Guest Author - Kathryn Weber
Most hotels do a good job of cleaning. Some don’t, though. Usually this is a problem at the particular hotel, and not a problem with the chain. And, although stays at upper-tier hotels with good names and high prices will usually be nice, even these hotels can suffer from time to time with cleanliness issues – and I know this from experience.
For a short time, I was a mystery guest and performed evaluations of hotels. I had to check everything from whether the security was available to counting burned out light bulbs at the entrance. Unfortunately, when I worked as a hotel mystery guest there was far too little concern about cleanliness and too much concern with small services that most guests don’t use.
Of course, now when I stay as a regular guest, I can’t help but think of the 100-page reports that I had to fill out detailing all the minutia of my stay, but what bothered me most were the crumbs at the edges of the carpet when you walked into a hotel room, the dust and crumbs behind the bed’s headboard, and hairs on the bathroom floor or in the bathtub.
As someone who stays in hotels frequently for business travel, I want to stay in establishments that place a high value on the “2C’s” – comfort and cleanliness – with cleanliness ranking highest. I’ve also learned a few things about making my hotel stays cleaner and more pleasant. Here are some of those ideas that can help you have a more enjoyable stay the next time you’re in a hotel room, a cruise ship, or anywhere away from home.
Do a “clean” sweep.
When you get to a room, give the room a quick run through to make sure it’s clean. I once went to check out a bathroom and found a smear of “No. 2” on the floor (at a very nice hotel in Santa Fe) and told the desk about it immediately. They were rather unconcerned, in my opinion, yet got me another room. What bothered me was that the floors were obviously not mopped between guests and it made me wonder about the second room they put me in.
As part of your sweep, check the carpets and bathroom.
Open the shower and look for hairs or soap. Check the floors, especially around the commode, to see if they have been mopped, leaning in the light to see if there are urine drops or stains on the floor. Look at the edges of the carpet, particularly at the entrance to be certain it was vacuumed.
Next, check the bed for bed bugs.
Lift the covers and the fitted or bottom sheet. Look for bed bugs. They are large enough to be seen. There has been a resurgence of these nasty creatures and even some of the best hotels have them. If you see tiny drops of blood on the mattress or mattress pad, chances are, the bed has them. Look at the cracks of the headboard. Sometimes bed bugs will lodge in these cracks. If you find them, alert the front desk and wait there to show someone what you have found. Then, consider moving to another hotel or change rooms, if you feel the hotel shows adequate concern about this situation.
Look around the bed and nightstand.
Is there excessive dust and crumbs? If there is, you might have problems breathing. Many people complain about breathing problems in hotels. This is often caused by dust and mold. Housekeepers should make the effort to occasionally use a crevice tool on a vacuum and clean behind headboards. Many are flatly disgusting.
Check the air vents.
Do you see any black discoloration around the air conditioning vents or AC unit? If so, it just might be mold. Ask for another room and explain that there appears to be mold around the air vents. This is a common problem and hotels should have regular duct and AC cleaning.
Make sure there is a luggage rack.
Luggage should never be on the floor. Ever. Bugs can crawl in there and, frankly, it’s not nice to make people bend down to the floor to get something out of their suitcase. Request a luggage rack if there isn’t one in your room. Bed bugs are often found in carpets, too, and if your luggage is on the floor, you might just bring a nasty visitor home.
Double check the ice bucket for a liner.
Ice buckets should always include a liner for ice. Request one if it’s been overlooked.
If you’re satisfied with your sweep, then you’ll want to take these other steps to insure that your stay is as clean as it can be.
Remote cleanliness.
One of the dirtiest items in the room is the television remote and I won’t go into the reasons why. Just trust me that it is. Put the remote into a plastic bag, such as a clear storage bag during your stay, or use a Clorox wipe and wipe the surface of the remote. Clorox now makes cleaner wipes in convenient travel pouches and these accompany me on every trip. While you’re at it, wipe down the phone receiver as well.
Wear house slippers.
Many hotels provide guests with small, flat slippers to wear in the room. If you stay in a hotel like this, take the shoes with you (they’re usually considered like soap and shampoo and are free for guests to take). Pack these or a favorite pair of slippers in your suitcase and always wear them at every hotel visit. Floors can often be dirty, so having shoes is an added layer of cleanliness.
If you make a good sweep of the room and are satisfied with the cleaning and you pack your slippers and Clorox wipes, chances are you’ll have a pleasant hotel stay without the worry of cleanliness to bother you.
Clorox Travel Packs should go in every suitcase. Keep these in the car, your purse, or suitcase. Disinfect and clean when you need it!
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, PUBLICATION OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Cleaning Calendar -- the calendar that puts you in control of your housekeeping by making it faster and you more efficient. It's the cleaning system that lets you have a clean house AND a life! Find out more at "Everydayclean.com"
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