4 of the Filthiest Places in a Hotel Room

After dedicating five years of my life to the hotel industry and studying the fine art of hospitality, I have particular expectations when staying away from home. I don’t require Five Diamonds with butler service (although I won’t turn it down, of course), but cleanliness is nonnegotiable. Germs are inevitable, and although a hotel room can appear to be spotless, it’s always wise to take a few precautions to ensure that you’re spending the night in a clean environment.

Here’s what’s known as the filthiest spots in hotel rooms and how to deal with the dirt in your temporary home away from home.

Bathroom

As someone who already dislikes using public restrooms, I usually inspect the hotel room bathroom before any other place. My thinking: If the bathroom wasn’t properly cleaned, then why should I trust the rest of the room? If your bathroom is clean (and it absolutely should be), it’s still smart to take some disinfectant spray and/or disinfectant wipes to the toilet, sink, and shower knobs.

Pro tip: I also like to run the hot water a bit in the shower to test out the water pressure and temperature. If the water isn’t steaming, there’s a good chance that I’ll be.

Bedding

Next stop is the bed. This is pretty much on par with how I feel about the bathroom; if I see unclean bed sheets and/or pillow cases, then I will have trust issues with the standards of the establishment. A comfortable, clean bed is essentially the foundation of the hotel business; in fact, there are hotel chains that are so favored for their beds that they sell them.

Pro tip: Some travelers go as far as bringing their own disposable sheets to ensure cleanliness. I’m not completely against it, especially if you don’t have much choice in where you’re staying, but it is not something that I have tried. However, if you see anything that is completely unacceptable—such as bed bugs!—then you need to contact the front desk immediately to request a new room. Or, if you want to leave the hotel altogether, that is completely understandable. Bed bugs are a serious problem and should be treated as such.

High-Touch areas

If the bathroom and bed are good to go, then I start focusing more on high-touch areas such as light switches and remote controls. Everyone is going to touch these, and some hotels may not make it a priority to clean them. My simple solution: I take disinfectant wipes and give them all a quick wipe down.

Pro Tip: If my OCD gets into overdrive, I may take a swipe at the door knobs and handles, too.

Kitchenette/bar area

Last to be inspected are my nonessentials. Water glasses, ice buckets, coffee machines, and kitchenware are all the least of my worries because I—and many guests—don’t often use them. Still, it’s helpful to look them over to make sure that they are clean. I’ve heard stories of glasses with lipstick marks on them and old pizza left in the fridge. If the hotel housekeeping happened to miss these, I may get a bit of an ick from it, but I won’t throw a hissy fit. I’ll simply make a call for a clean replacement and/or ask for the old food to be removed.

Pro tip: Don’t forget to look in the microwave, freezer, and under the kitchen sink. There is often an extra trash can under the kitchen sink in rooms that have kitchenettes.

. . . . .

Proper hospitality should ensure you a clean and comfortable environment, and any respectable hotel will provide that standard. When they do, before you check out, leave a nice handwritten note on the desk with your housekeeping tips to show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication in making you feel comfortable in your home away from home.