A diplomatic rinse-ident! Now Americans accuse Britons of not cleaning washing up liquid off dishes – and claim it makes our food taste 'soapy'

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Americans have risked a diplomatic incident after angering Brits by accusing them of not washing up properly. 

In an unusual row Gen Z TikTokers from the US have been left horrified by the practice by some British families of washing dishes in one bowl, before leaving them to dry in the open air. 

Many Brits will be familiar with seeing soap-suds left on dishes placed to dry clean on the draining rack next to the sink.

But Americans are bizarrely claiming this simple action could be putting lives at risk – and leaving meal-time staples tasting ‘soapy’.

Despite many Brits protesting they have never heard of not rinsing dishes and others claiming they are just trying to save water, Americans are panicking their friends across the pond are ‘risking their lives’.

Some have even accused Brits of making them ‘feel sick’ and vowed to ‘never eat at a British person’s house’, with one user adding: ‘My mum would die right there’.

@arieffyong

When an Asian lives in a British household for the first time. 💀 #foryou #parati #foryoupage

♬ original sound – Arieff Yong – Arieff Yong
Americans have deplored Brits for not rinsing their dishes after washing them - instead leaving the soap suds to drain on a drying rack

Americans have deplored Brits for not rinsing their dishes after washing them – instead leaving the soap suds to drain on a drying rack

TikTokers have been left horrified by the practice of washing dishes in one bowl, before leaving them to dry in the open air

TikTokers have been left horrified by the practice of washing dishes in one bowl, before leaving them to dry in the open air

The controversy boils down to whether Brits wash the soap suds off their dishes, or dry them with a towel, rather than just taking them out of the water and leaving them to dry.

Most households around the world prefer to rinse at least once during the washing process – and some rinse before and after scrubbing.

International families have slammed the practice of not rinsing – something the New York Times described as a ‘British’ habit – as ‘barbaric’.

One social media user described their horror at watching British people use a ‘disgusting tub of dirt dishwater’ to clean their dishes.

‘Oh my gosh! Dunking, scrubbing and leaving to dry? They might as well not bother washing at all,’ said another.

But other Brits have rushed to the nation’s defence, arguing they have always rinsed their dishes just like the rest of the world.

On TikToker said: ‘I’m English and I never use a washing up bowl, I wash items individually then rinse the soap off.’

Another added: ‘My British husband always rinses the washing up in hot water after it’s been scrubbed in the soapy water.’ 

And an American user, from Michigan, poured further doubt on the allegations by confessing they, too, do not rinse.

‘That’s how I washed them growing up and I’m from Michigan,’ they said.

The debate has taken TikTok by storm, with dozens of users in the UK and US sharing videos showing their washing up technique.

One user posted a clip of their British husband washing up, showing how he used to not rinse but now, thanks to his wife, does.

She said in the clip: ‘How many fights did we used to have about this?’

‘I don’t know what you’re about,’ her husband jokingly replied. 

@englishgreekmum

British people washing up. My last video of me washing up has had various comments! Let’s see what you make of my husband doing it. Honestly we use to have arguments about him not rinsing, i wish this was a lie. Question is hot or cold for rinsing? #britishpeople #cleantok #britishwashingup #washingup #doingdishes @Spiritual_AF #soapy

♬ original sound – Yianoula (mum of 2 boys)
Experts have said the practice is safe due to the tiny amounts of soap and washing up liquid which could remain behind - but not necessarily advisable

Experts have said the practice is safe due to the tiny amounts of soap and washing up liquid which could remain behind – but not necessarily advisable

Viewers were horrified by the video, with one commenting: ‘Y’all just eat soap? do you have the runs all the time because that’s basically a laxative.’ 

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Another quipped: ‘Has he thanked you for saving his life?’ 

Many viewers expressed concern over the soap residue remaining on Brits’ dishes, and the chemicals they are potentially exposing themselves to.

Others claimed not rinsing left a soapy smell and taste behind on the dishes, which then made its way onto their food. 

Experts have said the practice is safe due to the tiny amounts of soap and washing up liquid which could remain behind – but not necessarily advisable. 

British doctor Dean Eggitt posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the effects of leaving soap suds on dishes was ‘a threat to life’.

He said: ‘Dr here. It’s unsafe. It’s a threat to life. Why? My wife would kill me if I did not rinse the soap off dishes after washing them.’

But he added: ‘In all seriousness, very small amounts of liquid soap are generally safe to ingest. They may cause some minor stomach upset, nausea and diarrhoea.’

One user posted a clip of their British husband washing up, showing how he used to not rinse - one viewer asked whether he had thanked her 'for saving his life'

One user posted a clip of their British husband washing up, showing how he used to not rinse – one viewer asked whether he had thanked her ‘for saving his life’

@ukbirdcomedy

Someone please tell ‘em #fyp #viral #weirdfacts #ukcomedy #ukmemes #britishpeoplebelike

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And Dr. Maryann Amirshahi, a co-director at the US’s National Capital Poison Centre, said: ‘The biggest issue is making sure that food substances that are conducive to microbial growth are removed in the washing process.

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‘So that when the plate is used again it doesn’t contaminate the new food being placed on it,’ he continued, adding he doubts the ‘UK process has any clinically meaningful risk associated with it.’

And Dr Rainer Stamminger, a physicist and chair of household engineering at the University of Bonn in Germany, said households don’t need to pre-rinse dishes.

‘It is not necessary as it uses a lot of water, and energy if done with hot water,’ he told MailOnline.

‘It is sufficient to wipe off food remains by a napkin or with a knife or fork into the waste bin.’

But others remained worried about gastro-related illnesses and food poisoning.

The risk of household chemicals has often been a point of concern for global health bodies, even if washing up liquids and soaps are far less toxic than others. 

In 2018, teenagers were warned about the dangers of ingesting detergent after a viral social media trend, the Tide Pod Challenge.

The challenge saw young people biting into laundry capsules and even consuming them due to their ‘delicious’ appearance.

The challenge had potentially fatal affects and major ad campaigns were launched to try and discourage the practice. 

The latest controversy comes after Americans have previously criticised British food, homes and local dialects. 

TikTok user @Kjordy, who has over 175,000 followers on the social media platform, took to this account to share popular British phrases that he had grown to dislike, prompting viewers to react in hilarious fashion.

And another online row broke out over the use of ‘right’ instead of ‘ok’ to convey that Brits are listening to a conversation.

A study also noted that in American English the word more often appears as part of the phrase ‘yeah right’, whereas in British English ‘right’ is more often deployed as ‘oh right’.