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.
Continue reading: Hotel Bedding: How Dirty Are Decorative Pillows, Duvets, Etc.?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I hate those decorative covers and pillows as well but suspect they are not purely decorative.
When you go to bed to sleep, you're probably not doing it in your day clothes. But people sit fully clothed on the bed to watch TV, work, etc.
I think the thicker top draperies like take a lot more abuse than the Egyptian cotton or whatever you get in an upscale hotel...
In every single hotel I stay, first thing i do is putting these decorative pillows down in a corner of the room or in the closet and then, the next day, housekeeping puts them back, like they don't understand why i put them away.
I wonder if i should live instructions at the desk every time to avoid doing it again again.
I was hoping you were going to whip out a picture w/ a UV light or something but, yes, decorative stuff has to be considered worse than anything during the covid era.
As travel and dining go hand in hand, please next discuss fast food restaurant hygiene. Include links to readily available YouTube videos.
Haha right? Thats why I dont want housekeeping coming into my room. That do not disturb sign lives in my door for the duration of my stay. If I need anything I'll get it from the front desk.
The duvet inserts that are just sandwiched between sheets with nothing hold them together are absolutely awful. 30 minutes in bed and the entire thing is a tangled mess.
I had always thought those decorative linens that just sit on just the foot of the bed were basically a protector for the duvet, because that's where somebody's feet would be if they laid down on top of the bed. That's the setup for every mattress I've ever seen in a store at least. So to that point, I'd hope that they'd be cleaned at least every week, if not every stay. But maybe I just have way too high an expectation for hotel housekeeping.
Hey Ben, article idea, what are the most comfortable hotel mattresses from your experience?
Perhaps you could use your connections to actually find out some facts? And, please use your reviews to draw attention to filth, poor housekeeping practices, etc. Your reviews are good, but lack consistent info on housekeeping and cleanliness including public areas, elevator panels, doors, etc and other places grime and high contact requires vigilance. Good hotels should be rewarded. If you're constantly bemoaning the hotels that don't offer free breakfast perks with point programs, the least you could do is focus on the basics. Fwiw, have vacationed in many hotels and cruise ships that should get high marks for cleanliness and many, some very expensive, that have been awful. Similarly, restaurant reviewers should also mention the bathrooms.
Yes, I too see them as protecting the sheets, which are washed, from dirty footwear.
I think the idea here was to get some readers with relevant knowledge to provide answers, but it seems nobody in housekeeping management both reads OMAAT and wants to comment on such things.
Ready for another ick? There's quite a bit of content on the internet that contains - let's just say - a lot of nudity. And some of it is filmed in hotel rooms right on top of the decorative bedding elements, the chairs, etc. etc.
You seem to think the author of this blog is a journalist.
You are wrong. You want investigative journalism? You're in the wrong place.
Duvets are potentially nasty. Always insist on a top sheet between you and the duvet
RE: '... the decorative bedding is purely for aesthetics..."
I always thought the decorative throw/blanket across the lower half of the bed was to prevent people from soiling the actual bedding by lying on it with their shoes on. If that's true, even more reason to see it washed regularly.
Also, I'm a three-pillow guy when it comes to sleeping (one goes under my knees), and if there are only two pillows, I ask for an extra pillow. That works most of the time, but if I arrive late at night, I often place a decorative pillow under the pillow for my head. In the morning, I'll ask housekeeping for an extra pillow. I know, YUK, but I'm careful not to let the decorative pillow touch my face or body. And I'm still here...
Why don’t you do a test…. Maybe put a “hidden mark” on one of these decorative items. Check out. Check in a few days later and request the same room. If the same pillow is there, it’s probably a very strong sign that it’s the same one….
Do you actually know, what a duvet is? I am used to it, because I grew up in Europe and I consider this whole double sheet system in the US a PITA. A duvet is a type of bedding consisting of a soft, flat bag filled with down, feathers, or synthetic fibers, designed to be used with a removable, washable duvet cover. Unlike a comforter, which is a single quilted piece, a duvet is a two-piece system that allows for easy cleaning of the cover and the ability to change the style of the bedding by simply swapping covers
I own a vacation rental cleaning company in Hawaii. Before Covid all the beds had 'comforters'. They were 'dry cleaned' about once a year. And folks actually slept under them. Disgusting. After Covid we changed to 'triple sheeting', so everything is being washed with every clean.
I hate hotels that put your towels on to of the filthy duvet - sometimes in stupid animal origami.
Not sure why this article is limited to the bedding. I would think the desk and other furniture is relatively clean but the sofa or softer chair?....
I always do so as they only put comforter on the bed NO TOP SHEET ?? they think I am nuts when I request a top sheet.. When I check in some hotels say to me " we put a top sheet on your bed". The other day the hotel I was in had the comforter with a top sheet thrown over the comforter???? strange I do not want to havae the comforter near -on me without a top sheet between..
We were always careful with rooms. Definetly remove the bedding decorations as they are not cleaned.
Years ago Kathy Lee and Hoda NBC Mornings, did a segment on hotel rooms. Leave it to the women, they were so keen on many items in the room. (Before Covid).
The remote control, clean it thoroughly. Yes there should be a sheet between you and the duvet.
Inside duvets are not cleaned often, but the outside must be new.
Its tough out there, need to be aware, and just about everyone has forgotten about Covid. Oh Say La VEE
Sounds like you stayed in some 'seedy' kind of place. I stayed in 8 hotels around the world last summer, none of them had comforters.