Here are 9 small things that I’ve noticed from my time in Sweden, that just make sense.
1. Hooks on your towels
Little hooks on your towels so they actually stay on the wall hooks. In the US, you usually have a separate metal ring holder to hang your entire hand towels, but since there is limited space in Swedish bathrooms, the little hooks do the job.
2. Bottle caps
The cap to bottles and cartons don’t fully come off. Ever take a bottle cap off and it goes flying across the room? You don’t have to worry about that here, because when you take a cap off something, there is a small section that stays on so you don’t lose it.
3. Door Buttons
Buttons to open the door for you. I mentioned that in the 17 cultural differences between Sweden and the U.S. but at every apartment building, grocery store, shop, gym, etc. there are buttons or automatic doors that will open for you.
4. Bike stop lights
At bike heavy crosswalks, there are actually bike stop lights to notify bikers when they can go. This is so helpful if you’re turning a corner on a bike and you can see instantly the bike light is green, so instead of getting off your bike, you can just zoom right on through.
It is also helpful because it turns yellow when it’s about to turn green (the opposite of the U.S.) so it can prepare bikers to get ready to go.
5. Brail on crosswalks
Speaking of crosswalks, on the crosswalk buttons there is brail or an outline of the crosswalk itself and where the curves, intersections, and any other obstacle may be. It is very mobility friendly here.
6. Effective Recycling
Sweden has some of the best recycling in the world. Everywhere your trash is sorted out between trash, compost, and recyclables. It is such an easy and efficient system.
7. Accessibility friendly
Elevators and ramps for wheelchairs and strollers in every building. As mentioned before with the brail on crosswalks, it is the most accessibility friendly place I’ve seen.
8. Taking your “outdoor” shoes off
It is common when you go in certain facilities that you need to take your outdoor shoes off, so you don’t track any dirt inside. You either need to have another pair of shoes that you wear inside or put on plastic shoe covers that are usually provided. And especially in a Swedish persons house, make sure to take your shoes off.
9. Two different duvets
It is the norm here to have two smaller duvets on a bed instead of one large one. It seemed strange to me at first, but makes sense when you’re sharing a bed with someone who sleeps differently than you.
Let me know if there are any things you’ve noticed that make sense in the Scandinavian region.
