Calling all germophobes re: coffee makers

[bellebud]

Do you think the in-room coffee makers are clean? whenever we stay where there's a coffee maker already there, i've been a little skeeved about using it (but i have used it, and i've brought my little 4-cupper in the past too).

not to totally gross anyone out, but i always think "did some guy pee in there for a joke... or did some guy spit in there just to be gross"... don't laugh at me... maybe i'm the only one who has ever thought this. and i say guy because a woman wouldn't do anything like that, but some guys would (dh is the one always telling me how disgusting men really are - men's restrooms, etc).

i guess i could bring vinegar and do a quick cleaning of it??? i know, i'm insane

 

[CinRell]

I'm the same as you... I run water through it first. I figure the hot water cleans it well enough in the unlikely event someone did something... I, too, am a complete germophobe! Others might say we're silly but... I completely understand!

 

[magicmommy]

If you are insane so am I.....If I used it I would wash it first by hand with soap. The I'd run a full pot of water thru it a few times. That should do it!

 

[ShellyMouse]

oh nooooooooo!! you have just given me 1 more thing to worry about!

my dh is NOT gonna like that i read this post! (i'm a major worrier, and he gets frustrated with me sometimes )

you know, i never thought about this before. i don't think i will ever look at a coffee maker at a hotel the same again! eewwwwww!!

thanks!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We bring those pre-soaped dish washing cloths to wash mugs, Brita bottles, whatever. I'd wash the coffee pot thoroughly then run a pot of plain water through just to be safe!

 

[jann1033]

auk well never thought of it before i read this.....
although i usually like the coffee made in them so may be that is the secret to good coffee
one more thing to clean....

 

[MHTeacher]

And I was just worrying about bed bugs...now I have to add the coffee pot to the list.

 

[gomomgo]

I am a clean freak and a coffee freak. But, clean trumps coffee any day. There is no way I would use any cooking appliance or utensil that I didn't clean and maintain myself. (Okay, not, in restaurants, you don't really have a choice there.) Eeeeeeeeew! I know people who never clean their coffee pots at home imagine what they do on vacation!

 

[DisneyDotty]

Hey OP--you and I share a world of unreasonable fears!
I have always thought the same things about hotel room coffee makers, and refuse to use the coffee makers that are in the bathrooms of some hotels (Hilton brand comes to mind.) Why do they put a beverage maker in a bathroom? That's just gross!
Yes, I use the coffee makers in WDW resorts, but also bring along those cloths with the dish soap in them and scrub away before using. I also don't let my kids use their resort mugs until I've had a chance to scrub them first!
Sometimes it's better just not to think about things...

 

[Karnak]

This has to be just about the silliest post I've read on these forums so far. I bet that if I put my mind to it I could think up all sort of silly things to worry about. HEAVENS!

Just Enjoy Why Don't You?

 

[rhiannonwales]

and i say guy because a woman wouldn't do anything like that, but some guys would (dh is the one always telling me how disgusting men really are - men's restrooms, etc

I have to toally disagree with this.After H.S. i worked for 2 years at a major office building (Prudential)with literally hundreds of employees & many lavatories.I worked for maintenence so it was my job to clean them.

By and far, the women were the bigger pigs.A man might occasionally forget to flush or something, but i have had the joy of cleaning up toilets with feminine hygiene items crammed in them (and i mean pads not the other), hygiene products on floors, i once saw a woman use a stall marked out of order because she didnt want to wait, and then overflowed it.

I could go on but i'd really rather not.

 

[Vijoge]

Paranoia runs deep. . .

 

[daisax]

Many states outlaw hotel coffee carafes because of health concerns (they're rinsed in the room, not taken back to the dishwashers and cleaned). Or states permit them if they're replaced daily with fresh ones from the dishwasher, but that's prohibitive in most cases so they just pull them out of the rooms.

No idea what the applicable FLA laws are.

 

[MermaidsMom]

This has to be just about the silliest post I've read on these forums so far. I bet that if I put my mind to it I could think up all sort of silly things to worry about. HEAVENS!

Just Enjoy Why Don't You?

SERIOUSLY! I think there must be a list somewhere of gross topics that people take turns bringing up every few months just to make others feel ill. If you seriously worry about the coffee pots clean them yourself, but why mention it on a public message board? Anyone can speculate about ANYTHING that is gross and awful (imagine the possibilities)but why post it? These questions are not helpful to anyone and if I were Disney I would be questioning whether or not some of these discussions are deframing the reputation of their business.

 

[penel3]

Your fears are justified, Bellebud. I am head of infectious disease at our local community hospital. Waterborne bacteria are a fact, moisture leads to bacterial growth, stagnant water leads to bacterial growth....coffee pots are rinsed, but rarely washed. Please feel free to cleanse the pot several times with vinegar, it is inexpensive and why not?!
PS. I also carry a small portable bottle of alcohol gel (purell) to use after getting off some of the rides. Hand hygiene is the number one way to prevent the spread of infection.

 

[disneyfan67]

I have to toally disagree with this.After H.S. i worked for 2 years at a major office building (Prudential)with literally hundreds of employees & many lavatories.I worked for maintenence so it was my job to clean them.

By and far, the women were the bigger pigs.A man might occasionally forget to flush or something, but i have had the joy of cleaning up toilets with feminine hygiene items crammed in them (and i mean pads not the other), hygiene products on floors, i once saw a woman use a stall marked out of order because she didnt want to wait, and then overflowed it.

I could go on but i'd really rather not.

I'm in the same boat you were because I do the cleaning for a major company that has a huge office in my area. Out of 300 plus employee's only 4 of them are males, so I can also confirm what you're saying. The myth of woman being cleaner than men has been proven wrong in my book by over 4 years now and counting. Don't get me wrong, men are piggy too but I deal with this mess 6 days aweek and have seen things that just blow my mind.

I have a question for some of the people here on the DIS. Why do some people find it necessary to bring food into a bathroom to finish eating it? I find empty food wrappers on the floor and all other types of food containers in the garbage or in the little garbage cans beside the toilets for feminine hygiene products. Sorry to get off topic but I saw a chance to ask a question that has me wondering for over 5 years now when I first opened my cleaning business.


Back to the topic at hand by the OP. Run water through the coffee maker a couple of times but don't let all this germaphobe stuff ruin your vacation. Come on people, it's Disney and you should be enjoying all of the magic they provide. Being carefull and clean is one thing, being a Howard Hughes germ freak is another. These germ threads are getting out of hand.

 

[newcomer52]

I have a question for some of the people here on the DIS. Why do some people find it necessary to bring food into a bathroom to finish eating it? I find empty food wrappers on the floor and all other types of food containers in the garbage or in the little garbage cans beside the toilets for feminine hygiene products. Sorry to get off topic but I saw a chance to ask a question that has me wondering for over 5 years now when I first opened my cleaning business.

It's very possible that they are not eating in the bathroom, but just throwing the trash in the garbage when they go in.

js

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

How many cycles of water must be gone through to get rid of the nasty soap taste?

Give me a good tasting germ anytime

 

[thedisneymom]

Solution: Just go buy a cup of coffeee and forget the inroom maker or bring your own. Don't worry be happy!

 

[rhiannonwales]

Your fears are justified, Bellebud. I am head of infectious disease at our local community hospital. Waterborne bacteria are a fact, moisture leads to bacterial growth, stagnant water leads to bacterial growth....coffee pots are rinsed, but rarely washed. Please feel free to cleanse the pot several times with vinegar, it is inexpensive and why not?!
PS. I also carry a small portable bottle of alcohol gel (purell) to use after getting off some of the rides. Hand hygiene is the number one way to prevent the spread of infection.

As someone who works in a hospital, you must also acknowledge the fact that many hospitals are discouraging the use of hand sanitizers because it encourages bacteria to evolve with an immunity to antibacterials.