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In England, do not rinse the dishes. Be always in the mood

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The world is full of traditions that seem strange and sometimes even wild to other cultures.

Today we are in website   decided to figure out why the sinks in England have 2 taps.

Reason No. 1. Historical

Most of the British housing stock dates back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, which was before mixers and modern valves appeared. Some of the dwellings are much older - one of the consequences of living in a part of the world where there are few earthquakes.

When internal plumbing was introduced, it began with a simple system that piped cold water directly from the network into the kitchen. Later, separately, hot water was added, therefore, a double system was created.

Reason No. 2. Compliance with the law

In England, there is a law according to which it is forbidden to mix cold water and hot from the boiler. The fact is that in the country there is no central heating, and in every house there is a geyser (which the British call central heating).

Previously, a special tank was a mandatory part of the boiler. The water could stagnate, the tank could rust, making the water unfit for drinking. Apparently, this did not stop many people, and it was necessary to introduce a law prohibiting the mixing of cold water suitable for drinking and hot from a container.

Reason number 3. Following the traditions

The British do not wash their hands under running water. To start, they plug the sink drain with a stopper, draw water and wash their hands with soap. Then they remove the cork and wipe their hands with a towel. At the same time, they do not rinse their hands. By the same principle, they wash themselves and wash the dishes, not rinsing, but immediately sending them to the dryer.

England is famous for its eccentric traditions. What is their left-hand movement or windows opening outwards! And especially strong surprise awaits tourists in the bathroom when they first go there to wash their hands.

The whole world has been using faucets for a long time, because it is very convenient, but the inhabitants of Misty Albion stubbornly continue to equip the sinks with two separate taps for cold and hot water.

So what explains this strange tradition? Editors “AWESOME” I decided to understand the issue and dug up a lot of interesting information. It turned out that there are just three reasons that explain the use of separate cranes in the UK!


Reason number 1 - legislative
This may seem strange to us, but in Britain there is a law that prohibits the mixing of cold and hot water! This happened because there is no central heating and boiler rooms.


Each house is equipped with a boiler or column. Previously, the tanks in which the water was heated were made of not very high-quality metal, which rusted and was covered with oxide. Because of this, the water became unfit for drinking. To protect people from poisoning, we had to introduce a law prohibiting the mixing of cold, potable and hot water from a tank.


Reason # 2 - Fidelity to Traditions
The British do not wash themselves at all like we do. Instead of washing under running water, they plug the sink with a stopper and fill from two separate taps. Then they wash their hands with this water or wash themselves, as if from a basin!


After washing, just wipe your hands with a towel without rinsing! Do the same when washing and after taking a bath. The dishes are washed exactly according to the same principle and, without rinsing, put it in the dryer.


Reason No. 3 - Economic
And finally, the last explanation, purely rational. The British save this way! If there is a mixer, a person opens the taps, selects the desired temperature of the water and only after that begins to wash his hands. At the same time, a lot of clean water goes into the sewer. In England, such extravagance does not pass.


This is how this purely British quirk is explained. Share information with your friends, they will also be interested to know more about the British mentality.

Tourists and visitors often have a question: why in the English sink 2 taps?

The question arises: how to wash your hands or wash with warm water? Ice water flows from one tap, and boiling water flows from the other. I wonder why the British came up with such a strange way?

And it turned out that a lot of people were interested in this issue. I had to talk with the British and ask.

Answer number 1: compliance with the plumbing law

In England there is a law on drinking water. There is a ban on mixing cold drinking water and warm water. Previously, the obligatory part of the boiler was a special tank where water was stored. The water could stagnate, the Legionella bacterium appeared (mortality from it reaches 30% of the number of infected people), the tank could rust. For this reason, cold and warm water were supplied separately, so as not to drink “dangerous” water.

Answer number 2: habit or tradition + saving water

My friend married an Englishman. And his traditional parents, living near Oxford, gave an answer to this mysterious question. It so happened that for some time a young married couple lived with their parents until they found a separate housing. So, both in this family and in the families of other English, she noticed the same ritual of washing dishes. The sink is filled with water (cold and hot water are mixed in the sink - until warm), the detergent is poured, the dishes are washed, and even without washing the foam with running water - they are wiped with a towel, that's all. As she did not try to explain to them that it would be better to wash off the foam under running water - they don’t listen to her at all, so their grandmothers did. In addition, in England it is customary to save on bills for water and light, so the English method of washing dishes is also economical.

And here are some quick ways to find “mixers” invented by immigrants:




Great Britain differs from other European countries not only in left-hand traffic, but also in water taps. An inexperienced tourist will be in for a big surprise when he wants to wash his hands. The fact is that the British have no taps, they use two separate taps for cold and hot water.

Modern technologies make it possible to equip bathrooms with the most functional and convenient fixtures, but residents of foggy Albion stubbornly continue to use two separate taps. This may seem strange, but there are 4 reasons that make the British abandon water mixers.

1. Historical

Most of Britain’s housing stock dates back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, which means that houses were built before mixers appeared. Make a redevelopment or change the water supply system is a big enough problem. Initially, there was a simple system that delivered cold water directly to the house, and later hot water was added. Thus, two separate systems were created.

2. Legislative

England has a law prohibiting the mixing of cold and hot water. It is introduced so that pipes with cold water, which is intended for drinking, are not clogged. There is no central heating in the country, and each house has a geyser.

3. Fidelity to tradition

To wash their hands, the British close the sink drain with a stopper, collect water from both taps and wash their hands, as if in a basin. After that, remove the cork and wipe your hands with a towel. Wash hands under running water is not accepted. They wash their face and wash dishes in exactly the same way.

4. Economic

The British are not a wasteful people. They are all about saving. And since the country has very expensive water and gas, the water consumption with a closed sink is much less. When there is a mixer, opening the faucet and choosing the right temperature, a lot of clean water goes into the sewer.

Although there are no taps in Britain, our people will find a way out in any situation. Here is a plastic faucet from a regular bottle invented by a resourceful tourist, so as not to bother with plugging the drain.

Great Britain is a country that honors its traditions and is very different from other European countries. The British are not like everyone else, starting from left-hand traffic and ending with a very peculiar humor. But especially strong surprise awaits tourists who want to wash their hands or take a bath.

The thing is that the British do not install faucets, but use two separate taps for cold and hot water. Editors "So simple!"   will tell you why the people of Misty Albion stubbornly continue to equip the bathrooms in this way.

Faucets for cold and hot water

Our wonderful world is full of traditions that seem unusual and sometimes even wild people of other cultures. Using two separate water taps may seem strange at first. But from a design point of view, it looks very pretty. However, there are 4 reasons that make the British abandon water faucets.

Reasons to use two taps for water

  • Historical
      To make repairs in the UK is a rather big problem, especially when it comes to replanning, changing the water supply system and more. Most of the British housing stock dates back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, that is, these houses were built before faucets and modern valves appeared.



    When indoor plumbing appeared, it was a simple system that delivered cold water directly to the kitchen. Later, a hot water supply system was separately added, therefore, a dual system was created.

  • Legislative
      The fact is that in the country there is no central heating, and in every house there is a geyser. It may seem strange, but in Britain there is a law that prohibits the mixing of cold and hot water, so as not to clog the pipes with cold water, which is intended for drinking.

  • Fidelity to tradition
      The British do not wash their hands under running water. To begin with, they plug the sink drain with a stopper, draw water and wash their hands with soap, as if in a basin. Then they remove the cork and wipe their hands with a towel. However, they are not rinsed.



      Do the same when washing and bathing. The dishes are washed exactly according to the same principle and, without rinsing, put it in the dryer.

  • Economic
      And finally, the last explanation, purely rational. Residents of Misty Albion thus save. If there is a mixer, a person opens the taps, selects the desired temperature of the water and only after that begins to wash his hands. At the same time, a lot of clean water goes into the sewer. In England, such extravagance does not pass.

  • But it is worth noting that resourceful people came up with a way out of this situation. They make a mixer from a regular plastic bottle, without bothering with plugging the drain.

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