To think hygiene standards are low in Britain?

[castemary]

This obviously does not apply to everyone. But in Britain, I think there is a general acceptance of fairly low hygiene standards. I see it in several areas.
With individuals you have people telling everyone they do not wash bras for months, do not clean their teeth every day, do not wash face masks every day.
In public areas, offices and shops the cleaning often consist of no more than a quick hoover occasionally, a mop and a bit of damp wiping. Apart from toilets, places are rarely properly cleaned.
I think most people simply do not realise how unhygienic Britain is until they go to countries that do have a good standard of hygiene. There seems to be a lot of emphasis in Britain on superficial things that make places look good such as scatter cushions or make-up, and not on basic hygiene and cleanliness.
AIBU?

I doubt the OP will get in contact with MNHQ, more like she will contact The Sun.

@LadyWhistledownsQuill

The Scum (Sun) is currently sniffing around this thread for a story.

If the journalist reads this DO SOME PROPER FUCKING JOURNALISM and stop scraping MN for clickbait fodder

Where is that from? Another thread?

They're also not saying they'll help the Sun, just the OP if she gets in touch.

@mainsfed it came up on my Facebook newsfeed!

I do agree with you, I am not from here originally and one of the biggest adjustments in this country was getting used to the poor hygiene (things like smelling people's body odour or a whiff of unwashed hair sitting next to you in the cinema etc.)
How grim public transport is as well (being expected to sit on stained fabric bus seats etc)
People wearing the same outfit to work two days in a row - or winter coats that didn't ever seem to be dry cleaned or washed but are worn daily for a whole season.
Children's PE kits that stay in school from week to week without getting taken home (so obviously aren't getting washed after each sweaty wear!?)
People who don't change their bed sheets every week or don't bath daily (I've learnt this on MN as its not something I talk to my friends about!)
Other nations just don't live like this, but it is so normal here

So I could get paid for my name and photo in the Sun saying that British people are not hygienic enough.
No thanks. I can not think of a better way to attract lots of personal vitriol.

What countries do these people come from that think it's so bad here? That said it is less clean than it used to be, we used to have road sweepers for example. Perhaps I'd be happier in these cleaner countries although presumably they are inferior to the UK in other ways.

Who has time at work to fanny about cleaning keyboards and phones? Sounds like something the office busybody would do instead of doing their actual work.

winter coats that didn't ever seem to be dry cleaned or washed but are worn daily for a whole season

You do know there are lots of people who can only afford one winter coat and can’t send it to the cleaners for several days because they need to be able to wear it?

Who has time at work to fanny about cleaning keyboards and phones? Sounds like something the office busybody would do instead of doing their actual work.

I worked in a medical library. They had someone come round to clean all phones and keyboards each week. That was a place with limited budgets, but lots of experts on infection control, and clearly, they thought it worth spending money on.

They can be cleaned in the summer surely.

@PommieCheeks75

They can be cleaned in the summer surely.

Of course they can @sunnyblackwidow was complaining that they went uncleaned for the entire winter, though.

Children's PE kits that stay in school from week to week without getting taken home (so obviously aren't getting washed after each sweaty wear!?)

This is at junior school, yes? Children do not smell when they are little, after running around for 30 minutes. And anyway add up the pe lesson times during a half term and it only equates to a day's wear anyway.
Obviously at secondary school pe kits are washed after each wear.

God some people really are fanatical about germs

I do agree with you, I am not from here originally and one of the biggest adjustments in this country was getting used to the poor hygiene (things like smelling people's body odour or a whiff of unwashed hair sitting next to you in the cinema etc.)

Presumably you come from the same sterile paradise as Coolandclamy? 😂

Been to France, disgusting, graffiti everywhere, stinking public toilets. Been to Turkey, public toilets holes you stand over with no hand washing facilities. Been to Prague, couldn't find a public toilet ANYWHERE had to buy a drink in a cafe every time we needed the loo so I'm not entirely sure if you've left the country if you think it's that bad

Wish I knew which country these people talk of, which are so sterile.

Japan is very clean, people carry water to wash away dog wee, trains are spotless and public loos are cleaner than most peoples private bathrooms here. Don’t get me started on wearing shoes in the house 🤮

@PommieCheeks75

Japan is very clean, people carry water to wash away dog wee, trains are spotless and public loos are cleaner than most peoples private bathrooms here. Don’t get me started on wearing shoes in the house 🤮

I'd be on board with people carrying water to wash off dog wee here in the UK, it makes me heave when I see dogs merrily cocking their legs within feet of me enjoying my lunch.

@sunnyblackwidow

I do agree with you, I am not from here originally and one of the biggest adjustments in this country was getting used to the poor hygiene (things like smelling people's body odour or a whiff of unwashed hair sitting next to you in the cinema etc.) How grim public transport is as well (being expected to sit on stained fabric bus seats etc) People wearing the same outfit to work two days in a row - or winter coats that didn't ever seem to be dry cleaned or washed but are worn daily for a whole season. Children's PE kits that stay in school from week to week without getting taken home (so obviously aren't getting washed after each sweaty wear!?) People who don't change their bed sheets every week or don't bath daily (I've learnt this on MN as its not something I talk to my friends about!) Other nations just don't live like this, but it is so normal here

Where are you from?

There are dedicated online communities of Japanese people showing off how filthy and untidy are their living quarters.

Japanese squat toilets are the traditional norm for public loos.

Must suck to be a wheelchair user, tbh!!

Yeah I’ve come across the squat types in rural Japan but the ones in cities are really nice, they even have a seat on the wall to put your child in so Mums can use the loo.
TBF the squat ones are more hygienic as you have no contact with the seat.
To the point about wheelchair users, it’s very lacking as a country in that respect.

The only thing that truly surprised me about UK hygiene wasn’t personal, it was public.

The amount of cans, cups, bottles, wrappers just tossed about was shocking. In cities (London, Birmingham, Camnridge) and in the countryside.

I suppose in cities this goes back to the IRA “troubles” where bins were removed, so not many places to dispose of things, but even now the whole “I’ll gather my dog’s shit in a bag then throw it on a tree” is fairly gross.

I’ve no experience with Brits generally being unclean, and don’t believe daily bath/shower is the best thing. Depends on the individual, time of year, etc.

Too much cleaning and too much hygiene isn’t particularly natural. Hand washing is far more important than hair washing.

in the American city I grew up in, there was a horrific incident in ~1980s

2 Japanese exchange students (F) got sexually assaulted, shot, left for dead. One of them staggered to the road to flag down a passing car for help. The other student was left paralysed for life.

Paralysed student came back to live full time in our city ~ 2 years later, it was a much easier city to live in as a wheelchair user than in Japan. That story always sticks with me.

@lljkk

Japanese squat toilets are the traditional norm for public loos.

Must suck to be a wheelchair user, tbh!!

Japan does have toilets for disabled people.