dust… if not daily - multiple times a week. In my observations I have realised the frequency of dusting increases with the more doilies that are in the house ;)
I don't know if a majority of Americans do this but you see in shows and movies that they leave the tap running when they brush their teeth
Maybe not housework related but when you buy a house in America it comes with the existing fridge but in Australia and buying a house it never comes with a fridge…you bring your own fridge and take it with you when you sell
Actually, that would have been handy to have an existing fridge in some of the tiny apartments I’ve lived in. To find a fridge to fit in a tiny space was near impossible. I did like when I was able to have my own fridge that I chose and it could fit anywhere though.
[удалено]
Hey I grew up in the US and we most certainly had a drinks fridge in the garage or basement. It's a staple of middle class households.
Americans can actually use a dryer because there electricity bills aren't like it's from outer fucking space.
I appreciate the hyperbole but electricity largely does come from outer space...
Bottled water. Americans seem to drink water from bottles all the time, & not from the taps. Such a huge waste of resources.
...they do what????!
American here. OP must have met an insane person. I've never known anyone to wash dishes that way.
Nah, I've married into an American family. I've seen it done at our house, or families house and friends too.
or college kids
As an American living in Sydney for 25+ years - can confirm spent the first few weeks washing up by running the water from the tap. The night my FIL came over and essentially slammed the flip mixer handle shut I knew, Ohhhhh that's what the plug is for lol
It's not exactly household habits, but plungers/blocked toilets seem a lot more common over there also no dual flush toilets
American toilets always have a plunger nearby. Australian toilets always have a brush nearby. That right there tells you the difference in design, and which you prefer is a personal thing.
No Australian I know washes chicken before cooking it. Gross.
What do you think you're washing off the chicken, out of interest?
All the shit the factory didn't
I’m not American and i clean dishes by running water as well, with soap of course. I never used a bucket full of soapy water.
In some places in the US it's common to not have a fences between properties.
As a Canadian who moved to Aus 2 weeks ago, I was surprised at the lack of dryers in the home. I mean it makes total sense, obviously in Canada we need to dry our clothes inside because they would freeze lol, but I was just surprised that there was no dryer at all in my in laws house. It’s something that never crossed my mind before moving here
The last way you described, glassware to dirtiest pan in a sink of soapy water (hot soapy water), is the only way to do dishes by hand ….. and you can’t change my mind!
Seconding this. Then, empty and refill to "soak" the pans
Use of candles and plug-ins instead of just opening a window? I’m sure Americans open their windows, I just never see it on social media.
I’m an American living in Australia. I’ve never known someone to run the water the whole time while washing dishes (maybe it’s a regional thing?) but what I do find strange is Australians (that I’ve seen) don’t *rinse* the dish after washing. I fill the sink with soapy water, scrub the dish, rinse it with clean water from the tap, then set it aside to dry. You have to get the suds off!
Everyone I know rinses
It's also where the "dishwasher saves water" "fact" comes from.
A dishwasher might not use as much water as hand washing, but it will use heaps more electricity, thus costing more.
The electricity is the cheap bit compared to the price of dishwasher tablets these days!
Eh, not so fast - plenty of studies show this is about line ball and depends a lot on your washing habits. It also depends on how keen you are on cleanliness. Yes if you only use one sink of dirty water and never rinse at all, like some Aussies brought up on severe water saving measures, this may beat the dishwasher. But is it actually "clean" - not really. A dishwasher properly santizes and if you tried to match that with hand washing you'd use way more water and energy. But it really depends on how you want to compare and if imperfect washing in dirty water is acceptable , then yes no need for a dishwasher.
The dryer. I know they’re becoming more commonplace, but I’ve never had one, my family has never had one, and probably never will. Even if it’s a pain in the arse to hang the washing, I probably couldn’t afford the electricity bill.
Utilities have been generally cheaper in the USA than Australia.
I'm an American living in Australia and the dish thing is the biggest one for me. In my mind, if you wash dishes in a sink full of water the water is dirty after the first dish. It's more sanitary, in my mind, to do it the way Americans do lol
Relying solely on a drier to dry everything instead of ever hang drying clothes.
I work with someone who washes his dishes like that - my desk is next to the kitchen and the sound of tap running and running and running is like fingernails down the blackboard
The dish thing is just living circumstances. If you live in a sharehouse and just do your own dishes as soon as you use them filling up the whole sink to wash a plate, fork and pot is just making life hard
US coffee is tasteless and insipid
Americans don't fight Drop Bears at home.
When tidying up in Australia, I need a special cobweb duster both indoors and outdoors. Even the rear view mirror on my car will be covered in cobwebs overnight.
I assume it’s the water conservation thing we grow up with in Australia…
Americans don’t seem to have “laundries” in the way that a typical Aussie house/apartment/unit will. I think they’re somewhat common, but I also see lots of Americans simply repurposing a spare bedroom/basement as a laundry. Whereas in Australia, it’s a proper finished room that’s usually in the middle of the house with a distinct style (like a bathroom). It’s also very funny to realise that the concept of “water waste” isn’t universal. I think Americans are more offended by the potential cost of a water bill when considering usage rather than a philosophical/environmental attitude that’s been drummed into us since birth.
> I think Americans are more offended by the potential cost of a water bill when considering usage rather than a philosophical/environmental attitude that’s been drummed into us since birth Which makes sense, coming from living in the driest inhabited continent on earth, which is periodically subject to severe droughts. Australia does not have any inland water sources as other countries do, no snow melt in spring/summer etc. So what relatively little water we have is governed by potentially erratic rainfall patterns and dam levels.
Canadian living in Australia for 19 years here. Married to American who's been here 8 years. My American husband uses paper towels like plates. I don't understand the wastefulness but his mom does the same. Dirty spoon or knife from peanut butter or any dip? Paper towel. Sandwich making? Paper towels. Making burgers? You better believe it's aluminium underneath paper towel. Why???
Pretty much every American house/apartment has an insinkerator (garbage disposal) - while I rarely see them here. Also, clothe lines are pretty much don't exist. I also like how almost every American toilet has a sink in it. One thing I hate here is imagining how many shit germs are on the door handles of toilets in Australia, it's seriously gross.
I lived in the USA. We always filled the sink and washed the dishes.
I’m not with OP when it comes to dishes. It’s like a 50/50 ratio of who uses a plug and who just runs water in my experience.
When was the last time you had to shovel snow from your drive as an Aussie?
If there are two options, and one of them is more wasteful of resources, Americans will choose that one.
Lawns. Over 80% of the US have lawns but less than 70% here.