Hotel Cleanliness??!!!???

[LoveTwoTravel]

Okay, I've read some scary posts about the cleanliness of hotels (which is just an expected thing when lots of traffic is moved through and people sleep and perform personal hygiene in the same place over and over--but that doesn't mean that I want to catch their, em, germs.)

What are the basic things that you really try to do when you check in?

Here are the ones I remember that sound like good ideas (I'll try to add those from posters here at the top):

* remote in a plastic bag
* Lysol wipe down the handles of everything
* Wear flip flops or other shoes in the room
* Hand soap (anti-bacterial)
* Don't use comforters
* Check sheets & mattress/box springs for...whatever

But what about the sheets & comforter?

What else are the the top things to clean?

Thanks!

 

[kimsuenew]

Okay, I've read some scary posts about the cleanliness of hotels (which is just an expected thing when lots of traffic is moved through and people sleep and perform personal hygiene in the same place over and over--but that doesn't mean that I want to catch their, em, germs.)

What are the basic things that you really try to do when you check in?

Here are the ones I remember that sound like good ideas:

* remote in a plastic bag
* Lysol wipe down the handles of everything
* Wear flip flops in the room

But what about the sheets & comforter?

What else are the the top things to clean?

Thanks!

We ALWAYS take our own pillows (to any hotel/condo we stay at)... I worry to much about other people's sleepy drool, or wondering if they used them to prop their feet up, or whatever!

I take Lysol and wipe down doorknobs, switches, handles, faucets, buttons, counters, ect... I also do the phone (both the ear/mouthpiece and the number pad).

I saw the RC in a baggie tip on here after we were back last time and it stuck in my mind, I will be doing that one from now on!

I immediately strip the comforter off of the beds... we will never use those as I have seen far to many documentaries where they are infrequently (if ever) laundered!

I always take a antibacterial handsoap bottle (cheap... not Bath & Body Works or anything, more like a Softsoap type) for use by the sink so we do not have to use a handsoap bar to wash dirty hands!

I check the sheets immediately upon check-in... any hairs or spots... we do call for them to be changed as that is nasty! Ugh!

We never have before (as it did not occur to me) but after reading a few posts on here... we will inspect the mattress/box springs (due to bed bugs). I do not expect to find any but will check!

We always take "surf shoes" for the pool area/pool and we most definately will also be using them at the two Waterparks!

We always bring slippers/flip flops for walking in the room!

I will bring my own small Sharpie container (for my diabetic supplies) and pack it in my suitcase (inside a baggie) to come home with me so I know with certainty it is properly disposed of!

 

[LoveTwoTravel]

good tips!

Does anyone haul the comforter down to the laundry area and wash it?

Do you think your own pillowcases would work instead of bringing pillows (for those flying rather than driving)?

 

[kimsuenew]

good tips!

Does anyone haul the comforter down to the laundry area and wash it?

Do you think your own pillowcases would work instead of bringing pillows (for those flying rather than driving)?

We never have... we simply fold the comforter(s) up and place them on a chair, in the closet if there is room, or in a corner if not. I would never be brave enough to wash, as some must be drycleaned and I would not want that liability!

Pillowcases (ecspecially the zip/vinyl type) might very well work (we always drive so it is not an issue). They can't be that expensive and might put your mind at ease!

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[kimsuenew]

good tips!

Does anyone haul the comforter down to the laundry area and wash it?

Do you think your own pillowcases would work instead of bringing pillows (for those flying rather than driving)?

Out of curiousity... what days are you at Pop this September? We are there the 14th - 27th!

 

[andymattmom]

Plastic or paper cups...unless the ones at Disney are that type and wrapped. If they are glass don't drink from them...Inside Edition did a story on this some time back. The Contemporary was one of them where housekeeping don't replace, wipe with dirty bath towels, etc. GROSS!

 

[S. C.]

Plastic or paper cups...unless the ones at Disney are that type and wrapped. If they are glass don't drink from them...Inside Edition did a story on this some time back. The Contemporary was one of them where housekeeping don't replace, wipe with dirty bath towels, etc. GROSS!

We like to bring our own coffee cups from home (we drive also) and paper cups for drinking water etc out of. I also take a small bottle of dish soap for washing coffee cups & coffee pot.

 

[Carlyzmom]

GREAT thread! I am glad to know I am not the only obsessive cleaner!

I am leaving for the beach in the morning and I will be sanitizing the cabin thoroughly when I get there!

 

[Topo Bella]

I always believed in willful blindness when it came to the cleanliness of the rooms - I was too afraid to find anything, so I didn't look very hard. However, since having children, I've become increasingly a germ-o-phobe.

One tip that I think is helpful is to bring a bottle of Lysol and just spray down the entire room. Likewise, Febreze makes an antibacterial for fabrics which is great for treating the sheets and pillows.

 

[annie1995]

I plan on sending a small bottle of Lysol down ahead of me this trip. I didn't think Febreeze killed anything that would make us sick. I thought it was only for killing the bacteria that cause odors? I just went to the febreeze web site and this is copied from their web page

Did you know that bacteria can exist in fabrics? And, if left untreated, those bacteria can cause odors. Try Febreze Antimicrobial—it eliminates 99.9% of odor-causing bacteria on fabrics.


Also, does anyone worry that when mousekeeping comes in to clean, they are using dirty rags etc from other rooms? Am I making sense? I mean, I really don't like the idea of someone cleaning a toilet in the next room, and using the same rag to clean mine . Good way to spread the germs of others around

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I always bring my own wash clothes. I hate it when I spot a pubic hair on a hotel wash clothe YICK
Never know how clean they are.

Yes I worry about mousekeeping. Our local news channel did a hidden camera story and it showed the housekeeper using the same rag she just used to clean the toilet to clean the glasses in the room. No running water for the glasses just a quick wipe with the toilet rag! I know its Disney but these people are getting paid around minimum wage so anything goes.

One of the best things about staying at a DVC resort room your room does not get cleaned the whole time you are there. They come on Wed and take the trash and replace the towels so I do not have to reclean every day after housekeeping has been there. I will spot clean through out the week.

 

[kimsuenew]

I always bring my own wash clothes. I hate it when I spot a pubic hair on a hotel wash clothe YICK
Never know how clean they are.

Yes I worry about mousekeeping. Our local news channel did a hidden camera story and it showed the housekeeper using the same rag she just used to clean the toilet to clean the glasses in the room. No running water for the glasses just a quick wipe with the toilet rag! I know its Disney but these people are getting paid around minimum wage so anything goes.

One of the best things about staying at a DVC resort room your room does not get cleaned the whole time you are there. They come on Wed and take the trash and replace the towels so I do not have to reclean every day after housekeeping has been there. I will spot clean through out the week.

I know what you mean! I never use a hotel washcloth on my face... never have, simply cannot do it! I have never brought my own washcloths however, I just use my cleanser and hands on my face. If I ever saw a washcloth/towel with a hair on it... you can bet your sweet bippy they would be bringing me a fresh batch!

I forgot this in my above post (the loooong one) but we always bring a small pack of paper cups and a roll of paper towels to use in the room as well. We never use hotel cups! If we rent a condo (like during our HHI trips) we run any "clean dishes" we might be using through a hot dishwasher... just to be sure they are clean! We always also bring a new "scrubber" a long!

That is simply disgusting (using the same cloth on dishes as a toilet). Ugh! I am hoping that chain/hotel changed policy and re-trained housekeeping after that.

Last year, while staying at SSR, I was enamoured by the little itty bitty bottle of Pamolive... it was so cute!

 

[bennyb98]

Thanks for all the tips. I must admit that before when i've gone to hotels I've never really done any of this and just like to think the housekeepers are doing a good job. Probably think again before doing that.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

The Inside Edition was done at Holiday Inns, not at Disney. I've never heard of a similar hidden camera study being done at Disney hotels.

Yes, there are horror stories, but in all my travels I have never gotten sick after staying in a hotel room. I use the comforter if I get cold, I touch the remote, I don't wipe down the doors. Now, if something is obviously dirty I will ask them to clean it, but otherwise I don't worry.

It is actually healthy for your immune system to be exposed to various bugs. My mom is a microbiologist so I frequently get treated to lectures on how antibacterial soaps and wipes are leading toa great increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria, she sees it every day at her work. Unless your immune system is compromised, you don't need it. Proper handwashing with regular soap and hot water for 20 secs will get rid of the germs. The scrubbing motion and running water is actually what kills the germs, antibacterial soaps just make you feel safer and allow them to charge you extra. They are no more effective than proper handwashing technique.

Check with your hotel about what they do. For instance: Holiday Inn (I believe) and several others have started using special covers on their comforters so they can wash them between every guest. It was Holiday Inn that Inside Edition caught wiping out glasses with dirty rags, and they have now switched to individual wrapped plastic cups. If you are truly concerned about the remote, wipe it down with a clorox wipe. No need to bag it. That sounds like it would get on my nerves.

If you want to keep yourself healthy, do your best to get a good night's sleep, don't overdo it, and try not to stress out. Stressing about the cleanliness will probably compromise your immune system more than your hotel room will.

 

[andymattmom]

The Inside Edition was done at Holiday Inns, not at Disney. I've never heard of a similar hidden camera study being done at Disney hotels.

Yes, the Contemporary was on the Inside Edition here is a partial quote from the IE website...you can watch the video. Here is the link to the story but the main part about the Contemporary is here (copied directly from the site).http://www.insideedition.com/news.aspx?storyID=1320

In Orlando, where millions of tourists flock every year, INSIDE EDITION visited Walt Disney World’s famous Contemporary Resort.

There, hidden cameras recorded a maid as she properly removed the dirty glasses and replaced them with clean ones. But then she rinsed off dirty coffee mugs and used her hands, without soap, to clean them. She then gave them a once over before putting them away with lipstick still on them.

At the nearby Hilton, also located in the Disney World resort, the housekeeper rinsed glasses with water and once again used no soap. With a towel in hand, the housekeeper appeared to wipe her nose or mouth and then used the same towel to wipe the glass before she put it back on the sink. She then covered the glass with a paper lid.


It also mentions the Grand Hyatt in Washington D.C. as one of the hotels...more upscale places than Holiday Inn so it appears they are all not doing a good job. GROSS! The entire story is nasty!!!

 

[momma2minnie]

Don't forget the ice bucket.
On our last trip to WDW my DH got so sick that he spent a whole day between the bed and the toilet. And we left 1 day early because he was so sick.
I blame the ice bucket ( it really looked gross and I told him not to use it) he is the only one who used it and myself and DD were fine.

 

[KayLuvsMickey]

A family at my son's daycare just came back from staying at AKL were he said the kids got lice! Yuck

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

How do you know he got lice from the hotel? How do you know it wasn't from brushing up against another kid in the parks? Just because somebody gets sick after staying in a hotel does not automatically mean it was the hotel's fault. Not to say that people never get sick from staying in a hotel room, but it isn't as easy as sayin they stayed in the hotel, got sick, therefore the hotel is the cause of the sickness.

 

[LoveTwoTravel]

How do you know he got lice from the hotel? How do you know it wasn't from brushing up against another kid in the parks? Just because somebody gets sick after staying in a hotel does not automatically mean it was the hotel's fault. Not to say that people never get sick from staying in a hotel room, but it isn't as easy as sayin they stayed in the hotel, got sick, therefore the hotel is the cause of the sickness.

I agree, we've got to be cautious where we can (everywhere!), but I think that we're concerned with the hotel (well, at least I am) because we can actually DO something about that where we can't about the other people in the parks. Plus, the hotel room is relatively small and the air doesn't circulate, etc. So I think that's why we're trying to eliminate the germs where we can.

Thanks to everyone who has offered these great suggestions!

 

[MapleGirl]

A family at my son's daycare just came back from staying at AKL were he said the kids got lice! Yuck

I would think they got lice from trying on all the fun Disney hats in the stores, rather than from the resort. It's a good reminder though..... don't randomly try on hats and always buy a hat from the back of the display!