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The dog days of summer are approaching and no one is happier than I! Living where I do, the long, dark and depressing days of winter (and spring, if I’m honest) have given me six months of November to May blues. Upon the heat and light of summer, I’m a new woman. It also means that like many others, I’m a traveling woman.
I tend to avoid hotels like the plague, for numerous reasons. I don’t like housekeeping rapping on my door early in the morning, despite a Do Not Disturb sign and with a large family in my company, we need laundry on a frequent basis. We also like space – which is why we prefer to stay in vacation homes and condos. Another thing that gives me the heebie jeebies are the reports of how dirty most hotel rooms actually are.
Annual reports come out this time of year, to encourage us to be watchful of dirt invisible to the naked eye, and quite frankly, to gross us out. Talk of body fluids (semen and blood on your bedspread, Ma’am?) and lipstick on drinking glasses. Warnings of e.coli on phone receivers and remote controls…it’s enough to make anyone stay home in the comfort of their own germs. Better the devil you know, right?
For the most part, hotel rooms are clean enough not to make us ill, but there are some must-do’s that will help to keep vacations the fun thing they are supposed to be. Here are a few of those must-do’s:
--Always bring sterile wipes with you on vacation.
--Sterilize the entire phone and TV/video game remotes. These gadgets are rarely cleaned by staff and are full of germs and bacteria.
--Clean bathroom drinking and glasses, no matter how they look. Housekeeping often rinse glasses and place them upside down. They are not cleaned, merely rinsed.
--Check for mold in your room/bathroom. Ask for a different room is you see it. --Hotels often have moldy shower curtains. Check the bottom of the shower curtain in particular. Take a shower rather than a bath or make sure you thoroughly clean the bathtub before you take a dip.
--Get rid of that bedspread! Sheets are always changed for new guests and are generally clean. Bedspreads are usually cleaned on a monthly basis (or less) meaning up to 30 guests have used them before you. Turn the heat up if you’re cold or bring your own blanket but make sure you haul that bedspread into a closet as soon as you enter and don’t use it at all.
--Bed bug infestations are often in the news – have a quick check of the mattress and sheets and if you wake up with an itch, investigate again.
--If you have a kitchenette in your hotel room, avoid the ice trays. These trays are not cleaned frequently and it’s impossible to discern how old the ice is or where the water came from.
--If something edible falls on the floor – throw it away or wash it thoroughly. No – just throw it away!
While is sounds like a lot of work (we are paying guests, after all! Why should we have to clean a hotel room that was just cleaned?), it takes mere minutes to clean and sterilize a few key items once you get to your room and about 30 seconds to remove that bedspread.
And if your room is unacceptable, you have the right to request a new one.
But in general, a quick five minute clean up can ensure the only thing going home with you from vacation are wonderful memories. Make your 2010 vacation a great one!
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