How Clean Are Your Hotel Bed Sheets?
Often times, people go on trips out of state and find a hotel to stay in for the night. They trust that the hotel cleans the room like they should. They do not think anything more about it and get into their sleeping attire. Most people roll back the covers and sheets and get right into bed, exhausted by a long day’s drive. Pulling the blankets over them, they fall asleep.
The cold hard truth is that many hotels do not wash the sheets after each use to save time and money. Others do wash them, but do not use antibacterial laundry soap. So in a sense, you are sleeping with whatever the people before you left behind. If you’re a frequent hotel guest, then you may need to take a few minutes to read this article.
Main Types of Bedding
Most hotels have the same setup when they make a bed. They all use a slipcover for the mattress, a set of bed sheets over it, and a comforter. All these items need washing in a anti-bacterial laundry soap.
The sad part is, most only use regular laundry soap. Bacteria and microbes live through an average wash. When they get placed on the bed, they go on living and reproducing. When you get into the bed, the microbes spread to you and you take them with you on your trip. Or you can bring your own bamboo sheets, which are resistant to grime and hard for bacteria to cling to or breed on, from home.
How often are they changed?
According to the Travel Truth, hotels change their bed spreads four times per year. That means you are more than likely covering up with a bedspread heavy with oils and dead skin. Some hotels do not even wash the sheets between guests visits. If the housekeeper does not see any visible stains, they just make the bed. Yet most of what we do not see is the most dangerous.
The human being drops dead skin cells everywhere they go. It is the same way as we sleep. As we sleep, we are shedding skin cells. That is why it is imperative that we should change our bed sheets at home as well.
How Will You Know?
In most cases, you will not see any contaminants with the naked eye, but if you take a black light with you on your next trip, you will see stains. Turn off the room lights and turn on the black light. When you do so, a whole new world will open right before your eyes. But without that, you will not see any visible stains.
That is why it is important to make sure you’ve got fresh sheets on your hotel bed. You can ask the front desk for a fresh pair in most reasonable establishments. If you just let it go, there is no way of knowing what you are sleeping in. With that said, where should you go? What do the experts say you should do?
What the Experts Suggest
Before you make reservation at any hotel, the first thing you should do should be to read the review. Past guests reviews can speak volumes. Do not wait until after you find out what you could have already known beforehand. Reading the reviews will determine whether you stay or move along.
If you stay longer than a week, it is wise to make them change everything out once or twice per week. When we say everything, we mean everything. Take a can of disinfectant with you such as Lysol disinfectant spray. Before you lay down spray a light coat on the sheet and let it dry.
Why hygiene matters
Perspiration, dirt, and certain skin conditions are the number one things to avoid. For example, if someone slept in the bed with poison ivy, you could get the condition. That is only a mild example. There are other conditions and diseases that can spread with indirect contact. Head lice and bed bugs can also be present.
Heeding this article will keep you and your loved ones safe when traveling on adventures. Make your family vacation or business trip a pleasant one by following these suggestions. By doing so, you can better enjoy your trip. If you choose to bring your bamboo sheets from home, you will know they are best for your own personal hygiene.
