Hotel cleanliness
 

I thought perhaps I should post my observations about hotel cleanliness. I was Director of Housekeeping at a major downtown chain hotel (one with all those points, etc.) As a result of those years I insist that those I love travel with the following:
1. A small bag of Clorox antispectic wipes
2. A disposable sheet (in case you can't get extra sheets from hotel)
3. A small hand towel and face cloth from home.
4. A small (legal)amount of liquid dish soap
5. A small (legal ) amount of 90% alcohol

Here's why:
1. The first thing the maid will do is wipe down the tub, she will then take whatever wet clothes and towels are on the floor to the cart, but the towels that have been used and are on the sink will be used to wipe down the counters! I clorox the door handles in the bathroom also.

2. Those fabric covered sofas and chairs--forget about sitting on those! Fabric furniture NEVER gets cleaned properly, or if it does get a shampoo every year or so that is not nearly enough to take care of the problem. Cover the chair with a bath towel and ask the front desk for two extra sheets (one for the sofa and the other to top sheet your bed (after you pulled the comforter off the bed). If the seating is plastic or leather wipe it down with the clorox cloth!

3. Those hand towels have been used for cleaning everything! It's your call, but sometimes you will be happy to have your own!

4. Those glasses--better hope they are the plastic kind pre-sealed in shrink wrap. If not, re wash the glass with your clorox wipe and rinse the glass well! NEVER, ever drink from a glass you have not washed.

In countries where traveller's tummy is a real threat don't forget to rinse out your glass, your toothbrush, anything you are going to put to your lips with bottled water.

Remember: most major hotels now use a wipe down product for their bath tups and sinks--it does not disinfect the way good old comet used to! it just makes every thing shine and takes away the scum. I usually put a hand towel in the bottom of the tub or shower stall so I can stand on that.

You should know that it is not unusual for human urine to show up on the bedroom walls under the special spectrum light. If you want to know how good your maid is look under the bed first thing! That'll give you a clue as to how to proceed.

I am not compulsive, but I have learned the hard reality of hotel housekeeping.

I just ignore the thought of how many 'happy endings' have occurred on a hotel mattress.

thanks for the heads up. Honestly, I'm not surprised that the rooms are filthy at major hotels.

You put a towel in the tub to stand on but you say you are not compulsive? I stay in hotels all over the world and have never been sick due to the hotel. If I did all the stuff you say I would never have time to sleep.

Most people on here would be amazed to read up on how much a dry environment kills 99% of all bacteria that is harmful to human beings.

The over-sanitized stuff that get's put on this website once a week is more harmful to you than getting that remaining 1% in your body.

If only the OP was once in a position to ensure house keepers cleaned a room properly. ;)


I don't worry about these things at all. Sure, it can be gross to learn how the sausage is made. But I doubt I have ever gotten sick from a hotel room, and you can certainly argue that exposure to germs only strengthens your immune system. Do I like the fact that there might be traces of (sterile) urine on the walls? No, of course not. But that doesn't mean I will clean all hotel walls just in case, or avoid going to a hotel in the first place.

I have no desire to clean my own room, lug around supplies or avoid sitting on certain chairs. YMMV, it seems.

Most hospitals are full of germs, and sick people...

I'm surprised you haven't mentioned TV remotes and light switch...etc

I don't need any of that stuff. I just bring my standard sleepwear.

;)

A certain amount of exposure to germs is healthy for your body because it helps build up your immune system.

May I mention other health hazards apart from hotel rooms :

Proximity to other people in the public forum - no end of germs etc.
Public transport - busses, trains, metro, trams and aeroplanes.
Money - they can be filthy, you never known who or how many people have
handled them and how they have handled them.
Public places - schools, offices, work places, restaurants etc.
Food prepared by others.
Public toilets !!!!
My house probably.

It is a dangerous world out there.......
I am curious as to how you manage everyday life, not to mention travel.
I live by the motto : what I can't see won't harm me and what I can see probably won't harm me unless I ingest it.

There is no one I love more than my two boys but I can tell you've they've stayed in every grotty backpacker hostel between Norway and NZ. As I did when I was their age.

If I "insisted" anything about how they travel they would "insist", not always politely (kids these days!) that I butt out and MYOB. I shudder to think what they would do with "90% alcohol" but probably not use it on their hands.

My six-year-old nephew stayed with me for a week during spring break. It was his first real city experience and we did it all--rode the bus, visited museums, went to the zoo, went out to eat. The day before he was to leave, his mom flew into town and met us out at a restaurant. When we headed back to my house, he was so excited to show his mom what a city pro he was (saying hi to the doorman, riding the elevator, etc.). But the funniest: The first thing he said when we walked into my home was, "OK Mommy, now we go wash our hands, because cities are dirty places and we've been touching a lot of stuff." It's nice to know they hear you even when you think they're not listening!

(And despite my regular hand washing, I still woke up with pink eye the day after he left...)

Thanks for the post, alpenrose. Don't pay any attention to the haters advocating an ignorance-is-bliss attitude who attempt to berate you for your informative post. It is always interesting to learn what goes on behind the scenes and it was kind of you to share your inside knowledge.

That's my approach too. I spend anywhere from 30-60 days per year in hotels occasionally in quite dreary places. My choice is to be some panic-stricken germaphobe who spends hours scrubbing each and every hotel room out of a disproportionate and unreasonable fear of whatever bug or bacteria might be lurking in the folds of the comforter or put my feet up, relax and take my chances.

I'll take option 2 thanks. So far so good. :)

The Op forgot to mention wearing an aluminium foil hat to ensure aliens do not steal one's thoughts whilst scrubbing the grout with bleach.

As my NOLS hiking instructor once said, after eating a piece of food he'd dropped on the ground, "if it were that easy, we'd all be dead by now."

I've never gotten sick from a hotel, subway, or handling money. I do tend to wash my hands after riding the subway and before eating, but not always.

People have evolved with bacteria for a few million years. We're used to the vast majority of them. In fact, about six pounds of the average adult human's body weight is bacteria.

I have a live and let live policy with dirt and germs. I don't worry too much about them, and it appears they don't worry too much about me.

However, if you really want to worry about germs I suggest you worry most about your shoes. Think of all the dirty nasty things you stepped in during the day, that public bathroom floor, the dog pee on the street, etc... Now, just how often to you wash you hands after touching your shoes, just how often do you scrub your shoes with bleach to kill off those nasties!!! :rolleyes::D

I do it all, except for the sheets , never had a problem getting extra sheets. btw: I carry my own paper cups. Also, decline housekeeping because I have wiped everything down and do not want to do it everyday! Never, ever, walk barefoot in room, I carry flip- flops. ( Always carry-on bags, never checked, however, I am usually not gone more than a week, so it is not much extra to carry).



Your post will be helpful to most people......... some people are happy just doing what ever
works for them! Safe travels!

I'm the same way. I work with a few germophobes and it seems like they're always taking sick days. I haven't had one in years. I figure I give my immune system plenty of practice by not reaching for the hand sanitizer after I touch anything.

Taking spare sheets and towels with you is your choice.

Insisting your loved ones do it too is just annoying.

However the reason why we use hotels instead of carting our homes on our backs is so we can travel lightly. We expect them to provide bed linen and towels. Most of us can accept that some of the world's 7bn people might have used the facilities before.

Using handwipes etc isn't a bad policy when you have a cold or there's one going about I guess, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

I appreciate the OP's post and found it interesting -- I have no doubt there's dirt or germs of various types in all hotel rooms no matter how clean they look to the naked eye. But.... who cares? I figure I get exposed to the same or worse out on the street, in a Starbucks, in an office, on an airplane, etc.

Since I started traveling heavily some years back (weekly flights, 120-180 nights/year in a hotel) I have actually noticed I get sick less frequently and when I do get a mild case of sniffles it seems to be gone within only a handful of days. I can only assume my immune system has gotten stronger from the increased exposure to a variety of environments and germs. I try to remember to wash my hands when leaving a restroom and that's about it, and it works fine for me.

I think I've heard the "urine on the wall" thing quite a bit about hotels (among other things on the walls).

Stupid question - outside of the bathroom, how exactly does urine get on the wall? Or do I really not want to know?

Sheets and pillowcases are, IMHO, generally OK (since they have been washed); I understand that blankets and sheetcovers are almost never cleaned (or, at least, infrequently).

This is disturbing. Will keep that in mind.

Those glasses are almost always spotlessly clean at places like Hilton and Hyatt. Sometimes, there's even a note saying the glasses have been "sanitized" or "disinfected" for our safety and comfort or something... whatever that means. Anyways, I find those hotel glasses to be far less sketchy than what you get at restaurants. I mean, some bars will just dunk used glasses in a tub of water twice and call it done.

I've actually caught on to this concept myself over the years of travels. Problem is, I don't know what to do with that info. I can't fathom that dust under the bed could be grounds for requesting a room change... would people do that?

My wife works with some pretty rough kids. One day she came into the classroom and caught them seeing how high they could "make their mark" up the wall.
"OMG what did you do?" I said.

"I hit the roof!"

:-)

I would imagine it has something to do with head pressure at the source outlet.

:D

You don't mark your territory in new places? It makes it feel more homelike and keeps other packs from encroaching.

we have twice contracted a norovirus. pretty sure it came from the hotel. i sleep in full body cover(pj's and socks), and carry my own pillow case. the reason is, the hotels use pure lye soap, or worse to keep the germophobes quiet. my delicate skin gets burned from the harsh chemicals.

We have an immune system for a reason.

I always wonder what the disinfect-everything people do when they visit friends. Do they refuse to sit on the couch in case the upholstery hasn't been cleaned? Do they wipe down the bathroom before using it? Do they rewash all of the plates and glasses? Or do they just cross-examine their friends to make sure that everything has been cleaned up to their standards?

FWIW, as a budget traveller I've done quite a number of homestays, bedding down on peoples' spare beds and using their kitchens and bathrooms. Other than the normal handwashing and showering, I have no particular sanitizing regime, and yet I'm seldom ill at home or on the road. By far the worst infectious disease I've ever had was an antibiotic-resistant bug that I got while in the hospital for a broken bone.

Hotels use white sheets and white towels because they can be washed with chlorine bleach which kills germs, bacteria, and molds, and then dried in a high temperature dryer which kills any bedbug that didn't drown.

A few wet wipes in individual foil packets are incredibly handy for washing hands, wiping off sticky stuff, sanitizing whatever you have doubts about. You can wash the hotel glasses in hotel soap or shampoo and hot water. Unless it is a Kuerig, it is a good idea to wash the coffee maker's slide out tray and run a cup of the hottest tap water through the cycle before you make any coffee. Don't put your piece of pizza down on the surfaces, obviously.

Thank goodness so many hotels are using white duvets or white double sheeting instead of those colored patterned spreads that hid stains.

I once stayed in a hotel in Pointe-Noire that had a hole in the wall apparently made by a cannonball and , when I turned it to see, I discovered mushrooms growing on the underside of the mattress.

Luckily the 1L tetrapak of red wine at dinner was drinkable, or at least the second half of it was.

I carry a wash cloth, small towel (per OP's suggestion) and a bar or two of soap (in my carry-on)--BUT, not for the reason he suggests:p; many times I've arrived late at night and found the housekeeping staff was lax in maintenance.

Thanks to those who understood what I was saying. Your support is always appreciated!

With regard to items a hotel maid will find under the hotel bed on any typical day:
1. used condoms
2. used vibrators (no -not the kind for your sore neck!)
3. dirty socks
4. dirty underpants
And, yes peeing on the wall seems to be a necessary accomplishment for some gentlemen!

I once was called to a dirty room by one of the maids. I could hardly push open the door for the trash on the floor. The mattresses were pulled off the bed--the drawers broken and trashed as was the tv. Blood on the walls. The intimate dinner for two from the night before was dumped all over the floor, along with the pot of coffee. The shower rod pulled out of the wall, anything and everything that could be done to that room had been done. Would you care to know who the occupants were who did such damage?
A young professional couple in their early 30's very well off (large BMW in garage). Very well dressed checking in and checking out. Fortunately we had video of them checking in/out. They had just walked away from the front desk when I got to the desk to report the damage. There were no visible bruising--but somebody got smacked around, in my opinion it was both of them. Naughty games are best played in someone else's backyard!

I think everyone understood what you were saying - I certainly did.
I just found your precautions vastly exaggerated.

As to leaving a mess in the room : I find it totally unacceptable to expect other people to pick up such things as you mentioned. It shows a lack of regard for other people.

HELOSC: I am so glad you find this behavior unacceptable. Our agreement as to this does not guarantee that others do--most do. But, because it is a hotel and as such is vulnerable to those who do not agree with us.

Here, here and truthfully I am one of those who carry wipes and take the time to wipe surfaces down not only in the hotel but on the plane.
I also travel with a 3 oz bottle of Dawn detergent so I can clean all glasses before using them. I just try to do what I can to minimize what I may come home with..... LOL Fortunately, since starting this I haven't been sick and that is the last couple years now. Luck of the draw I guess.

so this guy was Director of Housekeeping - new whats going on - doesn't like it at all and never changed the way they clean? Maybe that's why he is not a Director of Housekeeping anymore?