Booking a night or two in a hotel is one of those things everyone should do from time to time. The feeling when you drop your bags, put on your bathrobe, and jump into a soft, inviting bed… there’s nothing like it!
But the next time you check into a hotel, there’s something all people should read about.
Scientists have now pinpointed exactly what the dirtiest thing you’ll find in your average hotel room is. And no, it’s not what you think…
The idea that hotel rooms aren’t 100% clean isn’t so strange. Think about how many thousands of guests have stayed in a room, where you’ve walked, where you’ve slept, showered… you get the idea.
When cleaners do their jobs, it’s only logical to assume they miss a spot or two every now and then. What many people don’t often think about is that the surviving bacteria are often found in the most unexpected places.
When people think of bacteria from previous guests, they might think of the carpet, the drinking glasses, perhaps the toilet… so it’s quite a surprise to discover that the dirtiest part of a hotel bedroom is somewhere else.
This is according to a study conducted by researchers at the American University of Houston. They wanted to find out where bacteria typically accumulated in hotel rooms and thoroughly assessed 19 different hotel rooms in three different cities.
They took samples from every inch of the room. That’s right, every square inch was examined, including doorknobs, lampshades, light switches, and everything in between.
The result? About 81 percent of all surfaces had traces of bacteria – and to their surprise, they found that one of the worst bacterial growths occurred on… the remote control.
This small item, like most things we handle frequently and scatter around different places in the room, is so full of bacteria that it might surprise you. Let’s just say it’s probably best to wash your hands after going through the hotel TV channels.
For those wondering, the toilet and bathroom, as expected, had plenty of bacteria, as did the lamp next to the bed. Even more alarming was the cleanliness of cleaning equipment such as mops and carts.
If you’re planning to stay in a hotel room soon, I assume this is the last thing you want to read. But at the same time, the study wasn’t meant to scare guests away, but to encourage hotels to review their cleaning routines.
I would have guessed the carpet or bedding, but the fact that remote controls are so dirty? I had no idea! I’m sure there are plenty of others who are taken aback as well.
Share this article with friends and family so they can learn the truth about where bacteria typically accumulate in hotel rooms. More hand washing can certainly help, and I think everyone deserves to be informed of this kind of information when checking in.
