There’s a mini epidemic of Norovirus where I live in the UK, and the CDC’s best advice for avoiding it is to wash your hands thoroughly and often, with lots of soap and lots of warm water. Anyone ever tried to do this with British sinks, in which the hot and cold taps are separate, such that you can’t possibly hold your soapy hands under the running water to rinse? Absolutely diabolical. I’ve come to the realization that personal hygeine in the form of hand-washing in the UK is not common, as this is already my second brush with this particular virus (characterized by projectile vomiting, lovely!) since moving to the UK. The fact that the “fecal-oral route” is the most prevalent means of transmitting the virus makes me feel sick. Previously I only heard about it from cruise ships or nursing homes. But with two tap sinks, it’s no wonder that the virus spreads so easily… and let’s not mention population density. Flying over the UK you see vast amounts of green followed by tiny and densely-packed towns. The UK is lucky that SARS has not been a problem here _yet_ since the local population density is certainly conducive to the spread of communicable diseases. My plan for the weekend? Stay inside, continue to wash hands frequently, no matter how painful, with my hot-and-cold water taps, and hope for the best. Drinking only bottled water and eating only self-prepared food. The virus got me last time, but I hope that it won’t make it into my tiny flat this time.
A real reason to criticize British two tap sinks
February 20, 2009 · 23 Comments
Categories: Britain · domestic · expat life · world
23 responses so far ↓
Jen // February 20, 2009 at 11:50 pm |
It’s not their Britishness that makes them two-tap sinks, it’s their oldness. We have many a double spigot here in Philly, but we also have lots of adapters that plug into each of the two taps and effectively funnel the output into a single stream. You may want to look into whether you can find one for your Goldilocks (too-hot-too-cold) sink.
notfromaroundhere // February 21, 2009 at 12:00 am |
Yes, except when we recently underwent renovations at work to create state of the art labs, they put in brand new two-tap sinks. There is something traditional there that is not associated with technology!
Iota // February 21, 2009 at 2:18 am |
Funnily enough, only today I was talking to someone about how great mixer taps are. In Britain, even where there are mixer taps, they don’t seem very good – perhaps our water pressure is lower or something. The best thing to do, I’ve always found, is to turn on the hot, and use it quickly before it’s become too hot. If you’re not quick enough, you have to turn on the cold, and swing your hands between the two.
Or you can put in the non-existent plug (they are always missing in public restrooms), and fill the basin.
But on hand-washing, I have to disagree with you. I have never never ever in my life seen anyone leave a restroom in Britain without washing their hands. Here, I have done (today, for example), and once someone congratulated me on teaching my daughter to wash hers. I said “doesn’t everyone?” (this was in my early days), and she replied “you’d hope so, but it doesn’t seem so”.
Stay well.
Michael Harling // February 21, 2009 at 7:11 am |
The Two-Tap system is a favortie complaint of mine, but in the kitchen, where there is one faucet, it still doesn’t help. It seems the hot and cold water come out of the faucet in separate places, which leads to the interesting experience of scalding your hands while freezing them at the same time.
Peter Bond // February 21, 2009 at 12:59 pm |
Keep well but just don’t get paranoid.
When I used to be in aviation there was always concern about this (we used to call it Norwalk then). People think of it related to cruise ships only because they have to report it by law. The airlines don’t.
Must admit I prefer a mixer in the bathroom and two taps in the kitchen. Just seems more convenient when cooking etc.
Chris // February 21, 2009 at 1:42 pm |
The Victorians built a water and sewage system which was the envy of the world – at least it was when it was built – it’s showing its age a bit now
.
Water in British houses first goes into a tank in the loft – from which it then goes to the rest of the house. I believe that this is for two reasons (but await correction). Firstly, it reduces the pressure – so the pipes in the house don’t need to be so strong, and second, it prevents water siphoning from the house back into the mains were the main water supply in the event of a loss of mains pressure.
Because of the possibility of contamination of the water in the loft tank (and the fact that it could sit there for days), drinking water from the kitchen tap comes straight from the mains – however again order to avoid the siphoning back, the taps are designed not to mix hot and cold within the body of the tap itself.
I’ve got a mixer tap in my bathroom, but it is perhaps only something you realise you miss once you have experienced it.
Almost American // February 21, 2009 at 2:52 pm |
Chris explained it very well. Even with mixer taps in the UK the hot and cold water remain separate!
I was always taught that I would get sick if I drank water from the hot tap – because it had been sitting stewing in the tank.
I use Iota’s technique for handwashing.
Michael Harling // February 21, 2009 at 7:18 pm |
Chris, that was fascinating, and I’m not just saying that. Now I know why, but it’s still annoying.
notfromaroundhere // February 21, 2009 at 7:21 pm |
I’m not sure if Chris’s brilliant analysis applies where I live, however, as it is not a house and has a huge boiler room. For that reason, the “try to wash fast before the water heats up” also doesn’t seem to apply, as the water coming out of the taps seems to be quite hot quite fast. What I end up doing is turning on both the hot and cold and swishing my hands back and forth between scald-freeze-scald-freeze…
Howard // February 22, 2009 at 6:31 am |
Oh dear G0d!
We Brits are all going to die because we couldn’t give a rat’s ar*se about mixer taps!
We failed to listen to the Americans’ insistence that Life, Liberty, Mixer Taps, Insect Screens, Drive-In Fridges, Brown Sugared-Water, Sub-Prime Beef Patties, Gruesome pork-remnant Sausages, Cheese that is the Mockery of the World, ghastly and gas-guzzling cars, superbly competent politicians like Dubya, and the pursuit of Happiness were the panacea for all ills.
But seriously, life expectancy (if you choose to google it) is actually slightly better here than it is in the States. Possibly separate taps are not a factor.
Still, it is interesting to think that the ancestors of modern Americans crossed forests, mountains, rivers, deserts, in all conditions of weather. Did they complain about any particular wasbasin arrangement? (I think not.)
Nice work, NFAH, in your anti-British crusade, but no cigar.
Howard // February 22, 2009 at 7:25 am |
> My plan for the weekend? Stay inside, continue to wash hands frequently, no matter how painful, with my hot-and-cold water taps, and hope for the best.
Oh Jeeze yes!
Even breathing (try not to do this) is a certain death-warrant. Have you tried crystals? Acu-siliness? Aromoboll0x? Prayer? Have you tried waving monkey bones around (could be fun!) Or are you just trying to annoy people?
Is it possible that Americans are susceptible to medical stupidity more than Europeans?
Please do say — I so look forward to your answr!
notfromaroundhere // February 22, 2009 at 3:02 pm |
Howard, there were cleaning crews in full body suits with biohazard bins around cleaning up all day yesterday–it was like a scene from “Outbreak”.
If you dislike me or my writing or content of this blog so much (since you continue to post comments that are not in the friendly spirit of this blog, but instead tends towards vitriol) why do you continue to read this and comment at all?
Chris // February 22, 2009 at 3:08 pm |
NFAH,
I believe that hot water in large buildings is kept particularly hot to avoid the danger of Legionaires’ disease.
Perhaps “Health and safety” had a point when they banned microwaves in your office – particularly if there was no money to pay for them to be cleaned.
Howard // February 24, 2009 at 3:14 pm |
> If you dislike me or my writing
Oh dear. I don’t dislike either you or your writing, NFAH.
Sometimes what you write is so strange that it seems to be deliberately provoking a response from your readers, so I try to oblige. Some of your posts are so very bizarre that I suspect their intent is satirical; in these cases, as above, I attempt to reply in the same vein. Surely you as a scientist/engineer would not really believe without evidence that there is a correlation between Novovirus and Brits’ disdain for mixer taps (unlike Americans, we have not yet been hoodwinked into believing them to be the pinnacle of western civilization): you were being humorous, yes?
notfromaroundhere // February 25, 2009 at 1:22 am |
The instructions on dealing with norovirus included washing one’s hands in warm water, which was clearly inconsistent with British sinks of the two tap sort. I truly do think the lack of mixer taps is inconsistent with this instruction, although Howard you are correct that in general my tongue is firmly in cheek as concerns much of my life in the UK!
Howard // February 26, 2009 at 1:47 am |
a) you put the plug in the basin
b) you turn on the cold tap and the warm tap and let the basin fill until your mixture of hot and cold is is to your liking (ie, warm)
c) you wash your hands with soap in this warm water
d) you disengage the plug and empty the basin
e) you either repeat (a) – (c) to rinse your hands in warm water
f) or you rinse them in refreshing cold water, if you’re not a sissy
g) or you do (e) followed by (f).
It’s not rocket science!
pacificyorkshirebird // February 26, 2009 at 8:41 pm |
Well what a coincidence, I had just remembered your post about your temporary housing (and mixer tap) during work to your current place after seeing this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv-Pi3RKY68
Thought I’d try to find the post, but saw this one first. Disturbing to the point it is funny!
Still love your blog as much as ever!
Jackie // April 2, 2009 at 4:37 pm |
I hate those seperate taps. How annoying of them!
godda // May 5, 2009 at 2:40 pm |
yeah Howard. I’d like to see you follow that procedure in a public toilet god knows how clean it would be.
those painstakingly annoying seperate water tap is so widespread yet no brits were able to give me a proper answer. some would say “oh well i guess it’s a way of keeping our tradition.” whattttt?
god damn it there should be a national scheme run by uk government to ban all those useless yet impractical separate water taps and revert ones that are already in places.
bloody Brits just never seem to learn typically cynical and miserable people.
Howard // May 5, 2009 at 3:08 pm |
Godda, are you a supporter of Sarah Palin?
Pippi // July 16, 2009 at 6:32 pm |
I spent a year in the UK and was left with a low impression. Overall an ugly place with cold and arrogant people who think that their country is the center of the universe. There were some nice people but most were double-faced pretending to be friendly yet just fake. That’s just my personal opinion even if it’s a total generalization.
Howard // July 17, 2009 at 8:26 pm |
Pippi, I am sure there will be many people even happier than you that you are no longer in the UK!
test5 // October 26, 2009 at 10:41 pm |
The same story in Ireland, and Irish people pretend that’s something normal! Another example of Copy/Paste from the British Impire!