A question for my Brit friends:

[xiphias]

Lis is reading a book about the history of various rooms in the house, written by a British author. And she keeps saying things about modern living that sound so completely alien.

First: do British houses lack closets? Are closets basically an American thing?

Second, and more weirdly: this author appears to claim that everybody stopped using top sheets after the introduction of the duvet. If we're interpreting it correctly, she seems to claim that a bed goes, from bottom to top, mattress, fitted sheet, duvet, and that's it. No blankets, no top sheet.

Now, our beds in this house go mattress, mattress pad, fitted sheet, top sheet, from zero to two blankets depending on season, then a top layer which could be a bedspread, a comforter, or a duvet. In cases where the nighttime temperature is likely to be unpredictable, an extra blanket, afghan, or something like that may be folded up on the foot of the bed. You can kick it off, or leave it as an extra layer (well, two layers since it's folded) over your feet, or pull it up as an extra blanket.

The "just a duvet" thing seems unsanitary. Am I reading it wrong?

Comments

[tober.livejournal.com]

Here in China (I'm in Shanghai right now) the convention for beds also seems to be as you describe - fitted (usually) bottom sheet topped with a duvet/cover. How often the cover gets washed and whether it's sanitary... who's to say. I can tell you that the vast majority of bathrooms here have only cold water at the sink and no soap[1]. That's arguably not sanitary (FWIW it bothers me a bit and I always carry pre-moistened towelettes when I'm here)

[1] Hotel bathrooms usually do have hot water and soap. Restaurant bathrooms, though, don't. I'd like to think that restaurant employee washing-up facilities have both hot water and soap but I'm pretty sure a lot of them don't.