Your hotel room is your home away from home and hundreds or even thousands of strangers from every corner of the world may have slept in that room. While your hotel room may look clean, the hotel staff may not have the same standards of cleanliness that you do at home. I am sure you do not want to spend the night with the last guest’s germs, so as soon as you walk into your hotel room, you should clean these germy areas.

Having a sanitary hotel room is important under normal circumstances, but with coronavirus cases mounting in the United States and abroad, it is crucial that you protect yourself. According to the CDC guidelines, the coronavirus can live on surfaces for anywhere from a few hours to days.

Here are some tips on how to disinfect your hotel room.

What to Pack to Disinfect a Hotel Room

A pack of travel-sized disinfectant wipes can come in handy no matter where you travel. These can be used to disinfect your airplane seat and your hotel room. Look for ones that are specifically disinfectants, which means they can kill viruses, and not just cleaning wipes which may only remove visible dirt and grime. Not all travel wipes and cleaners kill norovirus, so read the label carefully to pick the correct product. A can of Lysol Disinfectant Spray or Clorox wipes will do the job. If you have something stronger or hospital-grade, that contains bleach, you may also need to bring gloves and a mask to keep yourself safe. Also, a box of large zip-top bags; disposable gloves and dish soap can be useful.

Remove the bedspread and decorative pillows

I am sure you have heard this before but remove the bedspread and decorative pillows as soon as you arrive in the room. Most hotels do not wash heavy bedspreads after each guest leaves. The frequency of laundering varies from hotel to hotel, so if the idea of an anonymous stranger cuddling up with the blanket that now lies across your bed creeps you out, you can call the front desk and ask how often the staff washes the bedspreads. You can also bring your own travel-friendly blanket and remove the bedspread altogether.

How to Disinfect Your Hotel Room

Thoroughly wipe down all high-touch areas in your hotel room. These areas include:

• Light and lamp switches

• Doorknobs (including the exterior handle to your hotel room, bathroom doorknobs, and closet door pulls)

• Bathroom sink handles

• Shower handles

• Toilet lid and flush handle

• Remotes (television remote, any smart remotes for closing drapes or turning off lights)

• Nightstands

• Alarm clocks

Glasses and ice buckets can also be germ hotbeds, but you never want to sanitize a drinking glass or ice bucket with a disinfectant. You can wash these with soap and water, or just use your own water bottle instead. The ice bucket should come with plastic liners, which you can use to line the inside and outside of the bucket. Follow the instructions on the disinfectant wipe packaging to thoroughly clean the area—note that most require the surface to stay wet for at least four minutes to completely disinfect.

Do You Clean Your Suitcase When You Return Home?

What about when you return home? Do you clean your suitcase wheels and handles? The wheels and handles of your suitcase are the most important parts to clean. If you would not wear your shoes inside your house, why would you roll your suitcase inside your home without wiping off the wheels? Use a disinfectant wipe or microfiber cleaning cloth plus disinfectant cleaning spray to thoroughly wipe off any dirt from the wheels, making sure you fully rotate each wheel through the cleaning cloth.

Like these tips? Need inspiration? We may not be able to travel now, but when you are ready to travel, contact Colesville Travel for a no-obligation quote on the trip of your dreams.

Cynthia Amin-Hall

COLESVILLE TRAVEL

Phone: 301-989-1654

Email: info@colesvilletravel.com

Website: www.colesvilletravel.com

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