Hotel Bedding: How Dirty Are Decorative Pillows, Duvets, Etc.?

I’d consider myself to be a selective germaphobe, though I usually do a good job compartmentalizing things, and take the approach of “what you don’t know can’t hurt you. At the same time, curiosity sometimes gets the best of me, even when it shouldn’t.

We all know that hotel bedding is washed between every stay. At least that’s how it’s supposed to be, though some undercover investigations over the years have revealed that’s not always the case. But what bedding items are washed, specifically? That brings me to some general things that I’m curious about… even though I probably shouldn’t be.

Are hotel duvet inserts washed, or just the covers?

There’s huge variance in terms of the quality of hotel beds. Some are downright heavenly, while others… aren’t. Most hotels have duvets, and those include both the duvet cover and the duvet insert. Personally, I really like when a hotel bed’s duvet insert is fully enclosed in the duvet cover, using something like a zipper or buttons.

Other hotels simply have a duvet insert that’s sandwiched between the duvet covers, and then it easily comes apart, meaning you may often find yourself in direct contact with the duvet.

That leads me to the question — the duvet sheets are of course washed between all stays, but how often are the duvet inserts washed? In an ideal world, everything would be washed between all stays, but I don’t think that’s actually the case.

Is duvet insert washed once a week, once a month, never until it’s no longer usable, or what? You’ll sometimes find that these duvet covers have quite a bit of staining, which isn’t a nice thing to think about.

Hotel decorative pillows & blankets are just gross, right?

The duvet situation is one thing, but probably what I find most disgusting is decorative hotel bedding, whether it’s decorative pillows or blankets, or those decorative sheets at the foot of the bed.

As much as I wish it weren’t the case, I assume those aren’t actually washed with much frequency either, right? Certainly not between all stays? But are they washed with any consistency at all, or just nope, they stay there until they’re gross and can’t be used anymore?

I understand the sort of gross duvet situation is just a function of that type of bedding making life easier for housekeepers. However, the decorative bedding is purely for aesthetics, and if anything, is at higher end hotels. So it’s kind of irony that at more luxurious properties, your bed is probably a bit less clean… it’s one of my hotel pet peeves.

I know people want things to look nice, but I can’t wrap my head around intentionally putting gross, unclean things onto an otherwise fresh bed. So many guests throw these things on the floor, and then they’re just placed back on the bed, as if that’s not gross.

Bottom line

I love a comfortable hotel bed as much as the next person. However, I’m kind of grossed out by some of the aspects of hotel bed cleanliness. I can get over the sheer volume of people who may sleep in a given hotel bed, but it’s the duvet and decorative bedding situation that really gets me.

Anyone have any insights on the reality of hotel bedding cleanliness?