Americans living in the UK have said the biggest culture shock was the bathrooms.
The expats who have come to call the UK home have said the bathrooms have been their ‘biggest adjustment’ and Americans are ‘not built’ for them.
From no sockets in the bathroom to even how much water is in the toilets, these are the five biggest shocks American expats have moaned about.
NO PLUG SOCKETS / ‘OUTLETS’
For many, not being able to use heated appliances to style their hair in the bathroom like they can back home was a major issue.
Taylor Kane, known as Prague.Princess on TikTok, said: ‘One of the most inconvenient things is that there are no outlets in the bathrooms here.
‘So if you want to blow dry your hair you have to do it in the bedroom or another room, which I find really annoying because then your hair gets all over your carpet rather than just getting on the bathroom floor that you can easily sweep up.’
While another, known as PeachfamilyUK, who moved to the UK to be with her British husband, was particularly frustrated by the lack of plugs: ‘There are no outlets, no plugs for our curling iron or hair straightener because they don’t believe in that here.
‘Gone are the days of sitting in my vanity with my feet in the sink, curling my hair in the mirror. We don’t get nice things anymore.’
Americans living in the UK have said the biggest culture shock was the bathrooms. Above, known as PeachfamilyUK on TikTok, the woman who moved to the UK to be with her British husband was particularly frustrated by the lack of plugs
She also complained that the use of mixer taps made it very difficult for her to wash her face
And TikTok user Jackie Todd agreed in her video: ‘There are no plugs in the bathroom. Some houses have these plugs for shavers, I usually end up having to do my hair in the living room with an extension cord.’
TWO TAPS FOR HOT AND COLD
Mixer taps are not common in the U.S. and the American wife complained that the use of them on her bathroom sink made it very difficult for her to wash her face.
She said: ‘I have not yet figured out an effective way to wash my face because my options are scolding hot or freezing cold.
‘Right now I’m just doing this thing where I’m trying not to burn the sh*t out of myself and then splashing water on my face. It’s honestly not very effective.’
She added: ‘My biggest adjustment since moving to England has got to be the bathroom. American girlies are not built for British bathrooms.’
LOW WATER LINE IN THE TOILET
The low water line in the toilets is perhaps an annoyance that even the brits can share with – as it makes your business more audible!
Taylor said: ‘The water level in the toilets is so low here, so when you go to the bathroom and if you’re in someone’s house, you can hear everything that someone’s doing.’
She shared a hack she was taught to help be more discreet: ‘A trick I learned from another girl here was to put just toilet paper in the bowl to make it a little quieter when you’re going to the bathroom.’
While Jackie also noted the much lower water line in comparison to the toilets in America: ‘The toilets are really different, the water is a lot lower on an English toilet and instead of a handle to flush there’s this little button on top.’
LIGHT SWITCH OUTSIDE
The expat was also shocked to find that traditionally the light switch is held outside the bathroom.
She joked: ‘I just know that if I grew up here my siblings would be doing this [switching the lights on and off] to me very damn day.’
CALLING IT A TOILET
Britons calling it the more blunt, ‘the toilet’ has put off Americans who think it is ‘TMI’ (too much information).
‘The biggest shock for me was that so many people here call the bathroom just the toilet.
‘They’re like, “where’s the toilet”, “I have to go to the toilet”, which is just so TMI. I don’t want to know what you’re doing in there,’ says Taylor.
While Jackie also noted the different name: ‘Instead of referring to it as a restroom or bathroom it’s usually called the loo or just the toilet.’
