A hotel room can be considered as your “home away from home”, with a few exceptions – many individuals from different corners of the globe have stayed there. Additionally, the hotel might not observe the same standards of cleanliness you do at home.

Staying in a “clean” hotel room is vital under normal circumstances but with the rise of COVID-19 cases in the world, travelers need to protect themselves from being infected as well. Remember that the COVID-19 virus can live on surfaces ranging for a few hours up to days.

Stay clean and safe in your hotel room with these essential tips

For those who cannot avoid traveling despite these hard times or trying to make their way home during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should take into consideration the following steps to keep your hotel room clean to boost your chances of staying healthy as well as keeping your anxiety level at bay.

Carefully check the reviews

It is important to note that there are no international standards when it comes to hotel cleanliness. The location, price, or brand name will not ensure the best in terms of sanitation. Your best bet is to find out what other travelers have to say by checking out the reviews.

The majority of travel and hotel review sites have cleanliness as a category for evaluation. A major hotel-review site is TripAdvisor where you can check out the user ratings of hotels, restaurants, and businesses all over the globe. You can also check out other hotel reviews on other chief booking engines such as Booking.com.

Get supplies from a nearby store

The priority these days is no other than cleaning supplies such as Clorox wipes or a Lysol Disinfectant spray. Remember that not all travel wipes and cleaners can eliminate viruses or bacteria. If this is your objective, carefully read the labels and choose a product that gets the job done.

If you decide to get a strong or hospital-grade product that contains bleach, you should also get gloves and masks as a protective measure. Other items such as disposable gloves, zip-top bags, and dish soap are optional.

In case you cannot find these items at the local grocery store or drugstore, you can try at office supply or home improvement stores.

Regularly wash hands

Regular handwashing has been proven to limit the spread of diseases and can prevent bacteria or viruses from any object or surface that you touch from entering your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Even if your hotel room is inadequately sanitized, regular hand washing can keep any bacteria or viruses at bay. Remember that after any cleaning task, always wash your hands.

Avoid bedspread and decorative pillows

Most have heard that hotels do not launder heavy bedspreads after a guest has used it. The regularity of washing tends to vary from one hotel to another, so if the idea of unwashed bedspreads bothers you, call the hotel and ask how often the bedspreads are washed. An alternative is to bring a travel-friendly blanket that you can use.

Always bring wipes

For those who want to stay on the safe side, wiping surfaces that are frequently touched using antibacterial wipes can make the place cleaner.

The key places to spray or wipe for germs include the doorknobs, phone, ice bucket, toilet handle, bathroom faucet handles, and remote control.

Sanitize all hard surfaces

All hard surfaces in your hotel room should be sanitized such as the coffee table, night table, shelves, and the desk. Try to prioritize the surfaces where you will set things down, especially your phone or glasses.

Wiping down bathroom surfaces

Bathrooms can harbor germs. With this in mind, wipe down or spray all hard surfaces including the toilet seat and the lid.

Wipe down all door handles and light switches

Remember that the door handles and light switches are frequently-touched objects in your hotel room. During your stay, wipe down these surfaces regularly.

Do not use the glassware

Always take note that there is no guarantee that the glasses or mugs in your hotel room are thoroughly rinsed off by the cleaning staff.

As a precautionary measure before you decide to use these items is to run the glass or mug under hot water for 1-2 minutes to eliminate most bacteria. An alternative is bringing a travel mug.

Bagging the remote control

Among the items in a hotel room, the remote control harbors the most germs since it is handled by different guests and has several crevices that cannot be wiped clean.

Before settling down in your hotel room, pick up the remote control with gloves or tissue and place it in a plastic bag and seal it. You can still operate the remote, but you are not exposed to its questionable surface.

Final thoughts

If you want to stay clean and safe, these important tips will surely come in handy. With a few cleaning supplies and some effort on your part, it can boost your chances of staying healthy and minimize exposure to germs during your stay in any hotel.