April 3, 2023, 12:30 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
When staying at a hotel, guests want to relax and move about freely. However, that might become difficult during future hotel stays if you continue reading. TRAVELBOOK has insider information from the hotel industry on which spots in hotel rooms are particularly germ-ridden–and why this is unfortunately hard to avoid.
Hotels don’t always prioritize the cleanliness that guests expect. Recently, microbiologist Prof. Primrose Freestone wrote in a guest article for the science magazine “The Conversation” that every guest inevitably leaves behind a certain number of germs, bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the hotel room (FITBOOK reported). These can only be removed through thorough cleaning. However, “What a hotel considers clean may differ from what you consider clean.” Additionally, microbiological risks are often not visible at first glance.
Therefore, a warning: For the following items in the hotel room, you should consider cleaning them yourself again–or simply not using them at all.
Also of interest: When is it worth booking a hotel with breakfast?
Where Germs and Pests Lurk in Hotel Rooms
The Remote Control
The remote control is one of the most germ-infested items in the hotel room, as it is often overlooked during cleaning. This allows viruses and bacteria to multiply undisturbed. According to a study, it had the most germs in the hotel room after the bathroom. Microbiologist Freestone also explicitly warns about the remote control.
The Kettle
Starting the day in a hotel with a coffee or tea in the room? You might want to reconsider. It’s said that the kettle is sometimes misused. There are reports of guests cleaning their worn socks and underwear in the kettle, as it’s comparable to a hot wash cycle in a washing machine. While this rarely poses a health risk, it’s still gross.
Find detailed information on the topic here: Disgusting! What some travelers use the hotel kettle for
The Toothbrush Holder
The unpleasantness continues–this time related to drinks. It’s about the toothbrush holder, which some hotel guests also use as a drinking vessel. This should be avoided. A hotel employee confirmed to TRAVELBOOK: “I know that the same cloth used to clean the toilet was then used to wipe out the toothbrush holders, cups, and drinking glasses.” Yuck!
Read here about which hotels have already practiced this and how to protect yourself.
The Toilet Paper
It seems absurd, but even the toilet paper in the hotel room can be full of germs. It can become a germ spreader if hotel staff fold it without proper hygiene. If hands aren’t washed between cleaning a toilet contaminated by other guests and folding the toilet paper triangle due to time constraints, germs can settle on the folded end. This can increase the risk of developing a fungal infection in the intimate area, said gynecologist Dr. Christian Albring to TRAVELBOOK.
What other germs can be found on toilet paper and how to avoid the risk: Should you avoid using folded toilet paper in hotels?
Beware of the Toothbrush Trap!
Speaking of time constraints during cleaning: This can even affect your own hygiene items. Never leave your toothbrush out in the open. Unfortunately, cleaning staff often use it to remove stubborn dirt in the sink or grout, as a hotel employee revealed to TRAVELBOOK. In a book published in 2012, a former hotel cleaner even reported that the toothbrush was used to clean the toilet for particularly disliked guests. However, both are likely exceptions rather than the rule.
The Carpet
Many hotel rooms have carpeted floors–which can also host small critters like bedbugs. Therefore, you should never place your suitcase on it. Otherwise, the pests could move from the carpet into the suitcase. Especially if the suitcase is on the floor, it’s easy for bedbugs to climb in. To protect yourself, place suitcases on an elevated and preferably smooth surface, recommends pest controller Thomas Loose.
The Mattress
Most bedbugs are found not in the carpet or other textiles like curtains, which can also be affected, but rather on the bed. There are no exact numbers on how many hotels are affected, but the “Ärzteblatt” reports a significant increase in cases over the past ten years. Here you can learn how to effectively detect bedbugs in your hotel room.