What are the dirtiest items in a hotel room? From bedspreads to remote controls, that’s where germs lurk – breaking latest news

To the naked eye a hotel room looks spotless, but in reality it’s very likely not as clean as you think. As the microbiologist Primsore Freestone of the University of Leicester points out in an article on The Conversation it is very likely that those who have stayed before have brought viruses, bacteria and fungi onto furniture, carpets, curtains and various surfaces. Generally, the assessment of hotel room cleanliness is based on visual and olfactory observations and not on the parameters of microbiology that show germs otherwise invisible to the naked eye.

The lift

Before even entering a hotel room, one goes fromelevator: those buttons have been pressed by dozens of people and microorganisms can easily transfer from the push button to the host who presses the button. Same thing for the door handles, unless they are disinfected on a regular basis (a habit abandoned after the Covid emergency). The advice can only be to wash your hands or use a disinfectant after using a handle and before touching your face, eating or drinking.

The bathrooms

Bathrooms tend to be cleaner than other areas of the hotel room and are generally less colonized environments from a bacteriological point of view. But even in this case, small precautions can limit the risk of infection. If the glass of the bathroom is not disposable, it is better to wash it with a little bubble bath before use.

Sheet

While it is likely that sheets and pillowcases will be changed with each guest change this is not the case with i bedspreads, which means these tissues can become invisible reservoirs of pathogens. Soft fabric furnishings such as cushions, chairs, curtains and blinds are also difficult to clean and may not need to be sanitized other than to remove stains. No less dangerous are the surfaces of the bedside table, the kettle, the light switch and the remote control of the TV or air conditioning: these surfaces are not always sanitized between one guest and another.

Bed bugs

Bed bugs are not that rare in hotels. In truth bed bugs have nothing to do with hygiene and so far they have not been shown to transmit pathogens to humans. Many people still react to stings, while others end up unable to sleep due to the annoying little animals. Prevention is difficult because insects cannot be seen:
they are active at night
and hide in the crevices. Typically the infestation is only noticed when the first victims report bites since bedbugs feed on blood. If bed bugs are present you will see reddish bites on the skin and blood spots on the bed sheets and this is a sign of an active infestation. Other signs may be inside the drawers and cabinets: brown spots could be the remains of faeces.