Do you bring your own bedding?

[NMAmy]

Reading this thread has made me come to the conclusion that I'll bet nowadays, the comforter in a hotel room may be the cleanest thing in the room. If everyone is chucking it into the drawer, closet, or corner, the only thing on it might be a little dust because apparently no one is using it anymore.

 

[kaffinito]

Going back to the original post. I do bring my own pillow (neck problem) and blanket (heebie jebbies) when I travel. I also bring Clorox wipes because I do not want to spend another trip with Norwalk or a cold. I wipe down the doorknobs, remote, and light switches.


And going OT, please do not use your table fork to dip into all of the dishes at the buffet. You are putting someones life a risk when you do that. Can you guarantee that your little germ avoidance trick won't cause serious harm to someone else? If not, then stop doing it. Anyone who is that much of a germ-a phobe, should start eating at TS places and bringing your own silverware.

In my case, if I eat anything with tree nuts in it then I could die. At the very least I will have to be rushed by ambulance to the nearest hospital for emergency treatment. Other people that I know of have allergies to wheat, eggs or milk. And yes, I do carry my epi-pen wherever I go, but if I have a reaction then I still have to go to the emergency room.

Try to think of others before doing something that could ruin someone elses' trip please.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

And not everyone is fully clothed when they sit on the chair or the couch in a hotel room either. Think about THAT for a moment!

OMG this is funny

So thats where that stripe came from.

This is even funnier.

I can always count on the DISer's to make me laugh even when the day seems really bad.

 

[JLS]

I was not germophobic to begin with, but having a little boy (about to turn 4) has made me realize that there is no point at all in worrying obsessively about germs. Little kids, especially boys, touch everything, roll around in dirt, eat things off the ground, put their mouths on things when you are not looking, stick their hands in their mouths before washing (gasp!). And yet most remain pretty healthy aside from the normal colds/viruses. I am an attentive parent, but you cannot watch your child every second, particularly when they are in daycare or preschool or even just playing. Yet they are fine.

Obviously you wash your hands as often as possible, use hand sanitizers if you can't wash, don't use something that looks obviously dirty, etc. But beyond general common sense, I think you have to just live your life and not be ruled by fear of germs. Germs are EVERYWHERE. Public toilets, your friends' houses, playgrounds, cars, Disney Parks, you name it. I wonder where you draw the line if you go through an elaborate routine in a hotel room. I am surprised that people who are that worried about germs in a normal hotel room would go to crowded amusement parks or frankly even eat out at any restaurant. When you get food at McDonalds, how do you know that the employee really washed and sanitized his hands before wrapping your burger? You don't. You don't want to know! Just use common sense and hope for the best.

 

[mechurchlady]

We ask for the first seating if we are at a buffet. And using the fork supplied on your table setting doesnt cross contaminate anything. Are you assuming I would return for seconds with a dirty fork. Thats not how we roll. We dont re-use plates either. Do you set your used plate down on the buffet to refill?

We dont want you to have our cooties, (((hug)))

They provide separate utensils for a reason. I was at a buffet in San Antonio last year and watched in horror as an old man kept banging the tortilla on his plate to get some beans on it. He then returned the contaminated tongs back to the dish which means that if any of them tortilla bits was on the tong then I would be sick as in chest pains, fainting, crashing and passing out, rapid heart beat, diarhea, vomiting, nausea, and colic like gas pains that hurt so bad that nothing stops the pain.

You take your nice clean fork and take a gob of macaroni salad then a gob of potato salad then some pork chops and finally some peanut crusted salmon. You then have put wheat, soy, pork, and peanuts into someone's food. To top it all of the mere inhalation of or touch of some allergens can kill a person.

http://www.allergicliving.com/features.asp?copy_id=17
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0510/22/hcsg.01.html
I cried so hard to think that she is gone as are many others who were killed by food allergies. Just picking up some cheese curls then the girls french fries killed her.

I will gladly shake hands with you and even drink from the same straw as you do as long as you but I cannot risk the pain and suffering of someone else using a fork from a table. People with allergies sometimes go to such lengths as bringing stuff to clean tables and silverware. One mom puts down place mats and will not let her kid touch a chair or table until it is scrubbed down.

Aint afraid of germs just the gluten, egg, and soy that causes me great pain and has ruined some friendships when I was so sick that I was not thinking right.

 

[hammie59]

While I don't consider myself to be a germaphobe, I do try to minimize the chances of a nasty bug getting us. That's all. Yes, germs are everywhere and a fact of living life. I don't chase my family around sanitizing their every body part, but I certainly take the opportunity to maybe wipe down a shopping cart handle during flu season or a few key items in my hotel room. It's just one small, not always perfect, line of defense in my book.

 

[AlternateEgo]

Ok someone seriously has to draw a line.

The problem is, the ones who are over the top look down on the rest of the population, making them look "nasty".

And the rest of the population is looking back thinking, you are "over the top".

My daughters' father grew up in a germophobic house. To this day, when I speak to any one of them, someone is very sick. The girls' dad used to always be sick and I, on the other hand, would be fine.

Honestly... my FH lives in hotels 5 days a week. He has NEVER came in contact with a bedbug. It would be my opinion that these bedbugs are being brought in by people bringing their own linens. He is never sick. My girls and I were recently sick with the flu and was around him and he never got sick.

And honestly, I see people leave the bathroom ALL the time without washing hands... they might have picked up the bottle of water you are drinking from. Do you seriously sanitize everything?

It is just bedding. It gets cleaned in water and soap.

I mean do you ever get hand me down clothing, or purchase yard sale or second hand clothes? Or is that entirely different?

As far as "most" cashiers wear gloves... this statement is entirely inaccurate. At least in the United States. First of all I have never EVER seen a cashier wearing gloves, except at Menards in the Garden Center. Honestly, i have been a cashier and yes money is gross... but I am going to wash my hands before eating anything.

So I think this over the top germophobia is just nuts. I personally, wipe my bathroom down with Clorox wipes once a week. I keep antibacterial soap for handwashing and bathing. I obviously keep a clean house, wash all of our clothes in hot water and soap... and I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the car, in case we might have to make a stop on the side of the road. That is the extent of it all... and I am still alive.

Just wash your hands, this is all you can do. Otherwise you are just putting the rest of the world at risk, by #1 depleting yours and your childrens immune system & #2 helping in the aid of superbugs.

ETA: Is it realized that you get sick by the germs entering your mouth or nose area... they dont soak into the bottom of your feet or anything...

 

[maxiesmom]

And not everyone is fully clothed when they sit on the chair or the couch in a hotel room either. Think about THAT for a moment!

I don't want to know how you know that!

 

[merryweather20]

We ask for the first seating if we are at a buffet. And using the fork supplied on your table setting doesnt cross contaminate anything. Are you assuming I would return for seconds with a dirty fork. Thats not how we roll. We dont re-use plates either. Do you set your used plate down on the buffet to refill?

We dont want you to have our cooties, (((hug)))

What a waste. I have many times seen waiters replacing dishes, where one thoughtless guest has used tongs from only one other dish, in a second dish. You are clearly using your fork and carrying contaminants from one dish into many subsequent dishes, again and again.

Allergies are obviously life threatening, but you are also messing with the presentation of the dish as well, by leaving little bits of mash potatoes in the chicken dish when you use your "personal" fork.
I don't have any food allergies, nor am I, a massive germophobe ( I use the sheets they provide), but the idea of someone bringing their germy fork (How sure are you, you didn't touch the fork tines, that you'll now be dunking again and again into communal dishes) with a small handle and trying to serve with it leaves me more than a little

 

[AlternateEgo]

Allergies are obviously life threatening, but you are also messing with the presentation of the dish as well, by leaving little bits of mash potatoes in the chicken dish when you use your "personal" fork.
I don't have any food allergies, nor am I, a massive germophobe ( I use the sheets they provide), but the idea of someone bringing their germy fork (How sure are you, you didn't touch the fork tines, that you'll now be dunking again and again into communal dishes) with a small handle and trying to serve with it leaves me more than a little

I thought it was obvious that their family doesn't have germs.

 

[missDisneylady]

I had to post this because it's ironically on yahoo's homepage now.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-25303242

It's just a housekeepers detailed admission to not cleaning rooms.

The only way you are gonna know that room is clean is if you go over it yourself. If someone is okay not doing that, that's cool. But this is the reason I do it.

 

[MidgeHadley]

Ok someone seriously has to draw a line.

The problem is, the ones who are over the top look down on the rest of the population, making them look "nasty".

And the rest of the population is looking back thinking, you are "over the top".

My daughters' father grew up in a germophobic house. To this day, when I speak to any one of them, someone is very sick. The girls' dad used to always be sick and I, on the other hand, would be fine.

Honestly... my FH lives in hotels 5 days a week. He has NEVER came in contact with a bedbug. It would be my opinion that these bedbugs are being brought in by people bringing their own linens. He is never sick. My girls and I were recently sick with the flu and was around him and he never got sick.

And honestly, I see people leave the bathroom ALL the time without washing hands... they might have picked up the bottle of water you are drinking from. Do you seriously sanitize everything?

It is just bedding. It gets cleaned in water and soap.

I mean do you ever get hand me down clothing, or purchase yard sale or second hand clothes? Or is that entirely different?

As far as "most" cashiers wear gloves... this statement is entirely inaccurate. At least in the United States. First of all I have never EVER seen a cashier wearing gloves, except at Menards in the Garden Center. Honestly, i have been a cashier and yes money is gross... but I am going to wash my hands before eating anything.

So I think this over the top germophobia is just nuts. I personally, wipe my bathroom down with Clorox wipes once a week. I keep antibacterial soap for handwashing and bathing. I obviously keep a clean house, wash all of our clothes in hot water and soap... and I keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the car, in case we might have to make a stop on the side of the road. That is the extent of it all... and I am still alive.

Just wash your hands, this is all you can do. Otherwise you are just putting the rest of the world at risk, by #1 depleting yours and your childrens immune system & #2 helping in the aid of superbugs.

ETA: Is it realized that you get sick by the germs entering your mouth or nose area... they dont soak into the bottom of your feet or anything...

I've heard that regular soap (the kind that isn't "antibacterial") is actually better to use for handwashing since our society is becoming too "clean."

I wash all of my laundry is *gasp* cold water. I'm sure the mega-germaphobes would rather sleep in a hotel bed than do that. Haha!

 

[lisalonglash]

I've heard that regular soap (the kind that isn't "antibacterial") is actually better to use for handwashing since our society is becoming too "clean."

I wash all of my laundry is *gasp* cold water. I'm sure the mega-germaphobes would rather sleep in a hotel bed than do that. Haha!

I've also heard that about regular soap vs. anti-bacterial soap. I wash everything in hot water except for our bed linens - that is washed in hot and rinsed in cold.

Honestly, I just can't get over the "using the fork from her table at the buffet, freely cross-contaminating every food item/dish her fork touches" thing. The sheer disregard for others who may have life-threatening allergies just astounds me, honestly. I wonder why she answered other posts, but has not not seen fit to answer the many posts asking her about that

The only thing anyone in our family is allergic to is penicillin (that's me), but in this day and age, for someone with an immuno-compromised child (who I'm sure is well-versed in safe food handling due to her child's needs) to put others at potentially life-threatening risk just boggles my mind.

 

[MidgeHadley]

I had to post this because it's ironically on yahoo's homepage now.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-25303242

It's just a housekeepers detailed admission to not cleaning rooms.

The only way you are gonna know that room is clean is if you go over it yourself. If someone is okay not doing that, that's cool. But this is the reason I do it.

None of that was very surprising. Nor does it make me want to clean the hotel room when I get there.

I'm not eating off the sink or licking the toilet. I don't bathe in the hotel tub. I also don't eat on the floor.

I'm also one of those people that leaves the "do not disturb" sign on my door the entire time I'm there. At POR housekeeping left us a bag on our with extra towels and soap twice during our stay. That was nice. But we had no need for them to come in and clean our room. It wasn't messy. We also pick up the room before we leave to eliminate some work for housekeeping. I think it's so rude that people just leave the room a disgusting mess.

 

[hammie59]

I had to post this because it's ironically on yahoo's homepage now.

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-25303242

It's just a housekeepers detailed admission to not cleaning rooms.

The only way you are gonna know that room is clean is if you go over it yourself. If someone is okay not doing that, that's cool. But this is the reason I do it.

THANK YOU. My point exactly!

 

[bavaria]

Honestly, I just can't get over the "using the fork from her table at the buffet, freely cross-contaminating every food item/dish her fork touches" thing. The sheer disregard for others who may have life-threatening allergies just astounds me, honestly. I wonder why she answered other posts, but has not not seen fit to answer the many posts asking her about that

The only thing anyone in our family is allergic to is penicillin (that's me), but in this day and age, for someone with an immuno-compromised child (who I'm sure is well-versed in safe food handling due to her child's needs) to put others at potentially life-threatening risk just boggles my mind.

Unfortunately some posters don't want to listen to reason and logic, even when people try and point out their behaviour may be threatening others. I did read on another thread that she felt that people flamed and mocked her here. That saddens me, as I and others were trying to honestly explain how her actions are dangerous to others. (Not to mention the cost to the restaurant to replace all that food, and we know that the cost is ultimately passed on to the customer)

I don't expect that poster to come and publically post on this thread again, but hopefully she did read and understand the comments and took them to heart. Based on her sarcastic response to me, however, I fear that was not the case.

 

[Melora]

I always bring my own pillow because of comfort. I never know if I am going to like the what they provide me.

I would never dream of bringing any other linen except my huge gigantic both towel because, well... it's huge and gigantic and soft. (none of those things describe hotel towels) Those 2 things take up enough space in my luggage as it is.

But as many people have said, if you want a healthy immune system you have to come in contact with germs. I am very UNworried about that stuff yet my kids almost never get sick. If we get one cold a year its a lot. And we travel like crazy. Lots of planes, cruises etc. I have them wash their hands after they use the bathroom and I check them to see if they are grimey then send them to wash if they are. Other than that I don't worry too much. I have never used wipes after we were past the diaper years.

 

[momtotwoteens]

Yep I do! But not the usual reason. I looooove my flannel sheets. I use them all year long. I can't stand regular sheets. They make me uncomfortable, even my own! So I pack two king flat sheets and use them. Makes me sleep like a baby.

We use flannel sheets all year long, too! I took our sheets, mattress pads, pillows and blankets and it was wonderful. I put my mattress pad and sheets right over the sheets already on the bed. My DH had a lot of packing to do to fit all that stuff in our car along with my DM's stuff. He was REALLY happy about that!

 

[blum74]

Just curious for the people who provide their own Clorox wipes, sheets, and wear slippers in the hotel room, where do you go to the bathroom? What about dishes and cloth napkins when you eat out? What about the airplane, the gas pump, shaking hands when you meet someone new, what about when your kids pick something up off the ground, what about the stuffed animal you buy your child and another child just hugged it 10 minutes earlier.

Just curious.

 

[mom of 3G's]

I wash all of my laundry is *gasp* cold water. I'm sure the mega-germaphobes would rather sleep in a hotel bed than do that. Haha!

Actually the water from your wash has more bacteria in it than anywhere else you will touch. And it doesn't matter what temperature water you use as the water does not get hot enough to kill the bacteria. It is the heat from the drier that kills the germs. So as long as you are drying your clothes in the drier and not hanging them to dry, you will be "clean."

Flame away!