Experts reveal the dirtiest areas of a hotel room

Opened door of hotel room in morning with copy space, sunlight effect.
There are plenty of items in a hotel room covered in germs. Photo: Getty

Whether you’re a germaphobe or you just want to be a bit more mindful of cleanliness with the coronavirus outbreak spreading around the world, hotel experts have spilled their secrets and revealed the items you don’t want to touch (without cleaning) in a hotel room.

While hotel rooms are always given a once over by housekeeping in between guests, hotel employees have said there are a few items and places to be careful with.

“I always try to wash the glassware that's in the hotel room,” Christophe Lambert, a former hotel employee told Yahoo Canada. “Anything you're putting in your mouth, rinse it.”

If you’re thinking that a more expensive, luxurious hotel will be completely void of any dirt or grime - that’s not exactly the case.

Although it may make a more obvious difference with the cleanliness of the room overall, there are still some areas that are more commonly missed by housekeeping - even in an upscale suite.

“So the vomit buckets, AKA the ice buckets, I wouldn't use those unless you have a liner and this is regardless of the caliber of hotel you're staying at,” Christophe revealed. “Just don't touch it.”

Yahoo Canada talked two hotel employees to uncover the dirtiest areas of a hotel room. (Getty Images)
Yahoo Canada talked two hotel employees to uncover the dirtiest areas of a hotel room. (Getty Images)

If you’re staying at a more high-end property, Keshvi Radia, a current hotel employee, has a tip for anyone who is particularly concerned about having a squeaky-clean room.

“If somebody does have any kind of germaphobic or allergies or anything like that, they should let us know in advance, and we would do a deep clean of the room,” Keshvi said.

“So everything would be stripped, the bed would be moved, we would clean behind all the bed boards and all that kind of stuff.”

But if you’re still not convinced, Keshvi says you should clean the toilet seat, shower knobs, and other small areas that are more easily missed by housekeeping.

Christophe also recommends staying away from any comforters or blankets in hotel rooms, which are less common nowadays.

“It used to be stay away from the comforter,” he said. “Because they usually don't get washed and then people put their luggage on there, shoes, and god knows what [on it].”

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