Umbrellas
When it rains, Germans always set their umbrellas open on its side on the floor. The reason for this (I asked) is to pevent mildew from forming. It is printed in the instructions (you’ve read your umbrella’s instructions, right?), and Germans of course follow these instructions. So you can imagine when I come to work on a rainy day, the floors are covered with umbrellas, open, laid on their side. This goes for the appartment building as well.