[trip style = any]
Whether you pay $30 for an upscale hostel in Peru, $100 for a room via Priceline or $1000 for a posh villa in Australia, your room's cleanliness *should be* devoid of dirt, after all, you're p-a-y-i-n-g for a clean room {among other things}!
Most of my friends know I'm fairly germ-aware, and given that I travel all the time among a revolving door of people with DIFFERENT standards than me, I'm crazy careful what I touch {and DON'T touch} and where I put my stuff while on the road.
Last Friday night I appeared on CBC Marketplace {the Canadian equivalent to NBC Dateline} to discuss my grimiest hotel stays---one of which was a room with mold at JFK; two months later the hotel was condemned(!) and torn down---and what I do to make sure a room is Trip Styler clean. Regardless of my role in the episode, you've GOT TO watch the half-hour episode online. The findings will likely change the way you interact with hotel rooms.
In the episode CBC investigators and Guelph University microbiologist Keith Warriner tested 810 items in 54 hotel rooms {from budget to luxe} across the country. Their findings only confirmed the two-minute cleanliness sweep I do in every hotel room and the hygienic habits I *try* and use while traveling. Here's a refresher:
- Don't touch hotspots like door handles, light switches, TV remotes or phones. *Try* and use your elbows instead.
- Only trust the comforter if it's wrapped in two just-washed sheets {this practice is very common nowadays at most 3* and up hotels}.
- Bring washable slippers so your feet don't touch the carpet or bathroom floors.
- Bring alcohol-based wipes to touch up high-touch zones: toilet seat, faucet, counters, hair dryer, etc...
- Place bathroom toiletries on a towel instead of directly on the bathroom countertop.
- Never use the in-room water or wine glasses without washing them first.
- I've said this before and I'll say it again, to avoid bed bugs {as much as possible} do not place luggage on the bed, an ottoman or a chair, and check for the critters on the headboard and mattress.
- Above all, wash hands frequently.
PS - If you read TS regularly you know I have nothing but respect for hotel housekeepers. They do SUCH a hard job, and are often pushed to the limit with the amount of room cleans they must complete on a daily basis. As I wrote in Hotel Guest Etiquette, please don't leave your room in a big mess and make their job more arduous!
Related Sanity In Sanitizing Bed Bug Proofing Your Hotel Room Travel Etiquette For Hotel Guests Using Your Hotel Room Like MacGyver KinderHop :: Making Hotel Rooms Work With Kids
[photo of CBC Marketplace episode]