Hotel stays see holidaymakers enjoy being looked after by staff and avoiding any household chores. They can be very pleasant indeed and there’s something out there to meet every budget and taste. One perk of hotel stays is that rooms are cleaned regularly by housekeeping.
“Chairs can often be made of hard-to-clean fabric and upholstery,” Dr Nidhi Ghildayal, PhD, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, infectious disease specialist, told Fox News.
“They definitely are not cleaned in the same manner as sheets and towels, which are consistently thrown into the laundry.”
“Often, stains on chairs are dabbed and rubbed until they are removed, but other germs that are not noticeable to the eye remain.”
There’s no knowing how past occupants have treated the chair.
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People may have put dirty clothes, shoes, towels, bags and any number of other unpleasant things on the fabric.
Dr Ghildayal cautioned that guests can bring bed bugs, viruses or worse which can be passed on.
“Sanitisation — which is more regularly done in other specific parts of the room — differs a great deal from cleaning, and germs can easily move around during this process and end up on the hotel chair,” says Dr. Ghildayal.
“Pathogens can travel between rooms and areas of the room easily when staff is cleaning.”
Another common hotel room item to be wary off is the TV remote control.
Remote controls were found to be the most contaminated items in hotel rooms, according to a study, led by the University of Houston.
Remote controls are used by nearly all the people that have ever stayed in that room.
No matter how clean and hygienic your habits are, there’s no knowing what previous occupants were like, meaning the remotes could be crammed with bacteria.
It’s recommended to use a disinfecting cleaning wipe to clean the remote control.
Even a damp hand towel could help a bit should you have no disinfectant to hand.
One top tip is to pop the remote in a transparent plastic bag to avoid touching it at all.
If you don’t have one, try using the shower caps provided in the hotel to protect yourself.
Guests are also cautioned regarding stealing from hotels.
Items and that can and will be reused are out of bounds. Commonly stolen hotel goods include linen, batteries, light bulbs, cutlery and picture frames.
Towels also should not be taken yet 68 percent of British travellers are said to have admitted to towel theft, reported The Telegraph.
