Allergy Covers Aren't Just for Allergies
Allergens are the biggest threat to hotel guests, reports CNN in a new article called A microscopic look at hotel hygiene. But allergens are not the only danger for travelers. Germs abound in many hotel room hotspots and it's enough to make your skin crawl.
One particularly germ infested hotel room hotspot is the bed. Philip Tierno, Director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University's Langone Medical Center, travels with mattress and pillow covers to guard against the substances he knows lurk inside mattresses: millions of skin cells, human hair, bodily secretions, fungi, bacteria, dust, dust mites, lint, insect parts, pollen, cosmetics – and that's not all. Bedbugs, as many of you know, have made a recent, disturbing resurgence even in luxury hotels.
Bedspreads, which are rarely washed, are especially rife with germs, Tierno points out. He advises getting rid of it right away when you stay in a room that has one. (We usually stick ours in the closet.) Many higher-end places use duvets instead of bedspreads with a top sheet as a layer between you and it. But beware of budget hotel bedspreads; know they may be holding months of many, many guests' dirt to put it kindly.
Other germ hotspots include faucet and sink areas, the flusher handle of the toilet, the underside of the toilet seat, and the shower floor. Many hotel rooms are not disinfected the way they're supposed to be. For instance, hidden camera investigations have found that the same rag that was used on the toilet was also used to wipe the remote control, or that the housekeeper wore the same gloves for washing water glasses that she wore while cleaning the toilet.
Interestingly, as disturbing as these findings are, hotel rooms don't actually spread disease like we might think. Tierno says that frequent and thorough hand-washing is an excellent protection against these germs. He also points out that "of the 60,000 types of germs people might encounter over the course of their lives, only 1 or 2 percent are capable of causing disease."
Still, I now feel (even more) justified in packing along my disinfecting wipes and flip flops for the shower when I stay at hotels – and I might just start bringing my allergen covers too!
One particularly germ infested hotel room hotspot is the bed. Philip Tierno, Director of Microbiology and Immunology at New York University's Langone Medical Center, travels with mattress and pillow covers to guard against the substances he knows lurk inside mattresses: millions of skin cells, human hair, bodily secretions, fungi, bacteria, dust, dust mites, lint, insect parts, pollen, cosmetics – and that's not all. Bedbugs, as many of you know, have made a recent, disturbing resurgence even in luxury hotels.
Bedspreads, which are rarely washed, are especially rife with germs, Tierno points out. He advises getting rid of it right away when you stay in a room that has one. (We usually stick ours in the closet.) Many higher-end places use duvets instead of bedspreads with a top sheet as a layer between you and it. But beware of budget hotel bedspreads; know they may be holding months of many, many guests' dirt to put it kindly.
Other germ hotspots include faucet and sink areas, the flusher handle of the toilet, the underside of the toilet seat, and the shower floor. Many hotel rooms are not disinfected the way they're supposed to be. For instance, hidden camera investigations have found that the same rag that was used on the toilet was also used to wipe the remote control, or that the housekeeper wore the same gloves for washing water glasses that she wore while cleaning the toilet.
Interestingly, as disturbing as these findings are, hotel rooms don't actually spread disease like we might think. Tierno says that frequent and thorough hand-washing is an excellent protection against these germs. He also points out that "of the 60,000 types of germs people might encounter over the course of their lives, only 1 or 2 percent are capable of causing disease."
Still, I now feel (even more) justified in packing along my disinfecting wipes and flip flops for the shower when I stay at hotels – and I might just start bringing my allergen covers too!
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