Through the Lens, a flight attendant with some err.. habits.. when checking in a hotel room, shares her regimen.
None of this is new to me, but I like to pretend that staying in nicer places I don’t have to have the same concerns. She’s not especially graphic in describing most of the things she’s avoiding, and her tips are probably good ones. It’s worth reading her post, but you may wish you hadn’t!
She says her routine isn’t particularly extreme compared to that of some of her flight attendant colleagues, I am almost afraid to know what they do…
Do you worry about your hotel’s cleanliness? What steps do you take to protect yourself, or do you just not worry about it? Share in the comments.
I always wash glassware myself before using in in hotel room. I’ll certainly continue the practice after watching the YouTube video link from the flight attendant’s post. I typically scrub the coffee pot too (with a clean washcloth I hope!).
And does she wipe down the entire inside of the airplane before she works? This type of behavior is pure paranoia (although that TV remote probably IS gross). I figure that at least hotel rooms sort of get cleaned every day, unlike my desk at work, my bathroom at home, the airplane trays I use, the subway I ride, etc.
I think it is much easier to follow the simple rules of frequent hand washing and not touching you nose and eyes. Anything else is really pointless, IMO.
My wife and me have a similar regiment everywhere we go. We bring disinfectant wipes and wipe down, toilet seat, light switches, phones, remote and anything else that might be a heavy use item.
Believe me, it’s important. I am a Sr. Scientist in a Microbiology department and I know all the bugs that hang out in communal places – it’s not pretty.
One can never sterilize the room 100% but you can certainly cut down on the time you get a cold, infection or general unpleasantness. So pack some wipes with you next time and wipe the remote at a minimum!
And the FA doesn’t worry about the room service items being brought to her? Or the restaurants/coffee shops she visits?
@Gene — a few weeks at the airport, a TA took over a workstation from another one. The first thing she did was pull out a disinfectant wipe and clean the keyboard and mouse.
I think it I did that at work (where I sometimes take over someone else’s computer to show them something) I’d get strange looks 😉
The flight attendant is obviously a bit paranoid about germs and, in particular, bed bugs.
I’m OK with the germs, although I usually do logical things like try to rinse glassware before I use it. The bed bug thing is a bit scarier, perhaps because the fear is relatively new. I’m not so much afraid of being bit (to my knowledge, I never have), but I don’t want to bring the bugs home with me. When you stay in more than 50 hotel rooms a year, you figure some day your luck may run out. So I try not to leave clothing or my suitcase on the bed, preferring (like this f/a) the luggage rack or a table.
That said, how many frequent flyers have really had a bed bug problem? If they were truly prevalent, you’d think every flyertalker would have a story.
Hi Gene,
I’m the Flight Attendant in question and to answer your question, yes, when I get on the phone I take a wipe and wipe down the aircraft area’s I work at. All the PA phone and buttons I push. It might sound weird but I get sick WAY more often at this job than any other I have had and we do not get a lot of sick time to burn.
Oliver,
I’m a Flight attendant, I don’t order room service hardly ever because I can’t afford it. I do carry food with me though, and my own utensils. As for coffee shops, I used to work in one so it doesn’t really bother me. 🙂
iahphx,
I had to laugh at your comment because I really didn’t think I was paranoid at all… especially after hearing all the things my fellow flight attendants do and don’t do… but you know what… maybe I am. 🙂