It's a given that when traveling, you have to sacrifice some of the comforts and conveniences of home, not only because you might be staying in unfamiliar places, but also simply because you don't want to carry everything around. Packing is a juggling act — you want to pack a suitcase as efficiently as possible while having all the essentials. Naturally, climate-appropriate clothes and toiletries are things that always belong in your suitcase. A hair dryer, on the other hand, is something you may
not have thought to bring. When you're staying at a hotel, it's easy to rely on the hotel's bathroom amenities, including a hair dryer. But hotel hair dryers are one of the most overlooked culprits carrying potentially harmful germs.
An experiment by ABC News tested out nine hotels in Los Angeles by having an undercover microbiologist check in to each accommodation and conduct germ tests on various items. The bathrooms of six of the hotels had concerningly high levels of germs, and while you might expect that tourists should avoid taking baths at hotels, the hair dryers were a particularly germ-ridden item. The hotels investigated ranged across price levels, too, so it's not necessarily a matter of luxury status. Room cleaners target the obvious — hotel toilets, in fact, had about the same amount of germs as those in the average home — but things like hair dryers might get overlooked more often. As a result, they become "breeding grounds for bacteria and fungi," as trichologist Jacqui McIntosh put it in The Mirror. She added, "When these pesky microorganisms find their way onto your hair and scalp, they can spark infections and irritations."
Read more: Simple Tricks To Getting Extra Perks When You Check Into Your Hotel
More Potential Safety Hazards Of Using A Hotel Hair Dryer
There's a secondary consequence of the accumulation of germs that can overtake a hotel hair dryer, namely improper functioning that can burn your scalp. "Debris buildup inside the device spells overheating, increasing the risk of singeing your hair or scalp," Jacqui McIntosh told The Mirror. The buildup clogs parts of the dryer vent, causing the heat to disperse unevenly. It also doesn't help that many hotel hair dryers have limited features, so you might not even be able to adjust the temperature or use an ionizer, which helps mitigate heat damage.
Even many upscale hotels often provide lower quality hair dryers. At best, the hair dryer might have low power and just one or two heat options. At worst, old or poorly treated hair dryers could be a fire hazard. Redditor u/grimfandango05 described how a damaged hotel hair dryer short-circuited and caused the entire room's electricity to shut down: "As soon as I touched the base of the hairdryer with my other hand, where the wires connect to the device, it 'exploded' in my hand." Between the teeming germs and the potential for a mini explosion, it might be a good idea to pack your own hair dryer — there are lightweight options that are designed to travel easily. If you're struggling to fit everything into your suitcase, follow some of travel expert Rick Steves' advice for packing light for a vacation.
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Read the original article on Islands.
