Here Are the Most ‘Concerning’ Contaminated Surfaces in Your Hotel Room
- Posted on June 19, 2012 at 6:02am by
Liz Klimas
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(Photo: Shutterstock)
No matter how squeamish you are about hotel rooms, considering the fact that someone else will have slept in that very bed the night before you, staying in one at some point is nearly unavoidable. And, unless you’re Mr. Monk, you probably only rely on hotel staff to clean up after the previous occupant.
A new study by university researchers is showcasing the dirtiest components of a hotel room so you can at least whip out your travel size spray bottle of Lysol, if you wish. Some of the surfaces found with the most aerobic bacteria and coliform (fecal) bacterial may surprise you, while others may not:
- Toilet
- Bathroom sink
- TV remote
- Bedside lamp
Also important for maintaining cleanliness and avoiding cross-contamination between rooms are housekeeper’s carts. The high levels of bacteria found on items that were meant to be a vehicle facilitating cleanliness — sponges and mops — were considered “concerning,” according to the researchers.
Housekeeping carts can be sources of transmitting bacteria from one hotel room to another. (Photo: Shutterstock)
For your peace of mind, areas of low contamination levels included the headboard, curtain rods and the bathroom door handle.
The research is meant to identify high-risk areas that should be targeted by hotel staff for cleaning to avoid contamination of other rooms. Teams from University of Houston, Purdue University and the University of South Carolina evaluated three rooms in each state with 19 different surfaces swabbed in each room. The researchers concede a larger sample size will be needed for the study to move forward.
“Currently, housekeepers clean 14-16 rooms per 8-hour shift, spending approximately 30 minutes on each room. Identifying high-risk items within a hotel room would allow housekeeping managers to strategically design cleaning practices and allocate time to efficiently reduce the potential health risks posed by microbial contamination in hotel rooms,” Katie Kirsch, an undergraduate student from the University of Houston, said while presenting the research at the American Society for Microbiology’s General Meeting. ”The information derived from this study could aid hotels in adopting a proactive approach for reducing potential hazards from contact with surfaces within hotel rooms and provide a basis for the development of more effective and efficient housekeeping practices.”
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LolaB
Posted on June 20, 2012 at 2:54amI am 47 years old and haven’t traveled that much. I really don’t care to stay in disgusting hotels. One time my husband and I stayed at a little motel right on the beach near San Diego and when I pulled back the sheets there was blood. I gag when I brush my teeth in a hotel and I ALWAYS put down a clean towel for me to step on. I refuse to walk around barefoot in a disgusting hotel room. When I do have to travel I make sure that I am not staying in a dump…I will pay the extra money for a 4 star hotel. Alot of people out there are just plain PIGS!!!!!!! I don’t want to sleep in their filth.
Report Post »TheLeftMadeMeRight
Posted on June 20, 2012 at 9:21amSorry to inform you but there are wealthy pigs too. Next time you get up from your hotel bed because you are either hot or cold, make sure you wash your hands after adjusting that thermostat!
Report Post »cdcats8
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 9:17pmMoney is probably the nastiest thing anyone handles. You sure don’t know where the hand that held it before has been. Just use good handwashing with lots of friction and hope your immune system is in good shape to do it’s job.
Report Post »dmerwin
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 8:07pmA bunch of hooey. If we are to live as a society and a community we WILL come in contact with bacteria and virus. You can spend your life worrying about it OR realize we have ALWAYS lived with this and thrived. Me? I wash my hands and enjoy the time I have here.
Report Post »inferno
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 2:36pmNot a word about where you lay your head. Wonder how often pillows are cleaned.
Report Post »CulperGang
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 2:21pm99 1/2 percent of cleaners are EXPLOITED illegals. do you think they have any incentive to do a “decent job.” Their only incentive is a paycheck and to get through the day. Do you think they don’t know they are being exploited??I was them I would do as much as I was getting paid which is NOT MUCH.
Report Post »Go to Bed & Breakfasts run by OWNERS who have an incentive to be VERY CLEAN to get repeat business. Stay out of hotels run by MAJOR corporations who exploit and whose owners are billioners and couldn’t care less about you beyond your $$$$$$$$$$.
PROSECUTE_PUBLIC_SERVANTS__FOR_CONSTITUTIONAL_TREASON
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 2:10pmWhat’s is going to kill you and every person early, late, or by “natural cause” is the vile sin in your life and not the germs. The ten commandments stand and God visits judgement on the 3rd and 4th generation of ones family if not forgiven. Sin is far worse than germs.
Report Post »AnimalsAsLeaders
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 7:32pmlol, ok. Go inhale a bag full of anthrax and tell me you won’t get sick.
Report Post »justasurvivor
Posted on June 20, 2012 at 9:44amThe usual ignoring of the original post’s exact words.
Report Post »They didn‘t say you wouldn’t get sick.
They said sin is WORSE than germs.
And there would be no deadly germs were it not for original sin.
Germs can make you sick or build immunity against future illness. BUT the wages of sin is death (according to the one who Created us).
Germs only bother us for a time, though they may push you into eternity before you have dealt with the sin problem.
Worrying about germs more than sin is like worrying about a 16 oz. cup of sugary soda.
But sin results eternal death unless there is Redemption. Every single time.
Bill Wallace
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 1:43pmI think they missed one.
Your bed spread in a hotel does NOT get washed. Ever. Sheets get changed and washed, blankets get changed and washed, the bed spread/quilt does not.
Take a black light to it. Look for all that glowing substance and realize that it is the body fluid remnants of some interesting activity that took place at some time.
Then snuggle deep down into the covers and find peace that less than a quarter of an inch away is something you don’t want anywhere near you.
Report Post »Rational Man
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 4:55pmI was watching the TV show, “My Name Is Earl”. Earl and his brother live in a motel. The housekeeper was in their room changing the bed and Earl asked her, “I know you change the sheets and pillow cases once a week. But how often do you change the bedspread?” The housekeeper replied, “Hell Earl! I don’t know. I’ve only worked here for a year!”…………………
Report Post »spirited
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 9:32pmThat is the FIRST thing removed –and put on the floor, in a corner. YUK!!
Ask for an extra sheet for each bed and use as spread.
Second thing, Lysol wipe:
sink & faucet fixture & counter, door knob, toilet seat & lid & push-handle, hand-held showerhead and faucet fixture, bathroom floor and t.v. remote.
8^> About 5 minutes……..ahhhhhh.
Report Post »jungle J
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 11:42amfecal matter everywhere…I wonder how?
Report Post »I.Gaspar
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 12:37pmmust have been a lot of democrats in town.
Report Post »TAXLORDCOMETH
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 12:40pmHave you ever watched a housekeeper clean a room? the first thing they do is throw the comforter on the floor to remove the sheets. That’s a floor that has been trafficked by hundreds of shoes. Take a spray bottle of peroxide with you and spray everything down in your hotel room after you check in.
Report Post »OniKaze
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 11:03amWho cares about slight levels of Bacteria and contagions… After all, Thats what our Immune system is for… if you don’t use it, you lose it…
The biggest concerns in hotels.. BEDBUGS…. I had an infestation that I picked up from a Indian Run Hotel in Chicago (Or as I like to call it… The Blight on the Mid-west…)
They arn’t just nightmares… Costing me personally $400 dollars to get rid of, but the worst part is the PTS that comes from them… Look it up.. I am not the only one.. Many people who have ever had bedbugs will forever itch like the little buggers are crawling on them…
I haven’t seen one in my apartment for over 6 months, so I think I was able to get rid of them… But the itching NEVER stops… I talked to a doctor about it, and he said it wasn’t un-common for someone to itch like that for years after the problem is gone…
And ohh.. Yeah… Speaking as someone who works with UV lights… NEVER take one into a hotel room…. You will not be able to relax after seeing what you will find…. (made that mistake once….)
Report Post »Bryan B
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 7:40amQuit complaining !!!!
What the staff doesn’t get clean the first time, they’ll get the second time, or the third time or fourth time. Oh well, what ever you get, I’m sure they have series antiviral injections for you.
Motel 6 “Will Leave The Light On For Ya.” along with a phone list of local hospitals and the CDC…….
Report Post »50Caliber
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 7:23am38 years on the road. Its a wonder I am still alive. Must have been the alcohol.
Report Post »Sandra
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 5:06pmFunny. A good cure-all item to have on hand.
Report Post »nzkiwi
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 7:15amI’ve been having trouble with my computer, so just testing…
Report Post »nzkiwi
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 7:30amAhh… fixed.
Report Post »sawbuck
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 6:59amI’m glad I don’t travel very much anymore …Also…
Report Post »With “bed bugs” making a comeback ..
I would demand a guarantee from a hotel.. that they are bed-bug-free..
They can hitch a ride via your clothes and luggage and turn your home into a nightmare .
Ron Staiger
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 6:53amIf you’re really interested in the cleanliness of your hotel room- especially your sheets, blankets and pillow cases, buy a hand held UV light (you can get an LED UV from Amazon for about $15), turn out the room lights and shine the UV on whatever you’d like to check. Blood and tissue fluoresces while semen is absorptive ( appears as darkened areas- quite noticeable). After you get over the shock, call the hotel manager up to the room, demonstrate, and then demand a sanitized room with a discount. A follow-up letter to corporate headquarters doesn’t hurt either.
Report Post »term limits for congress
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 7:51amThen what? Take your fancy UV light and sleep in the car?
Report Post »Diane TX
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 6:35amI’ve driven 4500 miles across the USA, so I’ve stayed at many hotels and motels in my journeys. Only once, did I demand a room change. That was when I found a mysterious black mold in the toilet tank of my room. That just wasn’t acceptable to me. I’m an opiate free person, having never used any opiate in my entire life, and I also have never used any antibiotics. I know, strange, but true. I just haven’t had any occasion to use an antibiotic.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 6:19amTake a UV Light with you… or better, buy an RV!
Report Post »Dismayed Veteran
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 11:56amAt least you will know all the stuff that shows up in your RV belongs to you.
Report Post »stungun
Posted on June 19, 2012 at 2:45pmI now want to do this just for fun (use a UV–not buy an RV).
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