Cultural cleaning practices

[mubarak86]

Sort of reminded by another thread about how when I got with DH and spent time with his non British family, how they were horrified by some of my cleaning (or not so) ways.
Eg, his family always wash meat/chicken before use. Not just a rinse under the tap, but they use flour, lemon juice and some even use olive oil soap and massage it in, before thoroughly rinsing it off.
Another one is how they wash the dishes. Small bowl of warm soapy water, sponge is dipped in, dish washed and set aside before rinsing soap off. Wearing of flip flops in bathroom, no bare feet ever. Flip flops left in bathroom, never to be worn outside of bathroom.

Would be interested to hear if you are in a mixed culture marriage or if you are not white British in what ways you feel you do things differently (or even if you just know others) . Keep it respectful please, no one is asking for opinions on what is the "right" way to do things.

@Georgyporky everyone I know from SE Asia washes meat/chicken. I couldn't imagine not washing it now, the stuff that comes off it when you do is not something I want in my food.

And after it's washed, the sink and surrounding areas are bleached.

I've seen those!!! Absolute game changer

Dishwashers rinse after cleaning so why would you not rinse if doing it by hand?

@Simonjt my xh used to have weekly dettol baths, the smell! I understand why but ewww

I haven't noticed for quite some time but when I was younger around 18 so we are going back around 13 years or so I remember one of the girls nit rinsing the soap off even glasses I so shocked.

Culture is a big thing OP and I guess you don't know and learn until you have 2st hand experience yourself.

My dad often had a bath with the bathroom door open and I've been to other cultured houses also and they do this too.

My grandma taught us to try ourselves with "Rag" (flannel) before getting out of the bath then get dry with a towel.

Underwear is hand washed before going in the washing machine also.

Irish Travellers are an ethnic group not a nationality.

Because I am on a water meter and I have no reason too? I also don't have or want a dishwasher.

I grew up in Germany. We had a tiny bathroom in our first flat and the washing machine was plumbed in there. Later we lived in flats with communal wash rooms in the basements. Never, ever saw a washing machine in the kitchen.

Also people would hang their bedding out of the window for a while in the morning.

What is actually being washed off washed meat?

Eew definitely interested in the meat one. I presumed it was as meat was from markets etc I hot countries that it was put in lemon juice- not really washing it though is it? But what does come off the meat? Not just flavouring it?

Your last point. Lemon ( vinegar can also be used) are acidic and therefore alter the PH value. Bacteria requires a neutral or near neutral PH to breed, so it’s ability is reduced by changing that. ( I’m vegetarian so no meat washing goes on in my house but vinegar or lemon juice is very useful for cleaning kitchen surfaces, sinks, chopping boards to reduce bacterial growth)

Ihate the thought of a soapy plastic bowl with bits floating in it 🤢

I scrape any bits on the plate into the bin and rinse under the tap before immersing into hot soapy water. No-one puts dishes with bits of food on into a washing up bowl/sink of soapy water.

I also dry my clothes on hangers on a rail.

i do this

If you buy your meat in an open air market it’s had flies and fumes and hands all over it, of course you wash it!

I went to boarding school with a lot of international kids.

They found it gross that white/British people don’t wash their legs and feet properly ie don’t scrub them down with soap. They thought it was disgusting when we told them we just let the “water drippings” clean our legs and feet.

All my British friends - some of which I have lived with - do that. And it's not about bits of food, it's about oil and grease. It will never mix with water, the soap won't be strong enough to take it off in combination with, well, oily and greasy water. So what remains on the plate is... oily, greasy drippings.

I'm white and wash my legs and feet with soap - that includes scrubbing between toes. Do others not do that? How about all the dirt that accumulates in there after wearing socks and/or shoes all day long? What about summer when you're in sandals and the dirt goes directly in between your toes?

I'm a Gypsy,please don't call us Travellers it's really fucking insulting!

I'm sorry but I've faced years of racism and it really pisses me off when people lump us all together.

Some of my friends that are travellers get really pissed of with this as well!

As for cleaning,we always air all of the beds and every room every day no matter the weather.

Cleaning things like sponges and cloths are washed separately,which I thought everyone did but apparently not.

The house is cleaned every day and the gardens are always as well kept as the house.

We tend not to wear shoes in the house, I don't say anything if a friend or neighbour comes round but the thought of outdoor footwear on the floors does make me feel a bit nauseas.

The washing up rule here (dunno where I learned it) is this. First, if you have one, almost everything in dishwasher, scrape first. For things that need washing by hand, you work on the basis that the shiniest is first in and dirtiest last, so glasses go in clean water first, then lightly soiled stuff. Renew bubbly water. Then scraped plates, cutlery etc (with quick rinse). Then chuck water out and scrub really dirty pans thoroughly under intermittent hot tap, soaking for 20mins if reqrd.

To be honest reading the thread I can't see any real differences with how i was raised and my parents are English, apart from the location of a wsshing machine and meat washing as we were raised vegetarian.

Everyday windows are all opened for an hour minimum, depending on whether we are in all day or not it will be as soon as we wake up or if in for the day once we are showered. At the same time beds are shaken and folded at the end of the bed to air the bed. I think the quilt hanging is actually trying to do the same.

Indoors no shoes, and as others have said schools were the same. We had racks for shoes and coats, both came off when we got in and plimsolls went on.

Beds we were raised to never sit on a bed at all. Not your own and not someone else's thus bedrooms have chairs. A bed is to sleep in, laying down in bed clothes.

And meant to say of course you wash your legs and feet. Start from top and thrn end on cleaning legs then feet. Why would you skip one piece of body like that.

I’ve never washed meat before cooking - have survived 50+ years so far!

I do have a washing up bowl. Takes less water to fill it and less risk of smashing something in the sink.

I tend to give plates a VERY quick rinse under the tap and then pile them up ready for washing - I hate fully dirty/sauce type plates going straight into the bowl.

wash plate, lift it out, use sponge to drag off any soap suds then leave items to dry on the drainer.

I really don’t get the “angst” over unrinsed items. You don’t need to waste running water to rinse stuff. Just use your sponge to swipe suds into the bowl.

No one in my family or close friends rinse after washing. They rinse before then dry with a tea towel

Hooray - I was beginning to think I was the only person who did this! I don't live in the UK, and I've never seen anyone rinse dishes after washing.