One of the things I’ve learned from staying at hotels is that there are several places where germs love to hang out. The most popular are things that lots of different people touch and that can be easily overlooked by the cleaning staff, even when they mean well. The most common things people touch that the cleaning people might miss are:
- Door knob
- TV Remote control
- Telephone receiver & dial pad
- light switches
- Key cards
So I’ve learned a quick little secret that gives me a ton of piece of mind. You can obviously carry some Lysol with you and spray the surfaces to eliminate most of the germs, or as soon as you enter your room, turn on the hot water and let it run for a bit so it gets very hot. Then carefully place a part of a towel in the hot water and use it to gently clean the surfaces. You must be careful not to use a wet towel, but to wring it out so it is damp but still hot. You don’t want to get water into any of the hotels property and damage them. The idea is to do a little light housekeeping and then be able to rest peacefully.
A couple other helpful suggestions are:
- Ask the front desk how well things are cleaned, and if they have Lysol or disinfectant you can use.
- Ask friends for their experiences at hotel and find the ones that seem to be taken care of the best.
- If you are staying multiple days, take the time to meet your cleaning staff, tip then and ask then kindly to take a few extra minutes on your room.
- Don’t feel forced to accept a room that is not up to your standard.
