aside from vacuuming once a day, all of this seems perfectly acceptable(I am 100% an American, never left the country sadly). Separate recyclables, clean after yourself, the only thing I would say is, for me? I'm not worried about the change you get from bottle recycling. He can have the whole thing.
OR, we could put it all towards a community fund for maybe buying or upgrading various parts of the community home, such as living room, kitchen, etc?
No, your honor, I don't know anything about a trip to the hardware store for Job-site sized plastic bags, duck tape, a hack saw, and a 5 gallon bucket of heavy duty detergent used by crime scene cleanup crews?
Of course that's purely out of consideration for the neighbors, legally nobody can stop you even at night. At least for half an hour after that it's getting excessive.
as a German: Sundays and Holidays have very restrictive noise laws ... they count as "Ruhetag" aka "days for resting" ... any activity that creates a lot of noise (mowing the lawn or craftsmanship with drills or hammers) is forbidden
Not German, but I do know that their Sundays are more rest days. Lots of things will be closed (like even grocery stores) and you shouldn't do noisy things like mow the lawn and such.
The shower one is great, I’ve been doing it religiously since we remodelled the bathroom two years ago, and I’ve only cleaned the tiled walls once or twice - soap scum just doesn’t build up at all (we do have soft water though).
Everything here is same for me in Sweden except my water is free, even hot water, so I take long hot showers 2 or 3 times per day for the pleasure. I vaccuum maybe twice per week. I open windows 5 min in the morning and again 5 min before sleeping. Replace all air but not let walls or furnitutre get cold.
I'd seen it maybe a couple times before I moved to LA and it's every toilet here, must be a city ordinance or something for water conservation. They are so bad though, even the #2 setting. I have landed on a min 2 flush system, once for my work and once for the paper. Sometimes it's 3 if it's a particularly bad toilet and I used a wipe, I'm not taking any chances and think wipea are more "flushable" than flushable
No, Germans get hard money for pfanding, so, no. Conservative Germans will mock this system and yammer about it the whole way to the pfand machine and back, but they will do the journey, because Conservatives ... and money. ;-)
When the system was changed a few years ago, this was however the number one topic on every TV channel, in every paper and all over the German Internet for months. Nothing else happening in Germany and in the world came even close.
well, actually you do want it to "zieh", all the stuffy air out, fresh air in, as fast as possible so you can close the damn windows again, we arent heating for outside after all! ideally open 2 windows on opposite sides of the house and all doors in between so the wind goes right through, 2-3 minutes should do the trick, maybe 5 minutes when there is no wind outside...
Get a husky. The Husky will not tolerate being abandoned outside (door closed) nor will he accept being trapped inside. Hence, door open enough for perpetual husky travel. In. Out. Out. Out. Out. In. But mostly out. We’re in permalüften. In Canada. In February.
no it isn't ! And most windows are completely hermetic ! No ventilation unless you open the window. Most foreigners get humidity problems because off not being use to that much luftung. Crazy when you think of the wasted heat... You would think Germany is taking care of their carbon footprint
Well, that's why you don't lüft that long, usually only 3-7 minutes, depending on room size and airflow through the room. Also, it's like every 2-4 hours only. But it all depends on, again, room size and how many people are in there.
Very strange. We have it (in an 80’s bungalow in Ireland), and the house is warm, but the air is always fresh - best of both worlds. (We made the house as airtight as possible to work with a heat pump, but there’s a radon issue, so it was essential).
When I learned english in school, I didn't know that staubsaugen means to vacuum, so I wrote "I sucked the carpets". And I learned "hoover" first, which made nooo fucking sense in my head
Hoover is/was a brand name for vacuum appliances, so the name was used for the thing. Similar to German where you can ask for a Tempo, and get a handkerchief.
Didn't even explain how to clean the poop shelf. ...And for the pedantic Germans out there: I'm kidding. That is clearly a modern toilet and would not have a poop shelf. ...And I'm aware that "pedantic Germans" was redundant.
Im sorry, i could not stop thinking about what a small poop-cabinet he has. No wonder he needs that poop scraper because poo would splatter all over the walls in that coffin sized poop cabinet
I visited my brother in Europe a couple of years before 911 and I was dumbstruck upon seeing and interacting with the inexplicable poop shelf… what in the Kentucky fried fuck spawned such a phenomenon?
Probably their propensity to eat raw and under-cooked meats and other nasty shit, which can lead to parasites and other issues. It was probably a bigger concern before more strict modern regulation, refrigeration, transport, etc. so it was mainly in older toilets.
Older German toilets have a shelf in the bowl on which the poop lands. Useful if you need a stool sample or want to check for worms, and of course it makes Poseidon's Kiss a non-issue. It does however mean you have to smell your own poop, like an animal, and the shelf might need some cleaning with the provided brush after you've flushed.
Just how often do Germans need a stool sample that they designed toilets with this function that you have to clean constantly. Inefficient, thus not German! Quite odd
Maybe Germans in the past had more solid stools because there was no Taco Bell and therefore didn't have to clean the shelf as much. I dunno. I'm not a lavatologist.
As a person from the usa, this is how I prefer to live as well. I think people have problems with this lifestyle because they do not take time in anything-it's always rush rush rush. So they convince themselves they don't have time to do any of it and then they have convinced themselves it's tedious to take care. Then, anyone who takes their time to separate the trash, or clean up after themselves, is seen as neurotic, because it's easier than admitting they have no patience or cleanliness.
Lights shouldn't be a problem anymore. LED lights are so efficient... they can be on all the time and still be much cheaper than incandescent lights used sparingly. The vacuuming? Depends upon where you live. I've been in some locations where there's a lot of fine dust in the air outside that makes its way inside. You need to do it a lot. Some locations? Dust accumulation is slow. Also, use an air filter--that helps.
Vacuuming twice a day and then worrying about lights being left on is pretty irrational. Trying to save the planet by reducing your personal consumption is misguided and belies a lack of understanding of the inherent wastes of capitalism. For every pound of red meat you buy the grocery store will be throwing out even more, and that's thousands of gallons of water usage. The amount you flush down the toilet is irrelevant when you understand the consumption each of these items represents.
I believe we should all be reasonable with our personal consumption. But lights are far down on the priority list. Especially when you vacuum 2x a day, you open the windows 1h per day, drive big cars with no speed limit, and use coal as energy source
Just because others are wasteful doesn't mean I should be too. I understand that collective failure to avert disaster won't be any individual's fault, but I'll still feel a little bit bad about it. We can always do our part.
I mean, it should be - the water resources are dwindling rapidly, and climate change will lead to a lot of water shortages where it was previously unknown
except that most of the water used in homes is recycled: it taken up from a river, "used" (really, just dirtied), then it's cleaned and released to the same river it was taken into
that's not _use_ of water; it's _use_ when you are drawing it in from aquifer that will take year or more to regain that water
It's a little overboard for most people. Much of it is personal preference presented with no option. Some of it is pedantic, like splitting the electric bill because a person leaves lights on; most lighting these days left on for a month costs less than $1. Vacuuming twice a day is a lot; how much dust is actually being created over 8 hours. Just because one person thinks these things are the best way to live life doesn't mean it's true.
Robots that vacuum and mop are getting ever more common anyway. Mine does my bath and kitchen every day and the whole flat three to four times a week while I am at work.
Yeap. They don't make a perfect work, but since you can use them effortlessly multiple times a week, or even a day - who's stopping you, they end up reducing the dirt load by a lot. I pull a cat's worth of cathair twice a week from it. House is looking spotless every day and it kinda helps me mentally to know the house is clean and a couple of chores are out of the way. Also once a month I pick up the big guns and do all the spots the robot misses/can't do. Which again is way less now.
I actually once asked to split an electricity bill. My roomate bought himself a new 1.5k€ GPU and started 3d rendering. 5-10hours per day, full load, 7 days a week.
The bill almost doubled within a month and I was confronted with "what's the big deal??". So entitled.
Zalm
aside from vacuuming once a day, all of this seems perfectly acceptable(I am 100% an American, never left the country sadly). Separate recyclables, clean after yourself, the only thing I would say is, for me? I'm not worried about the change you get from bottle recycling. He can have the whole thing.
OR, we could put it all towards a community fund for maybe buying or upgrading various parts of the community home, such as living room, kitchen, etc?
WillemHellfire
Poor fella would have a coronary living in my place.
RupertQZerconia
Every one of these!!! Perfect
lovingspace
Lüften is serious business over here, okay?
ParallelParkingInABurka
As a German, if my new roommate asked me to shower with a timer, I'd move right back out again. And I don't even take very long showers.
SteveD31415
Better this than invading Poland I guess.
monkeyfly
TIL I'm German. I should speak to my mother about this.
moecurlylarry
Compared to my wife, this guy is a light weight. I kid you not. She told me yesterday that she opened the bedroom windows from 8:30 PM to 9 PM.
sundaymondayhippyday
Why does your wife do it?
CyberHexx
No, your honor, I don't know anything about a trip to the hardware store for Job-site sized plastic bags, duck tape, a hack saw, and a 5 gallon bucket of heavy duty detergent used by crime scene cleanup crews?
DarthVaderDidNothingWrong
Zis iz not thoroughly done. Lüften is important, obviously, but in the summer it's kippen that matters most.
Hemelsblauw
This
ryanbunny
I need to move to Germany
usernametakenisthestoryofmylife
So accurate. Also, no showers after 10:00pm, too much noise.
KoalaOnTheJuice
Das ist aber nur logisch.
nichfra
Of course that's purely out of consideration for the neighbors, legally nobody can stop you even at night. At least for half an hour after that it's getting excessive.
TrubalPassion
Moving to Germany in October. Good to know, especially the house "burping"
nickelrocket
What about Sunday?
twelvoclocklevel
UnlimitedTrickPony
as a German: Sundays and Holidays have very restrictive noise laws ... they count as "Ruhetag" aka "days for resting" ... any activity that creates a lot of noise (mowing the lawn or craftsmanship with drills or hammers) is forbidden
izzydota
Not German, but I do know that their Sundays are more rest days. Lots of things will be closed (like even grocery stores) and you shouldn't do noisy things like mow the lawn and such.
verminsquishers
There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, es gibt nur schlechte Kleidung. ^^
Type17
The shower one is great, I’ve been doing it religiously since we remodelled the bathroom two years ago, and I’ve only cleaned the tiled walls once or twice - soap scum just doesn’t build up at all (we do have soft water though).
MaterialisticWorm
Maybe I'm autistic but aside from taking shorter showers I would love this
HypnagogicHallucinations
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1cnR6Z21lMGZvYTZjYWd3ZHI2bWMzcng5dXZpcGVvbXl0cGF4dnZyNSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/7Jug1174yg9QQA1UtH/200w.webp
BorkasonBork
Everything here is same for me in Sweden except my water is free, even hot water, so I take long hot showers 2 or 3 times per day for the pleasure. I vaccuum maybe twice per week. I open windows 5 min in the morning and again 5 min before sleeping. Replace all air but not let walls or furnitutre get cold.
ChrisCorona
Do they have incredibly short doorways, or is that man 7 feet tall?
ParallelParkingInABurka
Right?! I do think it's a bit of both - tall guy & low ceilings.
UnlimitedTrickPony
welcome to Germany ... yes we are very tall AND have low ceilings ... just enough space to not hit your head ... very efficient
ChrisCorona
I think you guys are just lowering the ceilings and doorways to make you LOOK like you're all tall.
DYLANLEE79
What was on the ceiling?
BrokenAnimal
Seconded.
Why are there orange dots on the ceiling?
MrHainey
Luminous dots or maybe a map of where that hijacker Cooper buried his money.
itdoesntmatternoneofthismatters
Why were they in the shape of my parents fighting?
ElbowDeepInSaintCelestine
But the three shells are missing, ja?
BikerRay
Two flush options in toilets are uncommon in America?
LaffertyDanie1
I'd seen it maybe a couple times before I moved to LA and it's every toilet here, must be a city ordinance or something for water conservation. They are so bad though, even the #2 setting. I have landed on a min 2 flush system, once for my work and once for the paper. Sometimes it's 3 if it's a particularly bad toilet and I used a wipe, I'm not taking any chances and think wipea are more "flushable" than flushable
idownvoteplottwist
they're on the way in with newer installations.
arewenotkingsandqueenstogether
I've only seen it in public toilets in the airport or other large my modern buildings
goflyblind
peterchen
As a German, I don't see the humor.
spitfires2000
"It was, in fact, a bit exaggerated and a parody. Apart from the Pfand!" - in Morgan Freeman's voice.
ElroydIsGone
As a german speaker I know all of it, some exaggerated, but a lot more than only the Pfand exactly spot on for some people I know.
swedeonamoose
Do germany also have commercials reminding people to pfand more ?
ElroydIsGone
No, Germans get hard money for pfanding, so, no. Conservative Germans will mock this system and yammer about it the whole way to the pfand machine and back, but they will do the journey, because Conservatives ... and money. ;-)
walpurrga
No, everyone does it, because 4 bottles = 1 €, so if you are not rich, better do it! xD
spitfires2000
Sure! You can even pay your Rosie ;-) with pfand bottles and cans! It won't cause a Skandal!
DdCno1
When the system was changed a few years ago, this was however the number one topic on every TV channel, in every paper and all over the German Internet for months. Nothing else happening in Germany and in the world came even close.
swedeonamoose
In sweden we got this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h80HJFoeRVU&list=RDh80HJFoeRVU&start_radio=1
DdCno1
Hahaha, that was brilliant! Thanks!
DarthVaderDidNothingWrong
Girls just wanna have Pfand
CrocodileGandhi
The eternal German struggle: You want to lüften, but you also don't want that it zieht.
RecurringNightmare
well, actually you do want it to "zieh", all the stuffy air out, fresh air in, as fast as possible so you can close the damn windows again, we arent heating for outside after all! ideally open 2 windows on opposite sides of the house and all doors in between so the wind goes right through, 2-3 minutes should do the trick, maybe 5 minutes when there is no wind outside...
rulerofthedingdongs
Get a husky. The Husky will not tolerate being abandoned outside (door closed) nor will he accept being trapped inside. Hence, door open enough for perpetual husky travel. In. Out. Out. Out. Out. In. But mostly out. We’re in permalüften. In Canada. In February.
Noahbalboa82
Oh wow, I thought that was just my husky. Drives me bonkers
GoodGuyGonzo
Like pike soup
ParallelParkingInABurka
😂
Type17
Is MHRV (mechanical heat-recovery ventilation) popular in Germany? Seems like it would solve the lüften struggle.
pompoikpoik
no it isn't !
And most windows are completely hermetic ! No ventilation unless you open the window. Most foreigners get humidity problems because off not being use to that much luftung.
Crazy when you think of the wasted heat... You would think Germany is taking care of their carbon footprint
michiyl
Well, that's why you don't lüft that long, usually only 3-7 minutes, depending on room size and airflow through the room. Also, it's like every 2-4 hours only. But it all depends on, again, room size and how many people are in there.
Type17
Very strange. We have it (in an 80’s bungalow in Ireland), and the house is warm, but the air is always fresh - best of both worlds. (We made the house as airtight as possible to work with a heat pump, but there’s a radon issue, so it was essential).
swedeonamoose
Man there are so many things similar to sweden here, and dust sucker is by far the best word for that machine. dammsugare.
FelisCatus211
In Hungarian it is also dust sucker—porszívó.
pareidoliaperson
Stofzuiger- Dutch.
Sipulikeitto
That's Pölynimuri for perkele's sake!
donorkort
Støvsuger in the superior Scandinavian language.
swedeonamoose
That is a funny way to spell the silliest language
Sipulikeitto
We always say that Danish sounds like trying to talk with a big hot potato in your mouth.
lostinthoughts
When I learned english in school, I didn't know that staubsaugen means to vacuum, so I wrote "I sucked the carpets". And I learned "hoover" first, which made nooo fucking sense in my head
michiyl
Hoover is/was a brand name for vacuum appliances, so the name was used for the thing. Similar to German where you can ask for a Tempo, and get a handkerchief.
lostinthoughts
Yeah, I know. Another example would be Uhu for glue. But in elementary school, I did not know that, and the teacher did not explain it
itdoesntmatternoneofthismatters
In 'murica a hand held vacuum is called a dust buster, so we've got that going for us.
just4thelolz
Didn't even explain how to clean the poop shelf. ...And for the pedantic Germans out there: I'm kidding. That is clearly a modern toilet and would not have a poop shelf. ...And I'm aware that "pedantic Germans" was redundant.
Ijustwantquiet
He didn't cover using a poop knife.
PotatoPirateTheThird
the little shower squeegee is right there so i assume you use that
comeonjointhejoyride
Im sorry, i could not stop thinking about what a small poop-cabinet he has. No wonder he needs that poop scraper because poo would splatter all over the walls in that coffin sized poop cabinet
DarkSock
I visited my brother in Europe a couple of years before 911 and I was dumbstruck upon seeing and interacting with the inexplicable poop shelf… what in the Kentucky fried fuck spawned such a phenomenon?
Fahrenheit536
Probably their propensity to eat raw and under-cooked meats and other nasty shit, which can lead to parasites and other issues. It was probably a bigger concern before more strict modern regulation, refrigeration, transport, etc. so it was mainly in older toilets.
DarkSock
I would prefer drowning the worms versus standing there and mocking them
DrKonrad
And what about the pee drawer
Gruesslibaer
That's in the Kühlschrank, next to the vegetable crisper.
LoftheDesert
When I lived in Germany I was thoroughly confused by the poop shelf to the point where I thought i was using the toilet incorrectly
SixSixxtySix
It's a thing in Switzerland too.
threepotatoesinatrenchcoat
And the Netherlands. All my older family still have them
mormacil
Checking your stool is an excellent way to spot health issues.
DrR5
Do they provide their own poop knife?
DarkSock
The poop shelf would require more of a poop spatula…
Dawgsarethebestpeople
What's the poop knife and the three shells called in german?
DdCno1
Fäkalienmesser und drei Muscheln.
ShadowbannedForNoReason
Flachspüler.
Margrave9000
Newly-minted Germans are usually less... stereotypical (well, at least for Germanness).
DarkAshelin
I am afraid to ask but too curious not to. Poop shelf…?
DrR5
Comes with a knife.
AtleastIvegotthatgoingforme0
Separate knives
burningcouchwv
The Poop knife lives!
just4thelolz
Older German toilets have a shelf in the bowl on which the poop lands. Useful if you need a stool sample or want to check for worms, and of course it makes Poseidon's Kiss a non-issue. It does however mean you have to smell your own poop, like an animal, and the shelf might need some cleaning with the provided brush after you've flushed.
nation543
I've never heard Poseidon's Kiss but I think I might have to start using that in the future.
LifeWouldBeEasyIfIWereEasyButLifeIsHardAndSoAmI
When the water splash meets its maker's hole
https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1cXBhNm4ybHRqaGZhaTJoaGg1OGpteDF6bTZjMXA5dDlvOHB2c212ZyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/pp37ctN31nM7pr03iu/200w.webp
choppedliveraldente
Jesus. Cook your meat.
just4thelolz
NEVER!
choppedliveraldente
Chicken sashimi it is
OldnFatBobba
Huh. That certainly would have made his rising less welcome.
choppedliveraldente
I forgot shit porn was a big thing in Germany. It's all starting to make sense.
imakesoap
Just how often do Germans need a stool sample that they designed toilets with this function that you have to clean constantly. Inefficient, thus not German! Quite odd
just4thelolz
Maybe Germans in the past had more solid stools because there was no Taco Bell and therefore didn't have to clean the shelf as much. I dunno. I'm not a lavatologist.
ThankYouForYourTime
Lavatologist, standing next to a magma flow with his tools to collect samples: “This isn’t a bathroom!”
Quaxx
As an autistic German - is there something funny about this? Everything he says is resonable from my point of view.
thotheger
Americans are just s but more messy than Germans
Etherealvalentine
As a person from the usa, this is how I prefer to live as well. I think people have problems with this lifestyle because they do not take time in anything-it's always rush rush rush. So they convince themselves they don't have time to do any of it and then they have convinced themselves it's tedious to take care. Then, anyone who takes their time to separate the trash, or clean up after themselves, is seen as neurotic, because it's easier than admitting they have no patience or cleanliness.
bitemark
The flexibile vacuum was pretty neat
kranchan
I mean just get a robot vac for starters.
cytherians
Lights shouldn't be a problem anymore. LED lights are so efficient... they can be on all the time and still be much cheaper than incandescent lights used sparingly. The vacuuming? Depends upon where you live. I've been in some locations where there's a lot of fine dust in the air outside that makes its way inside. You need to do it a lot. Some locations? Dust accumulation is slow. Also, use an air filter--that helps.
Noahbalboa82
I live in the PNW. Dust accumulation isn't too high on my list of concerns
MadamPuddifoot
If you're vacuuming that m kick, it's offsetting electricity saved by shutting off the lights, too.
Svartsinn
Vacuuming twice a day and then worrying about lights being left on is pretty irrational. Trying to save the planet by reducing your personal consumption is misguided and belies a lack of understanding of the inherent wastes of capitalism. For every pound of red meat you buy the grocery store will be throwing out even more, and that's thousands of gallons of water usage. The amount you flush down the toilet is irrelevant when you understand the consumption each of these items represents.
pompoikpoik
I believe we should all be reasonable with our personal consumption. But lights are far down on the priority list. Especially when you vacuum 2x a day, you open the windows 1h per day, drive big cars with no speed limit, and use coal as energy source
ThisNameIsMaybeTaken
Just because others are wasteful doesn't mean I should be too. I understand that collective failure to avert disaster won't be any individual's fault, but I'll still feel a little bit bad about it. We can always do our part.
CatSparkleBreaker
Wasser ist teuer, after all!
michiyl
I mean, it should be - the water resources are dwindling rapidly, and climate change will lead to a lot of water shortages where it was previously unknown
ttm2
except that most of the water used in homes is recycled: it taken up from a river, "used" (really, just dirtied), then it's cleaned and released to the same river it was taken into
that's not _use_ of water; it's _use_ when you are drawing it in from aquifer that will take year or more to regain that water
michiyl
"Most of the water" is the point - it's not all of it, and so one should be mindful how much and for what water is used :)
areyouelonmusk
It's a little overboard for most people. Much of it is personal preference presented with no option. Some of it is pedantic, like splitting the electric bill because a person leaves lights on; most lighting these days left on for a month costs less than $1. Vacuuming twice a day is a lot; how much dust is actually being created over 8 hours. Just because one person thinks these things are the best way to live life doesn't mean it's true.
PanNonOpticon
I'll leave the lights on and save on the vacuuming. One vacuum probably uses more electricity than all the lights on use in a day.
And opening windows.
LucianKane
I left my Christmas tree on for about 40 days and used less than $1. It was less than I expected.
Alexap30
Also closing the lights vs using the vacuum twice a day. A few 10Watt bulbs vs 2000Watt vacuum. Even battery powered needs charging.
Gruesslibaer
"Closing the lights"
Alexap30
Oh well, it's "turning off the lights", I know I know. My ESL brain takes over sometimes. I'm sorry.
Gruesslibaer
I understand, haha. It's similar in German.
Starfox5
Robots that vacuum and mop are getting ever more common anyway. Mine does my bath and kitchen every day and the whole flat three to four times a week while I am at work.
Alexap30
Yeap. They don't make a perfect work, but since you can use them effortlessly multiple times a week, or even a day - who's stopping you, they end up reducing the dirt load by a lot. I pull a cat's worth of cathair twice a week from it. House is looking spotless every day and it kinda helps me mentally to know the house is clean and a couple of chores are out of the way.
Also once a month I pick up the big guns and do all the spots the robot misses/can't do. Which again is way less now.
dreikommavierzehn
I actually once asked to split an electricity bill. My roomate bought himself a new 1.5k€ GPU and started 3d rendering. 5-10hours per day, full load, 7 days a week.
The bill almost doubled within a month and I was confronted with "what's the big deal??". So entitled.
bamblebimble
In that case it makes sense
kahooki
Hey if it's not a big deal for him he can carry the whole bill or not?
dreikommavierzehn
😂
well yes, that was a very fun conversation once.
magical8ball
That's when you get one of these
Noahbalboa82
Oh shit, I did not know those existed
Evenmoreuselessname
Kill-a-watt