Do you "sanitize" your room when you first get there?

[maxaroni]

Have you seen those reports on swimming pools and spas?

I know of 2 separate people that wound up with cellulitis and the cause was at a swim club....

 

[maxaroni]

OMG...I knew there were more like me "out there"!!

When we walk into the room, I immediately unpack my Lysol spray and Lysol wipes. I wipe down everything and spray the beds. I give the bathroom a good cleaning because they're never really that clean to begin with (especially the tub - eww).

If we stay at OKW, I strip the beds completely and put my own sheets on from home (after giving the bed a good Lysol spraying!). I wipe out the refrigerator as well.

Ok, maybe I'm a little nuts, but I feel better if I know the place is clean!

HOWDY NEIGHBOR...


Do you bring home the sheets to use at home? I have a hard time with people bringing their own linens/pillows and then bringing home (especially pillow). I just think of what my stuff is touching...again, more so the pillow. Blech.

I have always taken Lysol for the toilet but after reading this thread, I feel totally grossed out by it all.

I started with the Lysol long before my son was born and still continue with that. I don't know if it truly does anything or not. I've seen those 20/20 shows and totally grossed out. The comforter does bother me and we used to take it off the bed and dump it in the corner but have let it slide a bit more. I hate walking on the floors without something on my feet but dh and ds walk barefoot, usually by mid trip, I start to. I figure, we'll all get sick together.

I guess I'm a mix between wanting to clean and yet dh being more relaxed makes me more relaxed. I must admit that now, when touching the remote it does gross me out.

We have travelled with another family, had connecting rooms and she smelled the Lysol. She thought I was whacky. Now, she and her dh, used to work for the Marriott and they swore that the Marriott rooms were clean and no problems. Yeah, right. It's all over, even 5* places.

 

[grinningghost]

Nope, I don't do a thing but unpack!

Me too. The last thing I want to do on vacation is clean anything - so far, I haven't caught any dread diseases either.

 

[phillybeth]

Putting toothbrushes in the safe? Now I have heard everything!

Actually that is NOT a good idea. Putting a wet toothbrush in a warm dark spot is an invitation for all sorts of nasties to grow. It really is best to leave it out so it can dry. Or if you are really paranoid, leave it soaking in hydrogen peroxide. Or buy cheap toothbrushes and throw them out every day.

 

[lucas]

If staying in a condo, I would have to wash the dishes before using them. Better yet, I would use paper plates, forks, etc.

 

[duck_adoo]

As another poster said, I don't go on vacation to clean! Wouldn't Mousekeeping have noticed bedbugs in the sheets? Yes, I read where they come out at night..but wouldn't they have noticed bloodstreaks on the sheets or mattresses? Wouldn't have previous guests called to notify them of bedbugs? I'd like to go on vacation to relax...but to be all nervous about bedbugs. This thread is creeping me out! Definetly taking the wind out of my sails!! Especially since we leave in 14 days.

 

[gr8ful4Him]

Wow, lucky you. A free meal thrown in with the room. I never thought of Holiday Inn as being so generous.

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Wow, I'm shocked at the amount of people who are attacking those who take care of the enviornment they live/stay in.

I'm not going to sit here and debate microbacteria and such...plain and simple, when I sit on a toliet, or when I flush it, I don't want to be sitting where some stranger has sat without some form of cleansing in between.

The reason I feel better when I do so is because I *know* not everyone (or nearly everyone) properly washes their hands and such. How many people do you think go to the bathroom, get up, go to the next room (the way many of the resorts are set up) to wash their hands, and then return to flush the toliet? They don't - they flush it with their dirty hands and then wash their hands. I don't want to touch that flusher that they have touched with dirty hands. Why is this so insane?

(BTW, handwashing should be done with COLD water. As cold as you can get it. Warm water does nothing but breed bacteria and opens the pores of your hands to more germs. In order for the hot water to be effective, it would have to be well above the temp that would scald and burn you before it would do any good.)

This would all be well and good if we KNEW that everyone who had ever stayed in the room had practiced good personal habits, but as a male who has watched more people walk out of restrooms without washing hands than do, I know that is not the case.

It's not about protecting yourself from "natural" bacteria, it's about protecting yourself from the bad habits of others. Same reason I either hit the bathroom, or, at the very least, use a hand-sanitizer (which, if it's good enough for hospital use, it's good enough for me) after something like "Buzz Lightyear" where you are touching something for an extended period of time. How many snot nosed kids, or just-scratched-my-privates adults have had their hands on that the same day as you?

If it makes people feel better to say it doesn't matter, go right ahead. If it doesn't matter to you, it doesn't - but belittling people by standing on a high horse and saying you are a better person because you don't keep your enviornment with a modicum of care is just untrue. I work in a hospital myself, and know the difference between paranoia, phobia, and just plain good sense.

So I don't think I'm some super-villian from a comic book, creating mutant super-bacteria that will take down the earth because I use a clorox or lysol wipe on the areas I will intimately touch - the toliet, the sink, the shower, the remote, the phone. It takes me five minutes and yes, it makes me feel better. Big deal. I really don't understand those who think this is so crazy - I think it's a case of he doth protest too much.

If it makes you feel better to pretend that touching other peoples feces and possible other bodily fluids isn't gross, then more power to you. I just have a different set of beliefs.

N.E.D.

 

[ANTSS2001]

 

[S. C.]

Wow, lucky you. A free meal thrown in with the room. I never thought of Holiday Inn as being so generous.

 

[RichieGraciemom]

I have been doing this since I grew up and went on my own trip.s That was the first thing my darling mother always did in hotels and I followed her. I do the bathroom and never leave home with out lysol on vacation. I used it in the pak and play when my kidswere little also.

 

[gr8ful4Him]

They don't - they flush it with their dirty hands and then wash their hands. I don't want to touch that flusher that they have touched with dirty hands. Why is this so insane?

Hmmm...I guess I follow in the same footsteps as the person before and figure that I'm going to go wash my hands right away when I'm done, so whatever nasty bacteria is on that handle is going to be washed away immediately anyways?

 

[freakylick]

I'm not going to sit here and debate microbacteria and such

I guess you didn't need to say much more than that.

Getting down off of my high horse now

 

[tinkamom]

Superbugs- Lysol and antibacterial wipes kill 99.9 percent of the "bugs", .01 survive. Why? They are strong! Now the only ones procreating are the super strong (immune) bugs! This will lead to serious problems.

Clean things, just don't over clean. It can hurt in the long run!

 

[bdcp]

The reality is, microbes are everywhere. Cleaning a hotel room will not keep you from getting sick. Nor will you ever "clean" everything off of everything. It's just not possible. The best thing to do is wash your hands and from what I remember the CDC recommends WARM water and soap. Not antibacterial soap, just plain old soap. The plain fact is, most people catch "bugs" from their own hands. A great majority of germs you're exposed to never make you sick. And most that do are from lack of hand washing.

Also, you're more likely to catch something from your own family than from a stranger or a doorknob or toilet seat. These are people you are exposed to a lot more frequently and people tend to be less careful about hand washing when touching their family members property, doors, etc than in public. I love it when moms "clean" their child's pacifier by putting it in their mouths. That's more likely to get one of you sick than touching a toilet.

 

[VSL]

If it makes people feel better to say it doesn't matter, go right ahead. If it doesn't matter to you, it doesn't - but belittling people by standing on a high horse and saying you are a better person because you don't keep your enviornment with a modicum of care is just untrue. I work in a hospital myself, and know the difference between paranoia, phobia, and just plain good sense.

I haven't seen anyone belittling anyone. Some have pointed out that it is more an emotional issue, but that is it. No one has been saying that they are a better person.

BTW, we've had some superbug problems at our hospitals over here - MRSA, for example. This is within the last year(s).
Of course, I don't know how this is caused, or whether it's too much or too little cleanliness. All I know is that it's a superbug and I'm pretty sure some people have died because of it.

 

[babybunrab]

I wasn't belittling anyone--I believe I was just stating the reasons why I choose not to clean my hotel room. I thought the thread was fairly low-key, actually. OP asked 'do you sanitize your room' and I was simply answering the question and, later on, my reasons why I don't. I certainly don't feel 'superior' to anyone, though I do, of course, think I'm right, just as those who clean their rooms do. No harm in that, we just have different opinions and, happily, are allowed to express them.

Whatever makes you comfortable, go ahead and do it, and have a wonderful vacation!

 

[ANTSS2001]

Wow, lucky you. A free meal thrown in with the room. I never thought of Holiday Inn as being so generous.

DisFlan - This is an emotional issue, not one based on science. You're fighting a losing battle.

Lastly - 5 ,10, 20 years from now, Today and 20/20 etc... will be reporting on how these superbugs have been growing in numbers. And they'll be reporting on people having medical problems with exposures to cleaning chemicals. Book it.

i guess we dont have to wait that long with MRSA & VRE

 

[ANTSS2001]

(I'm not picking on you -- your question just got me thinking.)
Best thing to do is wash your hands frequently with soap and water. And don't do a quick rub and rinse -- you should wash long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" two times.

hmmmm and OSHA told us to do our ABC's twice..I will do the Happy Birthday next time that would be easier and fun to remember !! Well folks have a nice day.. I guess this is it for me.... I am not in a battle.. I am not correcting anybody... nor being a Miss Know it all coz I dont know a thing... I simply just respond to the thread on how what I do with a Hotel room ( well that's how I understand it maybe I was wrong but I will never know ). What we all are doing are right in our own mind in our own world.... again as I have told my family.... "AS LONG AS YOU ARE NOT STEPPING ON ANYBODY'S TOES AND YOU ARE NOT IN ANYBODY'S WAY SO BE IT" I am not trying to change anybody's views in their life. If I see that someone has a better recipe in life I am glad I was around to see it for it my be useful for my family eventually.. Keyword: FAMILY... Have a Nice Disney Day Folks.....

 

[phillybeth]

(BTW, handwashing should be done with COLD water. As cold as you can get it. Warm water does nothing but breed bacteria and opens the pores of your hands to more germs. In order for the hot water to be effective, it would have to be well above the temp that would scald and burn you before it would do any good.)

Well I guess every surgeon and OR nurse has been wrong for years then