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I'm just going to put this out there: thinking about the hundreds---maybe thousands---of people who have previously stayed in "your hotel room" doesn't exactly inspire cleanly confidence. So, I try not to think about it and enjoy the treat that is a hotel stay.
Recently I was reminded of hotel room "hot spots" that tend to be missed in the between-guest clean-a-thon: doorknobs, remote controls and phones. I realize worrying about this is a slippery slope, but it made me ponder giving these germy gems a quick wipe-down.
Sometimes it's best NOT to know if there's germs, and so I have a love/hate relationship with investigative reports like this ABC primetime piece on hotel room sanitation misses. When in doubt, sanitize with a wipe or ask the hotel to come and spot clean. Otherwise, avoiding surfaces like the hotel room carpet {by wearing your own packable/washable slippers, which I never travel without}, and door handles/elevator buttons {with the back of your hand or elbow}, is a hygienic habit.
Full disclosure: Having been in cruise ship and camp situations where there was a supervirus outbreak, I'm a slight germaphobe {my friends are currently nodding their heads and smiling}.
- Breeze over doorknobs, the phone, the remote control and the toilet bowl handle {& light fixtures if you're feeling keen} with an antibacterial wipe
- Perform a quick bed bug check {here's how}
- Before you drink out of the glass in your bathroom, wash it with soap and water
- And because you can't sanitize the carpet, bring travel slippers you can wash post-trip
- When in doubt, ask the hotel to come and re-clean. I had to do this not once but TWICE at an ultra-luxe resort in Australia....luxe doesn't always equate to more clean!
Related Travel Etiquette For Hotel Guests Using Your Hotel Room Like MacGyver KinderHop :: Making Hotel Rooms Work With Kids
[photo by @tripstyler taken at the Marriott Aruba]