Hotel rooms are typically thoroughly cleaned after each guest departs, and guests can request additional cleaning during their stay. However, when hotels are bustling, staff may overlook certain items in the cleaning process.
A former hotel employee took to Reddit to name the items most commonly excluded from the routine clean.
And one of them is found on almost every hotel bed – the blanket. The Reddit user warned: “The top blankets aren’t washed regularly, so don’t get too intimate with them and don’t foul them up for the next person.”
While many guests remove these before sleeping, they often sit on the top blanket initially.
Another hotel worker cautioned: “I used to do housekeeping at four different hotels and we were always required to change the top sheets and every piece of bedding when we cleaned the rooms.”
The hotel insiders claimed that housekeeping is a fast-paced job and that some workers “skip cleaning certain things to save time”.
One Reddit user even suggested that some staff simply don’t care to follow the rules. “They didn’t care about the job or hotel guests at all, especially the top sheets. So I always suggest removing the top sheet if you’re worried about cleanliness,” the user claimed.
They cautioned: “Also, inspect your beds to ensure they’re clean before getting into them. If they don’t appear fresh, call and request a new room or a bed change!”
They cautioned: “Also, inspect your beds to ensure they’re clean before getting into them. If they don’t appear fresh, call and request a new room or a bed change!”
Checking for bugs – specifically bed bugs is one thing hotel guests should do before getting too comfortable in their accomodation.
While finding bedbugs is uncommon, the consequences of encountering them can be exceptionally irksome; they find dirty sheets particularly hospitable.
Travellers are advised to inspect their beds closely for any tiny red marks that might indicate bloodstains typically found around the corners—suggestive of a bedbug presence. Should such signs be identified, holidaymakers are encouraged to alert staff right away.
Further advice from a hotel insider cautions those arriving at their accommodation about the use of refillable water bottles and glasses provided in the room: “When you get to your hotel room, if your room has a refillable bottle of water and glasses, immediately call down and ask politely for a new water bottle and glasses.”
The insider further suggested another shocking tip about hotels: “Around 99 percent of hotels don’t change the drinking glasses in the room. Housekeeping are instructed to rinse them in the bathroom (no dishwashing liquid) and put them back”, they revealed.