Consumer Watch: Germaphobe unlocks keys to a clean hotel room

photo Ellen Phillips

Thanksgiving is the most heavily traveled holiday of the year. While the majority of us are visiting family, travelers often find themselves in need of a hotel room, either on the road or at their destination. If you're like me - a germaphobe - it's a good idea to sanitize rooms even if they appear clean. (I'll never forget years ago, a hotel housekeeper told me to always, ALWAYS remove the bedspread since so many different overnighters enjoyed sex on its top. Yuck!)

Real Simple magazine offers some easy and essential tasks before and after entering the room.

1 Always carry disinfecting wipes, Lysol spray, plastic gloves and throw-away slippers. Whether traveling by car, plane or train, it's critical to prepare a de-germ regimen as soon as possible.

2 Scrub your hands upon entering the room. After all, they've touched various public surfaces such as doorknobs and elevator buttons.

3 Take your disinfecting supplies into the bathroom and get to work. Don't touch anything with your bare hands. Lift the toilet seat with a tissue and spray both sides with Lysol. Real Simple advises washing glasses with soap and water if they aren't sealed. I never touch an unwrapped glass. I either pack a travel cup or buy bottled water before entering the room. I also pack half gallon baggies to line the ice bucket.

4 Next, using disinfectant wipes, scrub everything you think you might touch. Include faucets, toilet lever, light switches, phone, clock radio - everything! Using a wipe, tuck the television remote into a plastic bag and use it this way. It works perfectly.

5 Carefully check the sheets and mattress for dried blood stains, teeny white eggs, or transparent or pale yellow bedbug skin/shells. If any show up, request another room. If nothing's available, demand that the manager call every comparable hotel around to get you a pest-free night. If he makes excuses or ignores your "request," perhaps he needs a gentle reminder that you'll be glad to post on the hotel's Facebook page or other social media regarding Mr. Bed and Mrs. Bug.

6 Put the afore-mentioned bedspread in the far corner of the room. Write a note to housekeeping and the front desk requesting they leave it in the corner.

7 Cover chairs with a clean towel so your bare skin and clothing never touch the surfaces. Wear those throwaway slippers rather than walking barefoot on the carpet or tile floor. And along this same line, never take a bath. Bacteria awaits.

8 Read the hotel's online reviews. These are the true indications of a hotel's cleanliness.

Ellen Phillips is a retired English teacher who has written two consumer-oriented books. Contact her at consumer watch@timesfreepress.com.

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