5 of the Dirtiest Places in Your Hotel Room

What’s the dirtiest place in your hotel room? Nope, not the bathroom. In fact, one of the cleanest places in many hotel rooms is actually the bathroom. Towels are replenished frequently, showers, tubs and toilets are scrubbed and floors are mopped.

Here are the top 5 dirtiest places that’ll make you think twice before you touch them.

5. Phone Receivers

When you pick up the phone to order room service, be careful not to touch your mouth to the receiver. Many housekeepers skip cleaning the phone or lightly run over the top but skip the receiver, and tests show that the receiver can have triple the acceptable amount of bacteria. Consider using a sanitizing wipe before using the phone.

4. Runner at the end of the bed

Unlike sheets and pillow cases, comforters and especially runners at the end of the bed rarely get washed. Due to the decorative nature of the runner, unless it is visibly stained it typically sees a cleaning four times a year. I always remove the runner immediately and store it in the closet or a corner and sometimes the housekeepers get the hint and don’t put it back on again for the duration of my stay.

3. Light switches

Studies show that fecal matter is often found on the light switches, especially those on bedside tables. Most people wash their hands after coming from the restroom, but not very often before they turn out the light to go to sleep. Nighty night!

2. Beside alarm clock

The annoying buzz sounds until you reach out to tap the off button. 1 in 20 people hit the snooze button four times, and cleaning staff often skips the alarm button when they are cleaning the room. Who still uses the hotel alarm clock rather than their smart phone now anyhow?

1. TV Remote

Study after study show how truly disgusting the TV remote is in a hotel room. They are rarely, if ever, cleaned and every guest that watches TV touches it.

If you really want to watch TV, consider placing the remote in a sandwich or gallon-sized plastic bag. To get the remote inside the bag without touching it, turn the bag inside out, grab the remote through the plastic and turn the bag right side out and seal it. That way you can still push the buttons but don’t have to worry about the cleanliness of the device.

Curious about the cleanest areas in hotel rooms? Headboards, curtain rods and bathroom door handles.