Jakarta, ThedailyID — Hotel stays usually come with clean rooms, comfortable beds, and fresh-looking facilities. However, some frequently touched items may still harbor dirt and germs.
This does not mean every hotel room has poor hygiene. Each hotel follows its own cleaning standards.
However, housekeeping staff often have limited time between guests. As a result, some frequently touched surfaces may not receive the same attention as bedsheets or bathroom floors.
According to Alot, several items in hotel rooms can become overlooked during routine cleaning. Here are seven things worth checking before you use them.
1. TV Remote
Hotel guests often touch the TV remote throughout their stay. However, housekeeping staff may not clean it as frequently as other surfaces.
Guests may use the remote while eating, lying in bed, or after visiting the bathroom. Therefore, wiping it with a disinfectant wipe before use can provide an extra layer of cleanliness.
2. Pillowcases
Pillowcases come into direct contact with the face and hair during sleep. Hotels generally include them among the linens that housekeeping replaces between guests.
However, the pillow itself may not receive the same treatment. If you have concerns about the condition of the pillowcase, ask the hotel staff for a fresh one.
3. Room Telephone
Room phones can also escape regular cleaning. Guests touch the handset and buttons when they call the front desk, order room service, or request assistance.
Those surfaces can collect dirt from many hands. Wiping the areas you touch before using the phone can help keep them cleaner.
4. Bathtub
A bathtub may look spotless at first glance. However, corners, gaps, and drains can still hold residue if staff do not clean them thoroughly.
Take a quick look around the bathtub before using it. Pay particular attention to the corners and drain, especially if you notice stains or leftover dirt.
5. Carpet
Hotel carpets receive traffic from many guests throughout the day. Different types of footwear can bring dust, hair, food crumbs, and outdoor dirt into the carpet fibers.
Vacuuming can remove much of the visible dirt. However, it may not remove every contaminant from the carpet. Hotels also do not usually perform deep carpet cleaning every time a guest checks out.
6. Glasses and Cups
Glasses and cups in hotel rooms also deserve some attention. Inadequate washing can leave dirt or microorganisms on their surfaces.
If the hotel provides sealed disposable cups, you can use those instead. Alternatively, ask hotel staff for fresh drinking glasses or cups.
7. Light Switches
Guests touch light switches from the moment they enter the room until they turn off the lights at night. Yet housekeeping staff may overlook them when cleaning multiple rooms within a limited time.
Many hands can leave dirt on these surfaces. For that reason, wipe the light switches along with other frequently touched areas when you first enter the room.
