These 10 Common Hotel Amenities Carry And Spread The Most Bacteria

With a severe pandemic sweeping the globe, people now more than ever are taking better precaution's when it comes to their health and the health of others. We all know that bacteria are found everywhere, but those staying in hotels, in particular, need to be aware of certain hotel amenities that are infested with germs and bacteria that can make any guest sick.

There are a few common hotel amenities that carry and spread the most bacteria most travelers should really not be too surprised about. Television remotes and lamp switches are known to be highly contaminated with bacteria and that also goes for hotel room menus and glasses. Hotel guests should also consider bringing their own pillows and moving back the duvet or bedspread since these items are known to be washed every so often.

This all may sound worrisome and make travelers rethink staying in a hotel, but taking the right precautions like washing hands frequently and bringing along disinfectant wipes to wipe down surfaces and items around the room will help tremendously.

Check out these 10 common hotel amenities that carry and spread the most bacteria.

10 TV Remotes Are Heavily Contaminated With Bacteria

Before using the hotel room's television remote, guests should wipe it down with a disinfectant wipe or even consider putting it in a Ziploc because it is one of the germiest items in the room. Researchers tested a variety of amenities in hotel rooms in Texas, Indiana and South Carolina and found that the remote had just as much high levels of bacterial contamination as the toilet and bathroom sink.

9 Bedspreads Are Not Frequently Washed

Guests should consider pushing a hotel room's bedspread back or taking it off and throwing it on a chair because unfortunately, these heavy bed comforters are not washed frequently. Staff should be changing sheets after every guest, but have been known to leave a heavy bedspread behind, which can be covered in other people's skin flakes, oil, and bacteria.

8 Drinking Glasses Are Covered In Germs

Guests should avoid using hotel room glasses at all cost because they are a haven for germs and there are way too many stories of staff just wiping them down with a cloth and not properly disinfecting them. If those glasses are in a bathroom, flushing the toilet will most likely contaminate them.

A hotel room menu is a hotbed for bacteria because so many guests touch it and it is often overlooked by staff when they clean a room. Each hand that has touched the menu has left behind germs and plastic menus are one of the main types of menus that breed bacteria the most because they aren't disinfected properly. If guests do touch the menu, make sure to sanitize your hands after.

6 Hotel Phones Are A Hotbed For Bacteria

It's probably best to avoid touching the hotel room phone because people touch them a lot and they are not often sanitized by staff. If you need to make a call to the front desk, get a disinfectant wipe and wipe down the entire phone and the buttons before using it. A Today investigation found that five of the top hotel chains in the U.S. did not properly clean their phones.

5 Consider Bringing Your Own Pillowcases

Just like the bedspread, a hotel room's pillowcases can be infested with bacteria. It maid's are in a rush, it was found that many of them just fluff pillows and place them back on a bed without even changing the pillowcase! No matter how luxurious the hotel, guests should always consider bringing their own pillows.

4 Heavy Bacterial Contamination Lies On Your Bedside Lamp

Before you turn on that bedside lamp, you may want to wipe it down along with its switch with a disinfectant wipe. Lamps in hotel rooms are heavily contaminated with bacteria just like the television remote. If you don't have a wipe, use some other item like a plastic bag to turn the lamp on and off so you aren't touching it.

3 Light Switches, Especially In Bathrooms Collect Loads Of Bacteria

Just like the switch on a lamp, the light switches throughout the hotel room are contaminated with bacteria. Light switches are touched constantly, and staff may forget that these switches need to always be properly cleaned. Switches in the bathroom might have the most bacteria because of guests not washing their hands and touching the switch on and off.

2 Same Towels Used To Clean The Bathroom May Be Used To Wipe Off Countertops

Be wary of placing items on countertops, especially food and beverages because reports have found that some staff have used the same cloths used to clean the bathroom on desk countertops and have even used them to wipe the glasses! It's always a smart idea for guests to bring their own disinfectant wipes to wipe down surfaces they may be using as a precaution.

1 A Simple Rinse Will Not Kill Mold In A Coffeemaker

A coffeemaker is not fully cleaned if it is just rinsed with hot water. Coffeemakers need to be cleaned every few months with vinegar and water to prevent mold and bacteria. The hotel lobby's coffeemaker can be just as gross as the one in your room, so avoid using them and try and go to a coffee shop instead.

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