You've had a long flight, and you've finally made it to your hotel room. After all that travel, you probably feel kind of grimy. If you're like many people, nothing sounds better to you than taking an hour or so to sink into a tub and relax while you soak the day's stresses away. However, you may want to rethink that scenario, as inviting as it sounds. According to a 2023 study by WaterFilterGuru.com (via Fox News), that hotel room tub may have up to 40 times the bacteria you'd find on a toilet seat.
That may not surprise you, as the people cleaning your room may have limited time to get to every single surface and give it the deep cleaning it needs. In fact, Enza Laterrenia, head of housekeeping at Canne Bianche Lifestyle & Hotel, told Travel + Leisure that there may be two people doing the work in around 30 minutes, which doesn't leave a lot of time. Even worse? If your tub has jets in it, it can have more bacteria, which can hide in harder-to-reach surfaces in the jets themselves. It's enough to make you want to get back on that plane and head home. However, this information isn't here to scare you. While there are a number of spots you may not want to touch right when you get to your hotel, there are a few things you can do to make sure everything is in good shape, and ways to get around some of the germier parts of your temporary home away from home.
Read more: Simple Tricks To Getting Extra Perks When You Check Into Your Hotel
Avoiding Baths And Ideas For How To Have A Healthier Hotel Stay
First, if you really want to take a hotel bath, it's not a bad idea to travel with some antibacterial wipes in your suitcase. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it's okay to bring these wipes in both your checked baggage and your carry-on, despite the fact that they're wet. It will take a few minutes, but at least you can feel better about relaxing in a tub. (You may still want to skip the ones with jets, though.) You can also take a shower instead, and if the floors gross you out, just make sure to pack some waterproof flip-flops.
Another thing you may want to do is avoid the drinking glasses set out for you in your room, as they can be pretty germy. The easy fix for this is to pack a reusable water bottle, which can also save you money if you fill it up at the airport water fountain instead of buying a pricey bottle of water. Another overlooked spot that has more bacteria than you expect is the hotel hair dryer. Instead, pack your own, like the Conair Travel Hair Dryer on Amazon that has a folding handle. It's also worth throwing a Ziploc bag in your luggage so you can put it over the TV remote, so your hands don't touch it. Those can be really dirty as well. When you actually get to the hotel, skip the luggage rack and put your bag in the tub. Then you can do a quick bed bug check (hit all the soft surfaces, the carpet, and the drapes) without risking everything you packed.
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Read the original article on Islands.
