Hotel cleanliness..eew!

[gillis95]

Just saw that ABC spot on hotel cleanliness and all the 'stuff' they find in unusual places.. That story creeps me out. They said the invisible stains are harmless and are dry and sterile and do not cause bacteria growth but there is an increase in bed bug growth!! I'll be adding a can of lysol to my packing list! or antibacterial wipes!

They said to pull back your blankets and check the beds, keep your blanket sandwiched between 2 sheets..seems like Disney does this. Check your luggage before coming home because peole have brought these critters home with them.

Sorry to gross you guys out but that story always freaks me out with that black light and all the stuff that shows up!

 

[dairyou]

Eeeww!

I saw it too! The bugs are the things that creeped me out. That one poor lady got bit all over the place! Maybe shake out the sheets before climbing into bed!

I have never experienced this before, but I guess there is always a first time.
Deb

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I saw the commercial for that show. My DH looked at me and very sternly proclaimed "YOU ARE NOT watching that"


I know it is gross- As a nurse I have been through soooo many infection control inservices at work. They take smears of several places at work and other places---Malls, grocery stores, and then grow them, and culture them. It is totally freaky. I now will NOT ever drink from a fountain (esp those outside of a restroom), nor will I touch the toilet lever, sink knobs, or doors to the bathroom. People actually stare at me while washing my hands. I do it the nurse way. Others have commented "I'm a nurse too" We can always spot one another.

I am trying not to get too grossed out about the hotel room. But a can of lysol, and some bacterial wipes are in with my packing pile.

I'm thinking that disney housekeeping is probably better than average, or at least I'm going to keep telling myself that.

I guess for the beds, you could take bedding spray. The stuff they use for lice, and mites. That seem like overdoing it to me though.

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

I didn't watch this because I KNEW I would freak out.

And I'm one of those people who DON"T wash their hands in public bathrooms. I go outside and use one of my handy wipes. Even the sinks are pretty gross in most places (not talking Disney though)

 

[aesalsa]

I bring a can of Scrubbing Bubbles and a sponge with me to clean the shower and toilet at the hotel. I have a kidney transplant, so my immune system is suppressed--which means I can get sick VERY easily. But since seeing that show, I'm DEFINITELY bring a can of Lysol with me, too. I saw another spot somewhere else where a lux. hotel, moderate, hotel, and budget motel were tested. The budget was the worst, but all of them had something!

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Man - I AM GLAD I didn't see that! I'm a freak enough as it is. My husband is still peeved at me for bleaching our bathroom floor yesterday and making the house smell like bleach - and that's just to kill our germs - not to mention random hotel guests' germs!

 

[twinmomplus2]

I hate when these shows are on because then I am grossed out for a month. We are DVC owners and yes, its clean!!!! But the first thing I do on arrival to any hotel is take off the spread and hang it over a chair. thats a leftover phobia from another one of these shows. that they are not actually washed each time! DVC makes it real easy to wash all the blankets and sheets as you have the washer and dryer in the villas. when I am not DVC and just at a resort, I still remove the spread but, Just ask for an extra sheet to make sure the blanket is in the middle. We also always bring our own pillow cases for the kids and us. They are very easy to pack and you know what your face is on at night. I swear I will not watch these shows anymore!

 

[HappyMommy2]

I am so glad I didn't see that show!!
I saw one like it recently and it was quite enlightening.

We stayed at a very nice hotel (non-Disney) a few weeks ago. We brought all the bags into the room and as I was organizing things the kids were running around checking out the room. After a minute, DS 1 came up to me saying, "uh oh, yucky!" and he was holding a long piece of dental floss! YUCK!

The room seemed to be immaculate otherwise, but it just goes to show that there are things that get "missed"!

 

[Jynohn]

You just gave me an idea...
Whenever I stay in a hotel I lose sleep because I'm so paranoid that the blankets or bedspread will touch my face. It's even worse when I have the kids with me because I cringe everytime they lay on the bed when it's made and they're just lounging on the bed spread.

I think when I get to the WL I'm going to take the blankets and spread off and head straight to the washing machines! It will cost me a few bucks and an hour or two in the laundry room, but then I'll be able to relax and enjoy the room without worrying about all the germs crawling around on the bed...

Do you think the staff will notice what I'm doing or will have a problem with it?

 

[twinmomplus2]

Did you read my post! I usually do this. And no they will not have a problem with you doing this. If you are embarrassed and don't want them to think your a nut If anyone asks and they won't! Say your kids have allergies and you need to wash in special soap. I agree A few bucks in the laundry room is worth not worrying if you are sleeping on clean sheets!!!

 

[Jynohn]

Yep, I read your post! Thanks for the great idea. I know I'm going to sleep much easier now, and will enjoy my trip much more knowing that we're sleeping in a clean bed.

Good suggestion about the allergy comment too

Thanks!

 

[Gette88]

I always bring sheets and blankets from home. I lay the sheet on the bed covering the pillows. I mark the sheets so I know which side is up. I just bring an extra suitcase with us when we travel. I also bring disinfecting wipes and Lysol. I wipe down the toilet, tub and sinks. It makes me feel more comfortable and the mousekeepers must like it because they've never had to make our beds.

 

[Jeanny]

I'm adding lysol wipes to my packing list...

one more thing to gross people out.. one of the classes in our Sport Fitness program where I work took smears from commonly used areas around my building..... the public phone, the door handles, my computer keyboard & phone, the ladies room toilet seat and exit door handle, the football locker room, the fitness center benches. Then they let the "experiments " grow in the biology lab... Well, I make sure that I use those toilet seat covers anyway, but now I make sure after I wash and dry my hands, I use a papertowel to open the exit door, because we learned A LOT of people do not wash their hands after using the Potty... eeeewwww.

PS, my phone & key board were fine, because I clean them with alcohol wipes on a regular basis.

 

[twinmomplus2]

This I have had the misfortune to witness myself! Two weeks ago in A MC Donalds on Cape Cod.... A very small bathroom 2 stalls. One woman in a stall, The other open I go in and it had not flushed properly and there were some shall we say femine products in there. So Of course, I exited and waited against the wall in the bathroom for the other stall to open up. Another woman comes in and says oh, Are you waiting. I say yeh, the other one is dirty.... So now 2 of us wait. Still waiting a 3rd woman comes in same exchange as before, Now 3 of us waiting... A worker comes in walks past the line and into the dirty potty So we all figure she is going to come join us at the wall. We all smirk and wait, not only does she not come out. She sits to pee with out even FLUSHING THE MESS!!!!!! Now we are all incredulous. I swear she comes out and walks right past the sink DOES NOT WASH HER HANDS> We all are freaking out how gross. we can not believe it. I go out and follow her and she went directly back to the drive thru and began handing out food. I left and went out to the car and called the manager, And guess what when I stopped for a coke 3 days ago, She was still there!!!!! Not at the window... emptying trash, but, there!!!! Isn't that delightful!

 

[LoriZH]

Okay I saw this show too and it grossed me out! Especially the bedspread "stuff" for the lack of a better word! YUCK!

I will just take off the bedspreads when we get there and ask for extra sheets for the top of the blankets. However, how do we know that the sheets are fresh when we get there, no point in asking, they will just say yes. BTW, I have experienced some of the stuff on that show, i.e. I found a pair of mens underwear under the bed of one hotel and hair on my sheets once. Okay enough grossness for one day, lol

 

[Deb & Bill]

I watched the program from my bed at a Marriott hotel in Atlanta. Did you see the part at the end where the scientist noted that while they did find these smears, they were sterile and not contagious? They could do a study on shopping carts at your local grocery store and find most of the same things. Or the tables at Starbucks. Are you really going to clean the elevator buttons before you press them? How about the handrails in stairwells or at entrances to buildings?

And never mind about the recycled air on airplanes!!

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Thank you Deb for that voice of reason. I think we all get carried away at times about this sort of stuff. I, for one, will try to remember the reasons I take a shower each day and why I wash our hands regularly. There is only so much you can do - your immune system has a purpose too!

 

[twinmomplus2]

I will say since I started doing this. We have not had our preschoolers get ill. Prior to my doing this A March trip my kids got sick. And again a year later in May, They became violently ill with the norwalk virus.....( from the cruise ships.) and when they were ill my mousekeeper at AKL said on the same floor as me 3 days before arrival she had a family with a very sick 5 year old and they never told her. So consequently she went from room to room on that floor not knowing she was going in and out a room where people were ill. She was very insistent about the absolute need to tell if anyone in your party is ill. if they know that they will lysol the entire room and take extra care. She actually checked her roster to try and remember if her sick room from 3 days prior was the one I was in. It didn't happen to be so but is was 3 doors down. So I guess If you have ever had vomiting, toddlers in a hotel roomm Your perspective becomes somewhat jaded! I cleaned everything my last trip and noone thank god!!!!!! got ill. Just food for thought sometimes there are valid reasons for people being neurotic.

 

[aesalsa]

I agree with twinmom. Some people may catch a little "something"--maybe nothing that serious-- but illnesses come from viruses and/or germs. Most people get over them soon enough, and disregard the cause as "something I ate, etc." which originated from a germ or virus. I had a kidney transplant in May 2000 which means I have very little protection from my immune system. Although I was always "careful" with regard to cleanliness and used sterile techniqe when I was on dialysis before, I was still hospitalized 4 times in a matter of 4 1/2 months for bacterial infections (common bacteria)! I do not wotk in any kind of cleaning job or work with sick people, but I got VERY sick anyway.

I think that most completely healthy people would not have become ill from the bacteria, or they would have recovered very quickly from such infections. But I DO NOT want to take any risks with my health or the other gift that my father gave me--a kidney.

I think at least packing a disinfectant like Lysol (along with frequent hand washing, keeping hands away from face. . . ) is such a simple and inexpensive precaution as opposed to the costly treatment of a possible infection or illness from common bacteria or viruses. It can help salvage someone's health AND a fun vacation.

Reasonably minimizing the exposure to harmful bacteria--only GOOD can come from that!

 

[pmcpmc]

My mum used to always say that she allowed us to play in the dirt because it built up our immune system.
She fed us on wholesome food,no junkand we never got any problems like the other kids did.
I do sympathise with anybody who has a kidney, liver or other organ replacement.
We only ever use the sheets never the covers.
Its a problem all over the world.
Does anybody take the sheets off and check the beds, that's where very often the big problems are as we all have bed mites at home which we have to vacuum because my wife suffers from breathing them in.