This is meant to be a fun and silly post so please do not take it any other way.
I am American and I have been traveling around Europe for the last two years. I love it but there are a few things that really bother me about European bathrooms. I do not understand why there are never any plugs in the bathrooms. I understand the reason for this historically (moisture and electricity), but in many modern houses, there are still no plugs in the bathrooms. And equally, many of the rooms I stay in do not have a mirror near the outlets. I usually end up blowdrying my hair in the living room! Are Americans really the only people who use outlets in the bathrooms? Maybe I need to start traveling with an extension cord!!!
Writing from Sweden: close to the shower or the bathtub power outlets are not allowed.
In many homes there is a power outlet near the wash stand that is only meant for things like electric razors, electric toothbrushes etc. It wonât power a hairdryer.
It is not safe to use an extension cord to use grid power in the bathroom. It is then not certain that you will be protected by a ground-fault circuit interruptor.
I lived in Spain and there were plug outlets in bathrooms there. However in the UK where I am from it is not permitted for plugs to be in bathrooms apparently due to perceived safety concerns.
Our electric comes into the house as 240volts. In in US the electric voltage is much lower at 110 volts therefore safe enough to have electric sockets in damp, moist areas.
There would be too many âhair raisingâ moments if we had electric sockets in the bathroom
Hi @SunshineAndAloha. I can only speak for the UK where 240v plugs and light switches are not allowed in bathrooms by law. You can have a shaver socket though.
I agree! We were just in Ireland for two weeks and tryiing to dry/curl my hair was a true challenge. No mirrors were near any of the plugs in any of the hotels we stayed in. I actually understand the plugs in the bathrooms as I have been in Europe on many occasions, but this was the first time I could not get to a mirror to do my hair.
Omg rhe thought of a plug socket in the bathroomâŚ.
Its funny though what you get used to⌠ive always dried my hair in the bedroomđ.
We do have shaver sockets though sometimes.
Never mind electricityâŚhere in Cyprus we canât put toilet paper down the toilet, we have to have a little bin where the loo roll has to go (obviously itâs emptied at least once a day) We donât have main sewerage pipes, every house has a poo tank underground ! It took some getting used to !
Iâm now wondering if this would put some house sitters off !!!
@Spitimou thatâs funny! I just arrived in Cyprus on Sunday (not housesitting) and saw the note in my Airbnb toilet, and thought, thatâs weird, I wonder if itâs only this houseâŚso your comment makes me realise itâs all houses. Good to know.
We had the same when we housesat in the mountains of Spain. Initially I was shocked with the toilet paper situation. Perhaps just make a small comment in your listing about this, so that the sitters are aware, eg. âAs is custom in Cyprus, no toilet paper allowed down the toiletsâ
I think most countries in the world are like that with the toilet paper. Certainly, Mexico, most of Central and South America, Morroco, and many Asian countries. It is funny what we are all used to.
Venice area: the tiniest showers you can imagine. As a medium sized woman, I can hardly turn around in one. No idea how grown men fit into it.
Sicily: some toilet designsâŚyikes. Letâs just say, the angle of the bowl meets your uhmm âdroppingâ directly full on. Toilet has to be scrubbed after each number 2.
Other areas in Italy: huge bathrooms. Larger than the sleeping area. Why?
Ick yesâŚGermany is going away from those, but some older home still have the shelves. I read somewhere that it was a post war kind of thing, where it allowed the person to check for intestinal worms.
