Normally not a germaphobe but . . .

[disneyvoice]

I am not someone who usually wipes the resort room down, carries hand sanitizer around etc, but our upcoming trip is the beginning of October and all this H1N1 talk is starting to freak me out. For those of you who are germaphobes I need some advice on what I can do to minimize our chances of getting sick while we are there.

I am bringing some Chlorox wipes and am planning on wiping down all the surfaces, door knobs, handles, etc. I also thought about bringing some disinfectatant spray to spray everything down as well (I have always thought Mousekeeping has done a great job with cleaning but I just want to do it to give it an extra cleaning). I'm bringing the ziplock for the TV remote. I have hand sanitizer for all of us and am planning on having all of use it after we get off the rides where we have to touch a hand rail or lap bar. I'm big on making sure to wash hands a lot throughout the day and only touching faucets with a paper towel (that's the RN in me!). Obviously we are also using tissues and making sure we all cover our nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing to ensure we aren't spreading anything. I tell everyone to keep their hands away from their mouth, nose, and eyes.

What else have you done in the past??

 

[minniebeth]

Umm...I think you have it all just about covered!

We also bring antibacterial hand soap (pump bottle) for our room for washing our hands when we get back to the resort, after using the bathroom and when we wake up before brushing teeth, contacts, etc. Cleaner than sharing bar soap.

Also, I bring dish soap to wash out our refillable mugs each day...

I'm glad I'm not the only germophobe!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I am with you OP. I have never done this before either, but this year I am not taking any chances. I have bought everything that I need to clean with once I get there, however I had never even thought about putting the remote control into a zip lock bag. That's a great idea. The last hotel that we stayed at someone actually put a BUGGER on the remote. I'm sure it was a kid, but I didn't find it funny. This just made my fear of the remote even worse. So thank you for the tip.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

I also think you have everything covered. The zip loc bag is the best thing for the controller. You can wipe it down all you want but heaven knows what's lurking in those buttons. Disney isn't any different than the super market, mall, WaWa etc. Anyway, my advise is just take the normal precautions and enjoy your vacation.

 

[robinb]

Sorry, but I think you are going WAY overboard if you are trying to avoid H1N1. According to the CDC, the H1N1 virus can remain viable on hard surfaces (such as doorknobs, remotes, handles, etc) for only 2-8 hours (http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm -- see "Contamination & Cleaning"). Even if the previous guest had H1N1, the virus would be very likely be dead before you were able to check in ... and that's only if the maid was able to turn around the room in record time.

You have a much greater chance of contracting H1N1 outside of your hotel room by touching things that other people JUST touched ... like hand rails, doors, ride vehicles, etc. I admit that with the real and present risk of getting sick in the parks, I never understood disinfecting my hotel room.

 

[loritemp]

One word of advice though...don't OVERuse the hand sanatizers. People go a little insane with that stuff and it actually ends up doing more harm than good. Those things won't kill the really hearty bacteria so what you end up doing is killing off the weaklings and then giving a really nice environment for the bad bugs to thrive. So liberal use is best. Also, Clorox wipes are the best option for cleaning surfaces in the room. The CDC has a website that lists "approved" H1N1 disinfectants and clorox is one of them.

 

[wifey]

Don't worry about what others say, we always take hand sanitising gel since DH and DS both came down with food poisoning on our holiday in 2000. I have checked the state of every hotel room since then if it's not up to my preferred level of cleanliness I can either sort it out myself OR ring the front desk/mousekeeping about it. The room is usually sorted out fine before we get there to be honest but there have been times when I've wondered when the CMs actually got under the bed and vacuumed thoroughly and there's been dust on most surfaces and sometimes no batteries in the t.v. remote .

This year after all the things we've had throughout the UK in the past (CJD, Foot and Mouth, Bird Flu to name a few) I decided to bring my own antibacterial room cleansing wipes and I will wipe everything down before I let my family unpack, then I will relax. Each of us will still use the hand sanitising gel in the parks.... it's Murphy's Law that someone else will not be cleaning their hands regularly and I would rather not pick up their germs from meal tables, seats and handles... particularly on the buses and monorail and especially on the rides.

I try to keep our room clean and tidy during our stay to reduce the amount of unnecessary work the maids will have to do to give them chance do get the real cleaning done. I empty the rubbish and replace the liners and leave them off the floor on an unused chair with a carrier bag beneath to prevent
any rare spills marking anything. DH laughs when he sees me cleaning the bath and the sink out too. I hope the maids appreciate it .. they seem to as they replace the used towels and restock the toilet tissue and soaps regularly it's never been a problem before.
Can you tell my DMIL used to be a chambermaid before she retired she taught me a lot about how little things make a big difference.

 

[Disney_Dawg]

I love all of your ideas!

I NEVER use the comforters on the beds. I'm convinced no hotel anywhere ever washes them. As soon as I get into my room, I fold them, put them in the closet, and wash my hands

 

[Pats Dragon]

Also, Never put your backpack or purse down on the public bathroom floors. We are avoiding buffets because lots of hand touch the serving spoons.

 

[mckinley]

I am not crazy when it comes to sanitizing things, i don't carry stuff with us to the parks since i don't want to carry anything else than i have to. But i usually take dd9 to the bathroom just to wash her hands throughout the day at the parks. She touches everything while waiting in line for awhile so it just washes away the germs. With that many people there touching and being around its hard to avoid catching something. Thanks for the ziploc bag trick with the remote i will do that they tend to look really used.

 

[robinbutterfly]

Also, Never put your backpack or purse down on the public bathroom floors. We are avoiding buffets because lots of hand touch the serving spoons.

Wow- very good point about the buffets! I bet germs are going to be crawling all over those spoons. Also hopefully none of the workers will be sick!

 

[gingerfeathers]

Also, Never put your backpack or purse down on the public bathroom floors. We are avoiding buffets because lots of hand touch the serving spoons.

Wow, I NEVER thought about the serving spoons! Good call--we're doing two buffets while we're there.

The ziplock for the remote is a great idea too.. I may have to pick that one up!

I don't go overboard since it's just us two adults with no kids. But I will be bringing hand sanitizer, antibacterial hand wipes, and Lysol spray. We wash our hands periodically in the parks as well, so hopefully all will be good. But now I'll definitely make sure we're washing our hands well at the buffets!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Antibacterial will not do anything against flu. Flu is viral. You need antiviral. Antibacterial only works on bacteria, including the good bacterial that you don't want to kill.

Plus the bathroom floor is many times dirtier than the toilet seat and the door handle.

 

[Mickey_guy]

Hope that none of you are flying because if you are going to catch anything it is going to be on the plane not your hotel room

 

[cjlvsccm]

...I am bringing some Chlorox wipes and am planning on wiping down all the surfaces, door knobs, handles, etc. ...

What else have you done in the past??

I used the Clorox wipes on in-room surfaces, but I also had a small pouch of alcohol-based anti-bacterial wipes that I carried into the parks. Found a six-pack of the pouches at Dollar Tree, and they easily fit in a fanny pack or a pocket of the backpack. Liked them better than sanitizer gel, and they also helped with clean-up from snacks, besides wiping hands after lots of park rails, etc.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[gapeachy]

I understand your paranoia, believe me. Our DS (then 5 months old) came down with rotavirus on Christmas Day, pretty much exactly 48 hrs after we got home from WDW. Unfortunately the poor little guy spent most of Christmas Day in the emergency room at our local children's hospital. And, to top it all off, I came down with it almost 48 hrs after he caught it!

We're going back this year, but hopefully I'll be better prepared. Since that trip, I've started taking Clorox wipes and wiping down the entire pack-n-play before my son ever gets in it, and I try and take our own sheets/blankets for him. I use the wipes in the bathrooms and counters, too, and I scrub down the telephones and remote controls with them. I also carry lots of baby wipes and wash his (and our) hands constantly. And, whenever we go to restaurants, I take a high chair cover and those little plastic stick-on placemats.

The problem is that, no matter how much you and I do, there is no guarantee that everyone else will follow good practices like handwashing, sneezing/coughing into a sleeve and, most importantly, staying home when they are unwell. Heck, I can even admit that there have been times when I've gone to work sick because I had a big project due. However, this year I've promised myself that I will be more careful, especially with H1N1 floating around.

 

[MusiqChic99]

I'm not that worried about it. I figure going in the parks themselves is where the threat really is. People everywhere...touching everything...bumping into you in line. Sneezing next to you....coughing....etc.

It's the same as going to a movie or the mall. Lots of people together in one place will pose more of a threat.

If I was that worried about it, I would stay home and not go to WDW.

 

[toledo13]

Well, I AM a total germaphobe... and this is what I do. (mildly OCD, too... )

Before any trip I take on a plane, I start taking Zinc, Echinacia, Oil of Oregano, and up my Vitamin C intake (by eating oranges and grapefruits, but NOT at the same time I'm taking my pills). I start this about 3-4 days before. I also make sure I get a LOT of sleep.

Before I get on the plane I spray my nose with Saline and if it's a long flight, I'll also do it halfway through. I also drink a bunch of water and hot tea (and potty 15 min. before boarding, or 45 min before departure).

Then, on the plane, I wipe down the armrests, tray tables, belt clips-- anything we'll be touching with the least aromatic disinfecting wipe I can find, as not to disturb others. OH and after EVERYTHING I touch I use hand sanitizer. RELIGIOUSLY.

Ok, so now in the hotel room, I wipe down EVERYTHING with wipes. Everything- including all tables, toilet, sinks, light switches, door knobs, telephone (even if we're not going to use it), drawer handles, curtain pull rods, shower knobs, and anything else that could be touched. I also PUT THE REMOTE IN A ZIPLOCK BAG, and pull down the top cover of the bed.

PHEW, right?! I'm not done.

At the parks, after anything we touch, we use hand sanitizer. We avoid touching doorknobs, hand rails, rides, etc. as much as we can, and if we plan on going on Buzz, TSM, etc (when you have to touch things), you better believe that I pack rubber gloves that we put on.

I told you I was OCD. My mom calls me Monk. Now I'll tell you this- I'm not this crazy at home. It's just that I want to make SURE that I'm healthy for Disney! It's my most favorite thing in the world, and so expensive that I can't just get up and go all the time. I want to make the most of my vacation and feel good and enjoy myself. Going out of my way to take these extra precautions doesn't put me out at all, and I try to keep it from bothering others.

DH used to think I was crazy- and now he joins in . Another convert!!!!

 

[reducereuserecycle]

 

[eeyorethegreat]

Antibacterial will not do anything against flu. Flu is viral. You need antiviral. Antibacterial only works on bacteria, including the good bacterial that you don't want to kill. Plus the bathroom floor is many times dirtier than the toilet seat and the door handle.

Bolding mine. This it what I was thinking. I have wiped down rooms and carried the germ x with me into the parks but I don't go overboard with the stuff. Someone mentioned using antibacterial soap after getting food poisoning. Washing your hands with anti bacterial is not going to prevent food poisoning. We have really gotten ourselves in a situation with all this anti bacterial and anti viral washes medications that we are actually inadvertently helping these super bigs along. Really wipe down if you want in the r oom use good hand washing at the parks just don't go overboard at every turn.