Question for all Americans .. do you not have Spray Deodorant in the USA?

Della said:
Lots of Americans hang their laundry out when the weather is nice, but prefer the convenience of a clothes dryer most of the time. Our dryers are huge by comparison, we can dry a set of sheets and several towels at the same time, where the tiny dryer I had when in England could only dry one towel at a time and it took much longer. We also have extremes of weather that England never has. No woman wants to be hanging out laundry in Minnesota in winter.

Heated towel racks are probably more popular in England because many of English bathrooms don't have heat. I was really bothered by not having any electric outlets in my English bathroom so I couldn't dry, or set, my hair in there.

Electric kettles aren't quite as popular in America because we tend to be coffee drinkers and we usually have a coffee maker. Not many of us drink instant coffee on a regular basis. It was a surprise to us to be invited in for "a coffee" (not a cup of coffee or some coffee but A coffee) and then be given instant -- some thing I can barely get down.
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sorry, but most British bathrooms do have heat , we all have radiators... we can choose to keep the radiators as well as the heated towel rails, or swap them over .

We don't have electric sockets in the bathrooms ( which is a bit nuts).. but because our power is 240V.. double the USA power, it's deemed to dangerous but we do have shaving sockets...

The average British kitchen has a coffee maker alongside the Electric kettle... altho' we don't drink Coffee in the same amounts as you 'mercians.. it has become almost parity with tea drinking..
 

hollydolly said:
that's a new one on me I have to admit. We're always told that like on the continent the USA only uses 2 pin plugs....
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The 3rd prong is for electrical grounding, a backup pathway that can prevent electrical shorts, overloads, and fires. Large appliances always have a 3rd prong, but smaller electrical gadgets don't really need it and usually don't. Clothes washers and dryers and most refrigerators, air conditioning, and water heating systems have an "L" shaped 3rd prong, which is different from other appliances.

We have spray deodorants In the US but they don't contain a propellant anymore. Propellants are considered dangerous to the ozone. Our deodorants are more a mist than a spray. I'll bet yours are, too.

Stick deodorants have been the most popular here since propellants were tagged unsafe for the environment, but I think sprays/mists are performing better lately.
 
Della said:
Lots of Americans hang their laundry out when the weather is nice, but prefer the convenience of a clothes dryer most of the time. Our dryers are huge by comparison, we can dry a set of sheets and several towels at the same time, where the tiny dryer I had when in England could only dry one towel at a time and it took much longer. We also have extremes of weather that England never has. No woman wants to be hanging out laundry in Minnesota in winter.

Heated towel racks are probably more popular in England because many of English bathrooms don't have heat. I was really bothered by not having any electric outlets in my English bathroom so I couldn't dry, or set, my hair in there.

Electric kettles aren't quite as popular in America because we tend to be coffee drinkers and we usually have a coffee maker. Not many of us drink instant coffee on a regular basis. It was a surprise to us to be invited in for "a coffee" (not a cup of coffee or some coffee but A coffee) and then be given instant -- some thing I can barely get down.
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Actually, instant has come a long way; really. :) I like the latest Juan Valdez brand.
We do also have a coffee maker as my husband, like you, prefers drip coffee made with "real" grounds. :)
My son and I drink both coffee and tea (and hot soups) so the kettles are wonderful to have.

@hollydolly, is that common in England, to not have outlets in the bathrooms?

You know, I think a lot of what we have and don't have in certain parts of the world is dependent on what we need.
A lot of English residents don't have in-home air conditioning, not because they don't know what it is, of course they do (they have it in stores, etc.), but because the climate there is so temperate, they don't need it. (Imagine. Lovely.)
 

Medusa said:
I think that is a fairly common misconception here.
I don't like to do it because I get weirded out by the thought of bugs and birds landing on my nice clean clothes.
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Also, clothing theft is a big concern except in rural areas.

At the apartments I just moved from, it was against the rules to hang your clothing out to dry. It was considered an eyesore. You could hang up the occasional wet jacket or rug or whatever, but only for a few hours.
 
Murrmurr said:
The 3rd prong is for electrical grounding, a backup pathway that can prevent electrical shorts, overloads, and fires. Large appliances always have a 3rd prong, but smaller electrical gadgets don't really need it and usually don't. Clothes washers and dryers and most refrigerators, air conditioning, and water heating systems have an "L" shaped 3rd prong, which is different from other appliances.

We have spray deodorants In the US but they don't contain a propellant anymore. Propellants are considered dangerous to the ozone. Our deodorants are more a mist than a spray. I'll bet your are, too.

Stick deodorants have been the most popular here since propellants were tagged unsafe for the environment, but I think sprays/mists are performing better lately.
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I loved your informative post; well explained.
Now to go off on an unimportant tangent: I've found lately that I much prefer roll on to sticks as they don't leave a residue that must be scrubbed (I mean with an actual scrubbie) off before reapplication.
 
Medusa said:
Actually, instant has come a long way; really. :) I like the latest Juan Valdez brand.
We do also have a coffee maker as my husband, like you, prefers drip coffee made with "real" grounds. :)
My son and I drink both coffee and tea (and hot soups) so the kettles are wonderful to have.

@hollydolly, is that common in England, to not have outlets in the bathrooms?

You know, I think a lot of what we have and don't have in certain parts of the world is dependent on what we need.
A lot of English residents don't have in-home air conditioning, not because they don't know what it is, of course they do (they have it in stores, etc.), but because the climate there is so temperate, they don't need it. (Imagine. Lovely.)
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yes very common...it's against the law to have electrical outlets in the bathroom because of the danger ... but...
Electrical sockets are permitted in bathrooms or shower rooms as long as they are located more than 3m from the edge of the bath or shower. Specially designed shaver units are an exception to this rule and can be located slightly nearer, but still no closer than 600mm from the bath or shower.


 
BC Flash said:
re Remy's post #7 I don't think most American's realize you can hang laundry out to dry either.

A few years ago, we had visiters from the US - they were AMAZED that I have an outdoor clothes line. Their comment was they would never hang their clothes outdoor as the neighbours would think they were poor!!
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Ha! I'd say let people think what they want. Some people just make stuff up anyway.

I know some people say that lines are not allowed in their neighborhood. I'd use portable lines if that was the case and I'd figure something out. I've put my laundry on my private apartment patio for years, weather permitting.
 
Murrmurr said:
Also, clothing theft is a big concern except in rural areas.

At the apartments I just moved from, it was against the rules to hang your clothing out to dry. It was considered an eyesore. You could hang up the occasional wet jacket or rug or whatever, but only for a few hours.
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In this area.. but not everywhere in the UK...it's against the rules to hang washing out the front of a house.. ( aside from being ugly) and washing has to be hung only in the back out of sight.... but in some places where they have flats or back-to-back houses they have no choice..
 
Murrmurr said:
Also, clothing theft is a big concern except in rural areas.

At the apartments I just moved from, it was against the rules to hang your clothing out to dry. It was considered an eyesore. You could hang up the occasional wet jacket or rug or whatever, but only for a few hours.
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If I remember right, your apartment complex had some stern rules. Luckily my patio is private.

I hope you can now do what you darn please in your home.
 
hollydolly said:
that's precisely why I dry most of my clothes in the dryer.. I hate finding tiny black bugs in my sheets usually after I've put them on the bed.. or pigeon poop on my towels..
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Don't blame you!

My boyfriend takes his clothes from the washer/dryer (he has a 2-in-1 unit) before they've finished drying and hangs them on a clothes horse inside. He says it can take 24 hours for them to finish up, but doesn't mind as they're not bothering him, sitting there.
 
Remy said:
Ha! I'd say let people think what they want. Some people just make stuff up anyway.

I know some people say that lines are not allowed in their neighborhood. I'd use portable lines if that was the case and I'd figure something out. I've put my laundry on my private apartment patio for years, weather permitting.
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even tho' washing lines are very permitted here.. and no-one can see into my garden anyway.. I still use a retractable washing line..

When I was a kid out washing line was out all the time, so when we went to hang the washing on it, we had to clean it down first with a wet cloth
 
Medusa said:
Don't blame you!

My boyfriend takes his clothes from the washer/dryer (he has a 2-in-1 unit) before they've finished drying and hangs them on a clothes horse inside. He says it can take 24 hours for them to finish up, but doesn't mind as they're not bothering him, sitting there.
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it's pretty expenisve to run a washer/dryer..or a dryer on it's own, so if he wants to finish the drying off on a clothes horse, it'll save him money.. as long as it doesn't create damp
 
hollydolly said:
In this area.. but not everywhere in the UK...it's against the rules to hang washing out the front of a house.. ( aside from being ugly) and washing has to be hung only in the back out of sight.... but in some places where they have flats or back-to-back houses they have no choice..
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Is it me holly or are things changing in the UK? I thought hanging out laundry was much more common.

My mother never owned a dryer here. I don't mind a dryer. I use it in the winter and for my work clothes which a half way dry and then dry them on the hangers. Takes the wrinkles out.

I also bought a couple over the door racks a few years ago from the Walmart website. We had really bad smoke and I couldn't hang my laundry out and refused to use the dryer in the heat. They actually work pretty well and I'm glad to have them for things I don't want to put in the dryer also.
 
I use an electric kettle every day. Never felt the need for heated towel bars although I know they’re available.
I would not mind hanging clothes on a line to dry but it would be an impossibility during our Spring pollen season. Everything would have a yellow coating. When It rains even the mud puddles are yellow in the Spring.
 
hollydolly said:
yes very common...it's against the law to have electrical outlets in the bathroom because of the danger ... but...
Electrical sockets are permitted in bathrooms or shower rooms as long as they are located more than 3m from the edge of the bath or shower. Specially designed shaver units are an exception to this rule and can be located slightly nearer, but still no closer than 600mm from the bath or shower.
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Well, better safe.
I've heard a large percentage of deaths happen in the home and of those a large percentage happen in bathrooms.
I'm trying to think through the houses I've lived in, where the outlets are... usually I think they are located closer to the door.
 
Medusa said:
I loved your informative post; well explained.
Now to go off on an unimportant tangent: I've found lately that I much prefer roll on to sticks as they don't leave a residue that must be scrubbed (I mean with an actual scrubbie) off before reapplication.
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I don't use deodorants...I smell too luscious. :p

I'm joking. I'm sensitive to deodorants that contain aluminum so, when I do use one, it has to be aluminum-free. But seriously, I don't use it very often.
 
hollydolly said:
even tho' washing lines are very permitted here.. and no-one can see into my garden anyway.. I still use a retractable washing line..

When I was a kid out washing line was out all the time, so when we went to hang the washing on it, we had to clean it down first with a wet cloth
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At one apartment I hung up lines and tied them to rings I put into the wood of the fence. But then the spiders liked that. I didn't want to disturb the spiders so I was losing line space. I switched over to hooks so I could take the lines down between washes.
 
hollydolly said:
it's pretty expenisve to run a washer/dryer..or a dryer on it's own, so if he wants to finish the drying off on a clothes horse, it'll save him money.. as long as it doesn't create damp
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Yes, exactly. That is his thinking about it; why spend the electricity when the clothes are doing no harm sitting where they are and, as the weather is so often nice, he tends to keep his windows open during the day, so it works out well.

Here, as was mentioned, the dryers are quite large and I don't have that kind of patience. Well... actually I take that back; there are some delicates I wash in laundry bag and hang in the laundry room for drying as the dryer would ruin them.
 
Remy said:
Is it me holly or are things changing in the UK? I thought hanging out laundry was much more common.

My mother never owned a dryer here. I don't mind a dryer. I use it in the winter and for my work clothes which a half way dry and then dry them on the hangers. Takes the wrinkles out.

I also bought a couple over the door racks a few years ago from the Walmart website. We had really bad smoke and I couldn't hang my laundry out and refused to use the dryer in the heat. They actually work pretty well and I'm glad to have them for things I don't want to put in the dryer also.
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way back in the 60's and 70's everyone hung their washing out.. but that was 50 or 60 years ago... the vast majority of people don't hang washing out now Remy...

I would be lost without my dryer. I know it's a more expensive way to dry clothes, and goodness knows Electricity is eye wateringly expensive here now.. but I find it quite cost effective because everything that comes out of the dryer can hang straight up.. it never needs ironing..
 
Medusa said:
Yes, exactly. That is his thinking about it; why spend the electricity when the clothes are doing no harm sitting where they are and, as the weather is so often nice, he tends to keep his windows open during the day, so it works out well.

Here, as was mentioned, the dryers are quite large and I don't have that kind of patience. Well... actually I take that back; there are some delicates I wash in laundry bag and hang in the laundry room for drying as the dryer would ruin them.
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yes that's a good point.. your washers and dryers are generally much bigger than European machines.. mainly ( altho' many have utility rooms ).. the majority have to have washers and dryers in our kitchens, so they have to be smaller.. My washer is considered big for the uk, and hold just 11 kgs of clothing..
 
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