Faecal matter on the TV remote, bodily fluids on bed linens and drinking glasses wiped with a filthy cloth: The dirtiest areas of a hotel room revealed

  • Studies have found alarming amounts of dangerous bacteria on surfaces
  • Guests are advised to request clean linens and wipe down surfaces 
  • Light switches are among the most heavily contaminated surfaces 

By Chris Kitching for MailOnline

Published: 03:13 EST, 6 September 2015 | Updated: 04:37 EST, 6 September 2015

A relaxing hotel is a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of daily life, but there’s one thing guests cannot escape the moment they set foot in their room.

With different visitors every night and quick turnaround times for cleaning, hotels can be crawling with germs, and several studies have found alarming amounts of potentially sickening bacteria on everything from TV remote controls to coffee machines.

It’s not entirely possible, but guests may want to avoid touching these bacteria-ridden objects the next time they check into a room (or pack a bottle of hand sanitiser or wipes, at least).

A University of Houston study found faecal matter on 81 per cent of surfaces, including the television remote

A University of Houston study found faecal matter on 81 per cent of surfaces, including the television remote

Light switches

Light switches are among the most heavily contaminated surfaces in a hotel room, according to a study by the University of Houston.

For the small study, researchers collected samples from 19 surfaces in nine hotel rooms and tested for bacteria known to cause illnesses, including E. coli.

All measurements were taken in colony-forming units (CFU) of bacteria per cubic centimetre square, with light switches being named the dirtiest surfaces.

The study found that light switches had 122.7 CFU for aerobatic bacteria and 111.1 CFI for faecal bacteria.

TV remotes

Television remotes also ranked high in the University of Houston study, with germs measuring an average of 67.6 CFU.

It found faecal matter on 81 per cent of surfaces, including the TV remote and door handles.

With housekeeping staff responsible for cleaning dozens of rooms within a brief period, it’s no surprise that remotes are one of the items that are not frequently cleaned.

Germophobes should wipe them with a cloth and anti-bacterial sanitiser, or even stuff them in an unused shower cap or resealable bag to protect their hands.

Guests who fear the drinking glasses haven't been cleaned can use a plastic cup or bottled water instead 

Guests who fear the drinking glasses haven't been cleaned can use a plastic cup or bottled water instead 

Drinking glasses

Shocking footage a number of hidden camera investigations have shown staff at hotels failing to properly clean drinking glasses.

One expose by Fox News in Atlanta showed an employee putting a glass in a dirty sink and spraying it with a liquid from a bottle reading ‘Do not drink’ before rinsing and drying it and putting it back on a shelf.

Other investigations have shown housekeepers cleaning glasses with cloths that had been used to clean dirty surfaces within the room. 

Bed linens 

In a lot of cases, the linens are not washed as often as sheets, meaning guests are left to sleep in the same bedding as the previous guest or guests.

That means they could be exposed to a previous guest's blood or bodily fluids, skin or hair.

Research by Check Safety First found that mattresses and duvets are rarely changed and can contain a host of harmful bacteria.

Guests can request clean linens when they check in. 

People who are worried about bed bugs can also look up a hotel’s history on an online bed bug registry.

One study found that the telephone had more bacteria than bed headboards, curtain rods and door handles

One study found that the telephone had more bacteria than bed headboards, curtain rods and door handles

Telephone keypad

Guests may want to think about wiping down the in-room telephone before they make a quick call for room service.

The University of Houston research found that telephone keypads in the nine hotel rooms used in the study had an average of 20.2 CFU.

That was more than bed headboards, curtain rods and bathroom door handles. 

Coffee machine

An expose by ABC News revealed that cleaners at one hotel simply swirled water inside the coffee machines instead of properly cleaning them, which can lead to a build-up of bacteria.

One cleaner in Cincinnati, Ohio, was found to have cleaned the pot with a bottle of Lysol mildew remover, and another was captured using the same cloth to clean the coffee maker as she had used to clean the bathroom floor.

Guests should clean the machine before they use it – even if it looks like it has been cleaned after its last use.

Cleaning equipment

Researchers from the University of Houston also took swabs from hotel cleaning equipment, including gloves, mops and sponges – noting that these items would easily carry the bacteria from room to room.

These items were found to be infested with all sorts of bacteria, for example, the sponges were found to have 500 CFU of aerobic and faecal bacteria.

Housekeeping practices vary by hotel with little or no standardisation. Some are far cleanlier than others, and many use a visual assessment as the validation method for cleanliness, the study found. 

Comments (448)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now