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What are the Best Tips for Improving Hotel Hygiene?

Dan Cavallari
Dan Cavallari

Hotel rooms house guests fairly constantly, and a new guest cannot know how clean the previous guest was, or whether or not the room was thoroughly cleaned between uses. To improve hotel hygiene when staying in a hotel room, consider the most common areas where germs may accrue, and either avoid them or clean them upon arrival. Checking for bedbugs has also become increasingly more important, and a simple check of the mattress and the area surrounding the bed can save a hotel guest from an uncomfortable and unhygienic problem. Hotel hygiene often means being savvy, not obsessive, about cleanliness.

Most drug stores or corner stores carry small bottles of isopropyl alcohol. If hotel hygiene is a concern, it may be a wise decision to go to one of these stores and purchase a bottle of the alcohol. Use it to wipe down the sink in the bathroom, the toilet seat, and even door handles or television remote controls in the room. This ensures the bacteria on the items has been properly killed, at least to some degree. Even the most thorough housekeepers miss a spot or two, so to be sure the sink and other common areas are clean, wipe them down briefly with the alcohol soaked into a hand towel.

TV remote controls should be wiped down with rubbing alcohol.
TV remote controls should be wiped down with rubbing alcohol.

Remove the top cover of the bed and do not use it while sleeping for the best hotel hygiene. While sheets and pillow cases get washed regularly, top covers and heavier blankets often go much longer between washes. This means several guests may have slept in those blankets, potentially transferring bacteria into the material. If the room is too cold to sleep in without blankets, request a fresh blanket from the front desk. Before sleeping in any hotel bed, be sure to check the mattress and area around the bed for bedbugs. Bedbugs are a troublesome pest that can make hotel hygiene difficult, and they can be transported in clothing and luggage as well. If bed bugs are present in the bed or anywhere in the room, ask for another room immediately or find another hotel.

Isopropyl alcohol, which can be used to sterilize items in hotel rooms.
Isopropyl alcohol, which can be used to sterilize items in hotel rooms.

While the bathrooms in hotel rooms usually get cleaned fairly thoroughly, it may be a good idea to wear shower shoes in the bathroom and shower anyway. Foot diseases such as athlete's foot can spread easily, so wearing shower shoes can help prevent bacteria from being spread to vulnerable areas such as in between the toes and on the arch of the foot.

Discussion Comments

croydon

@pastanaga - I don't think people should stress out too much about hotel hygiene but they should also be cautious. It's all too easy to get a fungal infection in your feet from hotel bathroom floors, for example.

I've seen TV shows where they go over a hotel room with those blue lights and show how many stains and things there are around and it can be pretty disgusting.

But, I also think if you stress out about it too much, you'll never go anywhere. So, it's about finding a balance where you are comfortable with the risk.

Generally, I think that hotel prices can also be a good indication of how clean they are going to be.

pastanaga

There are some good tips here. Another one would be to use hand sanitizer on your hands every now and then, and especially before meals.

I'm not generally too worried about hygiene when I'm in a hotel. I think personal hygiene is more important, and almost anywhere you go in the world is going to be somewhat "dirty".

As long as you are careful to wash your hands and things like that, you should be fine.

That said, bed bugs are pretty awful, and could be tracked back to your own house, so those are the one exception. If I saw evidence of bed bugs in a room, I would definitely try to find another one.

bythewell

You really really have to be vigilant when it comes to hotel rooms. We were staying in what seemed like a really nice hotel, and were settling in for the night when I happened to glance at the pillow that I'd pulled down from the cupboard to have as an extra.

It had ticks in the casing! I was so disturbed I jumped up yelling, but I don't think any of them got on me.

We managed to get a free breakfast out of it, although I really think they should have given us a free room. It took forever to go back to sleep after that, and I had to check the pillow case over several times before I would put my head anywhere near it.

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    • TV remote controls should be wiped down with rubbing alcohol.
      TV remote controls should be wiped down with rubbing alcohol.
    • Isopropyl alcohol, which can be used to sterilize items in hotel rooms.
      By: tungphoto
      Isopropyl alcohol, which can be used to sterilize items in hotel rooms.
    • Germs can accrue in common areas of hotel rooms.
      By: Michael Flippo
      Germs can accrue in common areas of hotel rooms.
    • Some hotel guests bring along their own disinfecting wipes for spot cleaning surfaces like bathroom faucets.
      By: Edie Layland
      Some hotel guests bring along their own disinfecting wipes for spot cleaning surfaces like bathroom faucets.
    • Bringing soap from home can help keep up hygiene while staying in a hotel.
      By: red2000
      Bringing soap from home can help keep up hygiene while staying in a hotel.
    • Wipe down common areas in a hotel and check for bed bugs before settling in.
      By: heiko119
      Wipe down common areas in a hotel and check for bed bugs before settling in.