Disinfecting your room before stay?

[jenny2]

I've never cleaned or disinfected a hotel room. If it actually looks dirty, I ask for a different room. (This has never happened at Disney.)

I also use the sheets, pillows, pillowcases, towels, etc. provided by the hotel. I even (gasp) leave the comforters on the beds!

Let's see . . .

I also take baths in hotel tub without scrubbing it out, use the jacuzzi without disinfecting it (if we're lucky enough to have one in our room), use the glasses in the room, walk barefoot on the carpet, swim in the pool, and use the hot tub every night.

Wow. I guess I like to walk on the wild side.

And, in 15 Disney vacations, I've never gotten sick - and neither has anyone traveling with me.

My best advice - no more 60 Minutes.

ITA. If the room hasn't been cleaned, ask for another. I used to be a housekeeper in a hotel, and rarely a room is incorrectly reported as cleaned when it hasn't been. Honest mistake. No biggie.

Hmmm... after reading your post and agreeing with it I'm realizing that I'm not a mild mannered computer programmer... I'm a daredevil!!!!

 

[snickerboo]

Unless something is visibly dirty I don't even concern myself with it. I figure that with all the exposure the kids get at school, the germs of everyday life, the airplanes to get there, the crowded buses, the lines for the rides etc.. we are exposed to a wide variety of yuckies. Not a concern here, we are all healthy so there are no real issues we need to concern ourselves with.

ITA with this. Do you know how strong the chemicals are that they use to clean the sinks and tubs? As long as the room has been fully cleaned, there's nothing to worry about. I don't use the comforters and pillows might be a good idea but, as long as the room has been cleaned and the sheets and towels changed I'm good to go.

Lysol is more dangerous to your children than the small chance that they are being exposed to something harmful in your hotel room. It is a carcinogen and it's banned in some countries. Seriously, spraying that on the beds and/or pillows then having your children sleeping there inhaling and absorbing orthophenylphenol is not a good idea. Your body needs to be exposed to beneficial bacteria to boost your immune system. The media has scared people into believing they need to spray or wipe everything with antibacterials. Antibacterial products are not only often toxic or carcinogenic but they cause existing bacteria to mutate to overcome the products. If we all continue to use antibacterials for cleaning, we will have superbacteria that nothing will kill. Think on that before you reach for the Lysol, please.

 

[Hannathy]

Snickerboo I totally agree especially about the lysol. Unless it has changed in a few years my old Vet always warned how dangerous that stuff is to cats claimed you could kill your cats if you used it for their litter boxes. Also agree about killing the helpful bacteria and incresing the resistance of all germs.
I never clean anything in a room. I have taken my kids since they were babies in far less clean motels than Disney's and let them lay on the spreads, play with the remote -heck I'm sure it even went in their mouths, walk barefoot, use the tub, glasses and the pillows as is and they are very healthy. I don't understand what people think they are going to catch that they aren't exposed to in 5 minutes in a crowd or eating at a rest.
Be paranoid in your room and then walk out to the bus and catch whatever the 5 year old that just got on before you shared with the world.

 

[fakereadhed]

OK, I am a germaphobe I know none of it will KILL me, but it's just plain nasty. Anyone who wants to cuddle up on one of those come-forters and walk around barefoot, and take a bath in the tub- more power to ya! But I'll be taking that thing off the bed, putting on my slippers, and cracking open my jumbo tub of Clorox wipes thank you very much.

 

[amwhitaker]

I'll admit I'm a germaphob, but I don't scrub down my room. I do wash my hands often and am very aware of not touching my eyes, nose or mouth with hands that have been all over public places.

 

[bellebud]

no extra tips to add (i lysol, then wipe everything w/ clorox wipes)... just wanted the OP to know she's not alone

dh can't stand the kids walking barefoot on the carpet (i usually wear socks, but i can't keep socks on the kids - HOT little feet!) that doesn't bother me too much.

we'll also be bringing our own blankies this coming trip because of threads on this board, and now i'm thinking about the pillows... hmmmm....

and what's with the new bedbug reports????? i probably don't want to know! wait, yes i do!! wait, no i don't!! seriously, i'll obsess!!

oh well, at least i'm not alone... germophobes - unite!!

 

[tweedlewtwinsmama]

I too think that there is nothing wrong with surface cleaning with clorox wipes and not using the comforters. And when I use public restrooms I try not to touch the door handles after I have washed my hands. A little extra caution does not hurt. Just think about the number of people who post about their ilnesses while at Disney. For those who don't do it, that's your choice not everyone has to think alike. Right?

 

[dulluth]

Remember, colds and flus take a bit of time to incubate ... was it WDW or the airline (or the grocery store or WalMart before leaving?) PUULEEESE! Do you people change your children's linens every day after they've spent time at school? Do you bring a can of lysol to every grocery (etc) store you frequent? Do you follow your kids around school disinfecting everything they might come in contact with? Get over yourselves, enjoy your trip, and quit worrying about germs ... I think you are more likely to get a cold from the handle of a ride than a comforter at hotel ... are you going to spray EVERYTHING you may come in contact with? Sorry to be so "tongue in cheek", but GOODNESS, people!

 

[tmtg]

I like the idea of calling in advance and requesting that the room be given a extra/2nd cleaning. I'm just wondering how I'd go about this? Offer a tip or something??

 

[formernyer]

I've seen many of those studies about hotel cleanliness on TV, but the very first one I saw (I believe it was 20/20 about 10 years ago) is the one that made me Lysol-obsessed in hotels. The subsequent studies just reinforced this obsession.

I'm by no means a germaphobe...other than hotels, my only real obsession is with public bathrooms (won't sit on a seat or touch the exit door with my hands after they are washed). Hotels are just disgusting though. Since nobody has gotten graphic in their posts yet, I will...

The studies generally test a large sample of hotel rooms (usually more than 100), ranging from sleezy motels, to Comfort Inns, to Hiltons, to high-end deluxe resort hotels. The studies I've seen have all come to the same conclusion about hotel comforters...they are either never washed, or washed so infrequently that you can't tell.

They test the comforters for a series of substances, which include skin cells, saliva, urine, feces, semen and a bunch of other things. Apparently at least trace elements of each and every one of these substances was found in every single room tested...no exceptions. Some hotels have more, some have less, but they all have them. The most exclusive hotels are are filthy as the fleabag motels.

According to the study, sheets and pillowcases were generally fairly clean. Blankets contained the substances they tested for, but not nearly to the extent found in the comforters. Apparently some hotels are kind enough to wash the blankets. Pillows are not washed, but contained less of the contaminents since they are covered with cases most of the time.

The absolute first thing I do when I enter a hotel room is remove the comforters from the bed and stuff them in a corner (I even leave a note to housekeeping asking them to not replace the comforter when they make up the beds). I spray a very heavy cost of Lysol onto both sides of the blankets and pillows. It takes about 30 minutes to dry. I spray a normal amount of Lysol on the door handles, light switches, bathtub floor, faucet, remote, tv panel, phone, blinds, heat controls, hairdryer, etc...basically anything i will need to touch.

 

[islandbeachnut]

Lysol is more dangerous to your children than the small chance that they are being exposed to something harmful in your hotel room. It is a carcinogen and it's banned in some countries. Seriously, spraying that on the beds and/or pillows then having your children sleeping there inhaling and absorbing orthophenylphenol is not a good idea.

I totally agree with you. All I could think of when I read this, was how dangerous these people are making the air in their rooms.

In our experience, housekeeping always does a great job. Washing hands is a great habit to get into, we've been to Disney 25+ times, never felt the need to sterilize the room & we've never gotten sick.

 

[jenny2]

They test the comforters for a series of substances, which include skin cells, saliva, urine, feces, semen and a bunch of other things. Apparently at least trace elements of each and every one of these substances was found in every single room tested...no exceptions.

Sure, I think we've all seen these reports. But know what? If they did that same test on other surfaces - say hand railings, arm rests, plane seats, door surfaces, the finger scan as you enter the park... I'd bet my firstborn that they'd find those "substances" there as well.

The thing is this - those "substances" they're testing for are, though gross to think about, natural substances. Our body has ways of handling them. That is why we have immune systems. When you go and spray Lysol all over the bedding and pillows (!!!!) you're applying a carcinogen directly to the area your family sleeps on. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot handle carcinogens.

I'm not saying hotels are sterile - they're not. If you don't want to use the comforter - don't! Like I said before, when I was in college I used to be a housekeeper at a very nice hotel. We rarely washed the comforters - only if there was visible dirt on them. But please consider that your "solution" to the germs is worse than the germs themselves.

 

[snickerboo]

They test the comforters for a series of substances, which include skin cells, saliva, urine, feces, semen and a bunch of other things. Apparently at least trace elements of each and every one of these substances was found in every single room tested...no exceptions. Some hotels have more, some have less, but they all have them. The most exclusive hotels are are filthy as the fleabag motels.

I'm not disagreeing about not using the comforters (and, honestly, I'm a bit of a germaphobe myself) but spraying Lysol onto the mattresses, blankets or pillows is actually dangerous. If you're concerned, take your own blankets/pillows or pick some up at Wal-Mart when you get there. Again, housekeeping uses heavy chemicals on the sinks/tubs and linen services generally bleach the towels.

"News" programs like 20/20 and 60 Minutes prey on people's sensibilities. The more people that watch, the more they can charge for ad space. That's how they make money. They know these shows about how much bacteria is wherever generate a lot of viewers. You can't put too much stock into something like that. If a government health agency comes forward and recommends sanitizing a hotel room, I'll do it. Otherwise, it's been an awfully long time since I've stayed anywhere that wasn't at least as clean as my own home.

 

[Amyg]

We bring our pillows for me and DH mainly for comfort.

Unless something is visibly dirty I don't even concern myself with it. I figure that with all the exposure the kids get at school, the germs of everyday life, the airplanes to get there, the crowded buses, the lines for the rides etc.. we are exposed to a wide variety of yuckies. Not a concern here, we are all healthy so there are no real issues we need to concern ourselves with.

The one thing we do a lot of is wash our hands.

MamaCatNV

I agree with you Mama! I've been traveling for years and years and have never given it much thought. It's pretty icky though, if i was to think about it.

 

[mamacatnv]

I agree with you Mama! I've been traveling for years and years and have never given it much thought. It's pretty icky though, if i was to think about it.

Maybe that is the difference, some really dwell on it and some don't.
I think if the News shows analyzed our "environments" many people would never leave their homes for fear of "germs" Imagine what can be found in an pre-school/elementary classroom, how about the equipment at the gym, just think of all the sweat that drips on it, etc......As a previous poster noted that is why we have immune systems.

I wonder if living in the "germaphobic" society we are becomming is actually doing us more harm than good? I am not talking about people with credible health/immune issues. I am speaking of the majority of us who are healthy.

By being freaky about walking barefoot, sitting on a blanket, touching our bums to a toilet seat are we really benefiting our general health.....

Look at all the crud that is on the rise: asthma, nasty bugs that antibiotics won't kill, allergies, cronic health issues etc.... I sometimes wonder if we are doing this to ourselves (more harm than good).

There is one place I am very careful however and that is in food preparation, meat handling etc. In my book that is a totally different issue.

This is just speculation on my part, I am no expert. All I know is I am about as anti-germaphobic as one could be and my entire family is extremely healthy with no chronic problems other than the occassional cold. I boiled all baby items ONCE, that was it, after that regular soap and water, I never boiled their bath water (as my neighbor did) I let them play on the floor both inside and outside here at home and just about anywhere we went. If they dropped a sippy cup or pacifier unless it had visible chunks we gave it back. I taught my kids to wash their hands, but that they can sit on a toilet seat.
My kids ate dirt and God only knows what else and they have survived, happy and healthy.

Just my 2 cents....

 

[pamjb]

I agree with you mama. I have sat on toilet seats in every bathroom I have every been in. Haven't caught anything. Clean as a whistle.
And in my 42 years I have been in many a nasty one.
Could this germaphobia be contributing to the resistance that is being seen to antibiotics? Yes.
Do I carry antibiotic hand cleanser with me? Yes, but I only use it on my hands after I use the restroom. I make me kids use it after the bathroom too. They are boys and tend not to wash their hands after using the bathroom
I sleep on hotel room sheets and pillowcases. No cooties, bedbugs, lice, fleas, ticks, etc. And once or twice, one of kids has slept on the floor on ....top......of......the.......comforter
I guess I am a daredevil too or just a little

 

[fakereadhed]

Look at all the crud that is on the rise: asthma, nasty bugs that antibiotics won't kill, allergies, cronic health issues etc.... I sometimes wonder if we are doing this to ourselves (more harm than good).

I believe that is a separate issue. IMO there has been a rise in allergies and other health issues because of an increase in medical care. Not a bad thing, either. While I never use chemical spray anything(Lysol) I am not convinced that the use of antibacterial products has created superbugs. I think it is pretty clear that all the megadoses of antiobiotics ingested by us in our meat would be more of a culprit than some Dial or a bottle of hand sanitizer.

 

[bellebud]

now that's an interesting thought! i've read that little girls are going through puberty much earlier today because of the hormones in the milk. same idea.

 

[hollyb]

There are more germs in your kitchen sponge then in the hotel bathroom. Ever see a report on sponges? Very scary. But we still use them everyday.

 

[Texa]

Wasn't there some report recently that after testing both the ice machine and bathrooms of fast food restaurants. There were actually more germs in the ice machines?