The Unexpected Tool You Might Find In Your Shower Or Bathroom While You're In Germany
From unusual details about your European hotel shower, to handheld bidets in Southeast Asia, not to mention the one-of-a-kind toilets you're bound to run into while visiting Japan, bathroom how-tos and must-dos can vary dramatically from country to country. This ultimately means that, unless you're clued in on the unspoken rules of certain cultures' habits and etiquette before your trip, you can easily find yourself in an awkward situation where you're bound to make some pretty embarrassing bathroom mistakes.
However, in between the different toilet paper protocols — you know the age-old saying: "To flush or not to flush, that is the question" — and hand towel arrangements of various overseas destinations, few things out there surprise and confuse foreign travelers more than this tool found in German showers: the ubiquitous squeegee. An unexpected addition to most visitors' shower-time rituals, the squeegee isn't just there as a misplaced accessory or housekeeping oversight. On the contrary, the little tool serves a very practical purpose: To prevent water spots and limescale buildup that can turn any bathroom from sparkling to spotty.
Always use the squeegee after you've showered
So what's the deal with the squeegee? Well, the thing is that a lot of Germany's water supply is classified as very hard water — meaning that it contains very high levels of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. And along with drying out your skin and hair, the main concern is that when this type of mineral-rich water evaporates, it tends to leave behind a white, chalky residue known as limescale. Over time, this buildup can badly stain and damage shower heads, walls, floors, and glass doors.
@adamwendlermusic Are you actually supposed to do this every time? 🤔🫠 #Deutschland #CanadianInGermany #🇩🇪
Because of this, German homeowners prefer to take a much more proactive approach to the issue by keeping a plastic squeegee handy — and using it almost religiously after every shower. How? It's actually pretty straightforward: Starting at the top of the glass door, simply glide the squeegee downward in straight, overlapping strokes until you've covered the entire surface, and voilà — you'll end up with a clean shower every time. Best part is, in the long run, this daily wipe-down won't just spare you from judgmental looks courtesy of your German peers — it'll also help prevent (or at least delay) those stubborn white marks from forming, keeping your bathroom looking as clean as the first day you used it.