British Household Customs That Baffle Americans

Every country has its own household routines that might seem puzzling to outsiders. For instance, the Chinese enjoy midnight snacks or meals, while in Australia, 34% of people do a deep clean weekly, and 64% clean their homes daily. From distinctive practices to quirky traditions, here are 14 British household routines that leave Americans scratching their heads.

Depending on the daily schedule, Americans typically eat breakfast between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. before adults go to work and the kids go to school. Most American kids usually have toast with butter or jam, cereal with milk, and a glass of orange juice. However, in Britain, breakfast is typically served between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and usually consists of porridge, something to drink, toast, or a full English breakfast with fried tomato, eggs, beans, sausage, and bacon.

Next on the list of British household routines that confuse Americans is the ritual of having afternoon tea. It is typically served around 4 p.m., where people can sit and relax and enjoy a cuppa with refreshments. It consists of tea (most prefer black tea or like to add cold milk) with sweet or savory finger foods. If you want to plan an afternoon tea, try the following scrumptious finger foods.

Sweet Treats:

• Carrot cake
• Raspberry orange muffins
• Lemon tarts
• Madeleines
• Pineapple upside-down cupcakes

Savory Treats:

• Cucumber sandwiches
• Cheese sandwiches
• Tuna sandwiches
• Savory scones
• Salmon wraps

Americans are often confused that most British homes do not have a utility room and that the washing machine is usually in the kitchen. This is because it can be closely fitted next to a power point, waste pipe, and water supply. This is also common in most South African homes.

Understanding common British household lingo can also confuse Americans. For example, if you are cleaning up in America, you might say, "Can you throw this in the “garbage can” or “trash can?” However, in Britain, you would say, "Can you throw this in the “bin” or “dustbin?” Furthermore, any "trash" or "garbage waste" is referred to as “rubbish.” In addition, when British people clean their homes, they don’t say, “I’m going to clean up,” they say, “I’m going to tidy up.” When doing the dishes, they say, ‘I’m going to wash up” and not “I’m going to wash the dishes.”

There are many British foods that Americans enjoy, but one British household routine that confuses Americans is eating digestive biscuits. Perhaps it is the name McVitie’s. These popular biscuits are usually served with coffee or tea and are semi-sweet. Digestive biscuits are made with wholemeal flour and aren’t as sweet as traditional American cookies. An American Reddit user said that he feels like a digestive biscuit would be something he would feed to his dog if it ate crayons.

Next on our list of British household routines that confuse Americans is putting a wash bowl in the sink when washing dishes. Here are a couple of reasons why British people put a plastic bowl in the sink when doing dishes.

• It uses less water.
• There is less chance of damaging your plates and glasses.
• It is convenient if you need to suddenly use the sink for something else.
• If you only have one sink, you can use the plastic bowl to rinse off soap.
• You can reuse the water from rinsing your vegetables to water your plants.

Many Americans have never heard of Christmas crackers, which are popular to have on Christmas day at the dinner table next to your cutlery. Most Americans think of a Christmas cracker as something you eat like a biscuit. Christmas crackers are fun little fireworks in a cardboard tube wrapped in pretty paper. You and the person next to you pull the cracker together. Once the tube pulls apart, it lets off a little bang sound. The person who gets the bigger end keeps the prizes inside the tube. Usually, you get a small, colorful paper hat that you wear while eating, a little toy, and a joke to tell. Unless you’re willing to pay a bit of money for luxury crackers, don’t expect amazing prizes.

In Britain, the bathrooms have double taps. One is extremely hot and the other is cold. So when washing your hands, you have to just wave your hands quickly back and forth to get the right temperature.

Gravy is a very popular component the Brits enjoy. Most of the time you will notice that they will pour it onto almost everything; however, it pairs particularly well on top of French fries. The Brits would rather have gravy, whereas Americans would rather have ketchup on their fries. 

In Britain, eating a Sunday roast together with the family either at home or at a pub during lunchtime is a popular British tradition. This delicious meal usually consists of roast beef, chicken, pork, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, roast potatoes, and a variety of vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, butternut, and peas. It is also served with condiments like horseradish, apple sauce, and mint sauce. Americans, on the other hand, typically eat a variety of foods for lunch, like a sandwich with cold meats, burgers, or a salad. So they may find this household routine confusing.

The next British household routine that confuses Americans is not rinsing the soap bubbles off after washing dishes. Now many British people on Reddit have said this is due to not having two sinks in the kitchen. This is where some use a plastic bowl to rinse. However, others have said it’s because a brand named Fairy Liquid claimed that you don’t need to rinse the bubbles off. However, I think it is all up to your personal preference on how you wash dishes.

Apparently, 15% of British people clean their bathrooms daily. This could be because they often have visitors over and most bathrooms in Britain are carpeted. Homes that have not been upgraded tend to still have carpets in the bathrooms, and cleaning daily prevents mildew and dust buildup as well as keeping the feet warm due to very cold temperatures during winter. However, approximately 50% of people clean their bathrooms once per week. Cleaning once a week seems to be the norm in most households worldwide.

In Britain, it is recommended that you “hoover” the stairs at least once a week and the rest of the house twice a week. However, areas that have high traffic, like entrances and kitchens, should be hoovered daily. You may be wondering why the Brits say “hoover” instead of “vacuum.” This is because for many years there was only one brand of vacuum known as “Hoover.” The word just stuck, and now everyone who is British refers to hoovering as vacuuming regardless of the brand. Furthermore, most Americans on average vacuum their homes once every two weeks. This is less than the recommended once or twice per week. However, it all depends on each person’s personal preference, and for some, this British household routine confuses Americans.

Our final British household routine that confuses Americans is how often the British wash their bathroom towels. This is going to be a shock. A recent survey conducted in early January 2024 showed that more than 1 million Brits only wash their bathroom towels once per year. Americans wash their towels once to three times per week. To eliminate dead skin cells, allergies, bacteria, and other health risks, it is recommended to wash your towels after every three or four uses.