Americans and Brits might boast a shared language and cultural quirks, but it appears dishwashing habits are another matter entirely.
On paper, the differences seem minor – sidewalks for pavements, divergent tipping etiquette, and a mutual love for boisterous holidays like Halloween and Christmas bind these nations.
Yet a video of a Brit cleaning up his dishes became an online sensation, sparking debate. The drama began when a TikTok user by the handle Spiritual AF challenged the British public to demonstrate how they transform ‘dishes from dirty to clean’.
The clip unveiled that many in the UK skip rinsing off suds post-wash, opting instead to place soapy plates straight onto the rack, much to the dismay of American onlookers, reports the Mirror.
Comments flooded in – one baffled American queried, “Do they just eat off of soapy dishes? ” While another shared her ‘huge culture shock’ upon encountering British washing-up practices, as another decried, “UK washing up is messed up!”
Many Brits have hit back at the suggestion that they don’t rinse soap suds off dishes, with some arguing there’s no need if you’re drying your plates and cups with a kitchen towel before stowing them away.
Cleaning expert and social media star Ann Russell was pulled into the fiery debate, dismissing fears that Brits were inadvertently poisoning themselves with washing-up liquid.
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“The average amount of water that people use to wash up with is around five litres,” she explained. “And into that, they will put roughly 10ml of washing-up liquid, so that’s 0.01 per cent of washing-up liquid… You’re perfectly safe. Don’t worry, you’re not going to kill yourself.” Anne emphasised the importance of cleaning with very hot and clean water, and placing pots upside down to drain.
“The chances are they will drain completely smoothly and it will be absolutely fine,” she reassured. “Lots of people do do that; they also use a tea towel to dry up with, which wipes, you know, manually moves [the washing up liquid].Many other Brits argued that they do actually rinse the suds off of their crockery, claiming that Americans were making a sweeping stereotype to bolster their engagement.”
Other Brits chimed in to say they indeed rinse their crockery, countering the American stereotype with personal anecdotes. “I’m from the UK and I run the hot water as I’m washing up to rise them scalding my hands in process,” one individual claimed.
Another concurred: “I’m British, and neither myself nor anyone else I know in the UK leaves soap suds on their dishes. Literally everyone rinses.”
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