# Don't Drink From Those Glasses!



## hvsteve1 (Nov 8, 2007)

Credit Fodor's on line newsletter for posting a link to this report from Fox TV in Atlanta. Hidden cameras show that, in even the most expensive hotels, the housekeepers rinse dirty glasses in the sink and put them out for the next guest. One even handles them with the same glove she just used to clean the toilet and dries them with the last guest's dirty towel  . One of the benefits of Motel 6....paper cups.

http://clipsyndicate.com/publish/video/438812?cpt=3


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## dougp26364 (Nov 8, 2007)

WOW! I would never have expected that and it's also changes my mind as to why people often end up with diarrhea when traveling. It's not the water, it's not dining out, it's the hotel room glasses. 

Sort of makes me glad we own 7 timeshares and travel using those timeshares. At least I can put the glasses and plates in the dishwasher before using them and expect them to be about as clean as my own service sets at home. 

I don't believe I'll ever trust hotels again. If it was only one hotel that might be different. But this was five different hotels and it really looks like SOP in my mind.


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## falmouth3 (Nov 8, 2007)

Wow.  I never would have guessed!  When I stay at Hampton Inns, I've been a little disappointed that they use disposable cups, sealed in plastic.  Now I think I'm glad.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Nov 8, 2007)

Whenever possible, I try to stay in a hotel that has a refrigerator in the unit.  Then I stop by a grocery store, get a six-pack of beer and stick it in the refrigerator.

That way I never have to use any of the glasses supplied by the hotel.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 8, 2007)

*Things I Wish I Had Not Seen.*

We were having dinner with friends & family at a semi-upscale (well, semi-upscale by our standards anyway) Chinese seafood restaurant at a seaside resort we all enjoy.  Across the way from our table but straight ahead of where I was seated & in my direct line of vision, I saw the bartender polishing some brandy snifters by breathing onto them to make them foggy & then rubbing them shiny with his bar towel, holding them up to eye level so he could spot more places that needed polishing.  I don't drink brandy -- consumed my entire lifetime capacity of alcohol by the time I was 45 -- so I am out of the loop about barware sanitation.  That is, maybe high-proof brandy kills all germs & so the bartender's breath is nothing to fret about, I don't know.  But if the bartender had stopped to think about it, surely he would have realized the customers shouldn't see him breathing on the glassware out there in the open.  Sheesh. 

One time we were having BOGO-coupon supper at a countrified hillbilly-theme restaurant in Branson MO.  I swear, when the kitchen help came out to reload the buffet serving dishes, I could hear _Dueling Banjos_ playing in the background.  I don't really think the look of those folks was part of the country ambiance the place was striving for. 

A friend's daughter used to work at a Wendy's fast-food restaurant.  Based on her experience slinging burgers, etc., she warned, "Don't order the chili at Wendy's."  I never asked her to elaborate. 

Back in college days in Charlottesville VA, I had a friend who liked to say, "Remember, when you eat at Jim's be sure to punch a hole in the roll so they can't serve it again." 

So it goes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 8, 2007)

*. . . And 1 More Thing :*

Whussup with those TV commercials showing Aunt Granny -- or Mom or some super chef or Mama Mia back in the Old Country -- tasting the sauce or the soup or the stew, etc., _right off the same big spoon_ being used to stir the soup or the sauce or the stew, & then putting the big stirring spoon _back in the pot_ ? 

_Yuck !_ 

That's supposed to make viewers want to go out & buy the stuff ? 

It's more apt to make me lose my appetite entirely. 

_Memo To TV Food Commercial Producers_ *:*  Hey*,* just keep it clean & sanitary*,* will ya ? 

Give me a break. 

Sheesh. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Transit (Nov 8, 2007)

Same thing goes for the items in the cupboard.Staight to the dishwasher ,who knows whats been washed and by whom.


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## Miss Marty (Nov 8, 2007)

*We always carry Paper Plates and Paper Cups*

Guess that is why DVC - Disney Vacation Club 
provides paper plates & cups in their Studios.

*Not just Hotels - Timeshares too.. *

Most Studios have a small partial kitchen but no dishwasher 
Think about who`s cleaning those dirty dishes and glasses.


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## johnmfaeth (Nov 8, 2007)

I never leave anything that is not sealed or tightly wrapped in the TS refrigerator for the same reason. Who knows what's growing within?


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## azsunluvr (Nov 8, 2007)

Thanks for posting that video. I'm sick!


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## billymach4 (Nov 8, 2007)

This does not surprise me! I always use paper or plastic cups


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## Lisa P (Nov 8, 2007)

I used to think the tiny dishwashers Wyndham has in their smallest units were odd - until we stayed in one of those units and found it so handy.  Now, I see it's even more - it's healthier.  Just thinking about these things makes me kind of sick.  Some things it's easier not knowing!


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## grest (Nov 8, 2007)

Wow...I have stayed at that Renaissance...this is ridiculousy unhealthy...thanks for sharing.
Connie


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## pcgirl54 (Nov 8, 2007)

Wow, I have to worry about the bedspreads and now the glasses. Thanks for posting this I would have never thought twice about drinking from the glasses before.


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## djs (Nov 8, 2007)

On a related note, probably not a bad idea to take that little plastic bag in the ice bucket and wrap the TV remote in it (or bring your own bags for the same purpose).


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## Htoo0 (Nov 9, 2007)

Don't do a search on the perils of hotel whirlpool tubs! :ignore:


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## dougp26364 (Nov 9, 2007)

Unless you guys are putting things like your bed spreads, TV remotes et....in your mouth I don't think it's going to be as big of a problem. That is unless you have a lot of open sores on your body to allow direct exposure to bacteria and viruses. Unlike you skin which protects you from most things, your mouth is one big mucus membrane that will not only absorb bugs but with it being warm and moist give them a great place to grow. Touching the remote or sleeping on sheets with intact skin is not nearly the risk of drinking from a glass not properly sanitized before it's next use. 

Now the whirlpool tub can be a different matter. There are differnt types of fungus that, when allowed to be cultured in a warm moist enviroment such as may be provided by a whirlpool tub could be a problem.

So just to recap, don't drink from the glasses, don't sleep on the sheets, don't touch the remote, wipe down everything, don't take a bath and, I bet if you swabbed the shower head you probably won't want to take a shower either.

I think I'll just stick with not putting my mouth on someone else's glass and suffer through the rest. Not sleeping, sitting, laying down or taking a shower or bath is stretching it just a bit to far for me.


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## abc31 (Nov 9, 2007)

This is absolutely true!!  As a former hotel manager at major hotel chains including The Grand Hyatt New York, I can attest to the fact that the glasses are not washed.  I have been warning my friends for years about this.  Not only are they not washed, they are often wiped dry with the same towel used for cleaning bathtubs.  I have seen people use those glasses for everything from a toothbush holder to a place to soak their dirty panties and they still are just rinsed and wiped.

Also, I would encourage you to be very patient when waiting to check into your room.  There are times when guests check out late or you have a very busy checkin and the housekeepers can't get the rooms ready on time.  The more you scream at the desk clerks, the more pressure will be put on the housekeepers, and the more corners will be cut when cleaning your room.  It is very easy to just dry the tub and counter tops and make it look clean.  The sheets sometimes don't look so bad and can just be tucked in a little tighter and pass for clean sheets.  And believe me, they will do this to put a smile on your face and keep you from complaining that it took to long to get your room.  I am in no way saying that this is hotel policy.  I'm just saying that I know that it it done.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 9, 2007)

*Ounce Of Prevention ?*




abc31 said:


> The sheets sometimes don't look so bad and can just be tucked in a little tighter and pass for clean sheets.


So, just to avoid that risk for the next person checking in, as I'm getting ready to leave should I put all the sheets, etc., in the tub & turn on the water ? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## abc31 (Nov 9, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> So, just to avoid that risk for the next person checking in, as I'm getting ready to leave should I put all the sheets, etc., in the tub & turn on the water ?
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



I think that would be very considerate of you.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 9, 2007)

*Rinsa-Rinsa-Rinsa.*




Htoo0 said:


> Don't do a search on the perils of hotel whirlpool tubs!


No matter how nice & clean & elegant the resort is, we never use the in-suite jacuzzi as-is.  First, we fill up the whirlpool tub with tap water & run the jets for several minutes, then drain it all out before refilling it & using it ourselves.  (The solution to pollution is dilution.)

We also go for that _TV-remote-inside-baggie_ trick.  Can't hurt, might help.

And now, after all these TUG-BBS warnings, I suppose from now on we'll run all timeshare dishes, etc. through the dishwasher before using'm ourselves, & will wash & rinse those things the old fashioned way before use when we stay in dishwasherless mini-suites.  

Sheesh. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## CSB (Nov 9, 2007)

Now that I think about it, how could they wash the glasses properly in a hotel? It would be very costly and time consuming for the staff to replace each glass with a new one, and where would they wash the dirty one besides the sink? The only way would be to wash the sink first, change gloves, take out the disk washing liquid, clean the glass and dry it with a clean dish cloth. Put away the dish cloth, change back to the other gloves and continue cleaning the room. This is a lot of extra work. 

I didn't think that it was so bad that one hotel sprayed the glasses with a disinfectant. As long as the glass was well rinsed, and dryed, the disinfectant would not be ingested. We do not drink the soap that we use to wash our dishes!

From now on, I bring my own bottled water.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 9, 2007)

*Reload Each Unit With Freshly Washed Dishes Every Time.*




CSB said:


> Now that I think about it, how could they wash the glasses properly in a hotel?


What's wrong with bringing each kitchen- or minikitchen-equipped suite a new supply of freshly washed-sterilized dishes each time the room is made up for the next occupant?   Or if it's a plain-vanilla hotel room, just with freshly washed-sterilized glasses?

The staff can get'm off a hallway cart brought up by service elevator for that purpose from down in the basement R.A.L.P.H.*** area that's equipped with commercial dishwashers.  Shux, the staff people wash & dry the linens down in the R.A.L.P.H. area & deliver those by cart*****,* so why not freshly washed-sterilized dishes also? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​*** R.A.L.P.H. = Repairs And Laundry Plus Housekeeping.
**** Or by golf cart at timeshare resorts.


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## IreneLF (Nov 9, 2007)

OK call me anal but before I use anything in any timeshare kitchen, the entire contents of the cupboard goes into the d/w, and I do  two loads... all silverware and big utensils too.

I also use the whirlpool in smugglers, but not before i wash it out, fill it up, run it for a while, drain etc.

Thanks for posting the glases /hotel thing -- YUK and I would not have really thought of it being this way........


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## Lisa P (Nov 9, 2007)

We don't bother to rewash anything in timeshares unless either the cupboard or the contents appear unclean.  It's easier to use the dishwasher than handwash so we figure the previous occupants or housekeeping used it and that's good enough.  After all, we eat off dishes at all our friends' homes without worry.

We just look in the water in the filled inroom jacuzzi to see that the jets don't appear to shoot out any grime before adding anything or getting in.  If there's ANY gunk  :annoyed: , we add plenty of dishwasher detergent and let it run for a while before draining, rinsing and refilling the tub, though that usually kills the appeal.    I suppose we should be more thorough but it hasn't caused a problem so far.

We're fine with using a hot tub, so long as there's a strong chlorine smell and no visible haze in the water or foam in the bubbles, which completely grosses me out!   

Perhaps if any of us had poor immunity or a bad experience with getting infections while on vacation, we would become more hesitant.  We usually aren't too bothered by all the "what ifs" otherwise.

But the dirty drinking glasses in hotel rooms really makes me sick.  SO MANY people who travel get ill - between the pressurized airplane air, changes in environment and diet, stress suppressed immunity - frankly, I don't _want_ to drink from a glass that an unknown stranger (or stranger*s*, over recent weeks) has drunk from.    Ewww!!!    I'm comforting myself right now with the thought that most bacteria and viruses on hard surfaces are killed when they dry out or are exposed to friction/rubbing.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 9, 2007)

*Into Each Life Some Dirt Must Fall.*




Lisa P said:


> Perhaps if any of us had poor immunity or a bad experience with getting infections while on vacation, we would become more hesitant.  We usually aren't too bothered by all the "what ifs" otherwise.


The Chief Of Staff's late grandfather used to say we're each going to eat a pound of dirt in our lifetimes anyway so what the heck -- or words to that effect. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## dougp26364 (Nov 9, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> The Chief Of Staff's late grandfather used to say we're each going to eat a pound of dirt in our lifetimes anyway so what the heck -- or words to that effect.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​




It's not so much you're going to eat a pound of dirt in your lifetime so much as what *kind* of dirt.......if you know what I mean. Having glasses cleaned with the same glove that just cleaned that toilet bowl would introduce some uneccessary dirt IMO.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 9, 2007)

*There's Dirt -- And Then There's Dirt.*




dougp26364 said:


> It's not so much you're going to eat a pound of dirt in your lifetime so much as what *kind* of dirt.......if you know what I mean.


You & I both know there's _clean_ dirt & there's also _dirty_ dirt -- _dirty_ as in filthy, germy, unsanitary. 

Not everybody appreciates the distinction --  

_"Hey, you can't wear that shirt again.  It's got some dirt on it."_

_"I know, but it's _clean_ dirt." _

One of the senior officials where I used to work had a PhD in dirt -- Soil Science, actually, but we poked fun by referring to it as a PhD in dirt. "Not so," he said. "Soil is what grows the trees & the flowers & the grass & the crops. Dirt is what you get under your fingernails." 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Nov 9, 2007)

Not to mention Louisiana style dirty rice. I don't mind eating that at all.


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## BevL (Nov 9, 2007)

Well, thanks, I wish I'd seen this BEFORE I just got back from holidays!!  I'm hoping we were safe at the Manhattan Club but the Red Lion we crashed at last night in Seattle has me worried.

I'm not easily grossed out but YUCK!!


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## KauaiMark (Nov 9, 2007)

*Next time....*



Marty Giggard said:


> Guess that is why DVC - Disney Vacation Club
> provides paper plates & cups in their Studios.
> 
> *Not just Hotels - Timeshares too.. *
> ...



Next time, we're running all the glassware through the dishwasher when we get there...


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 9, 2007)

I think I'll buy a couple of those collapsible camping cups to take in carry on to have something to drink from in hotels. I would never have thought of the glasses not being clean and I often take meds at night with water when we get in and don't always have bottled water.
Liz


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## grest (Nov 11, 2007)

We stayed at a Hampton Inn a couple of nights ago, and thankfully they had plastic and styrofoam glasses...
Connie


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## ownsmany (Nov 11, 2007)

*jacuzzi*

I've often stayed away from using th jacuzzi except at a Marriott ts.  I love to use the Jacuzzi - but have heard about the junk and germs.

Would it be better to run it with dishwater detergent or bleach?

Would like to start to enjoy all the jacuzzis.


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## luv2vacation (Nov 11, 2007)

IreneLF said:


> OK call me anal but before I use anything in any timeshare kitchen, the entire contents of the cupboard goes into the d/w, and I do  two loads... all silverware and big utensils too.



I always do the same.  My family, especially Hubby (although he never comments on it anymore), thinks I'm crazy - but I do it anyway.


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## Jan (Nov 11, 2007)

And we never ever use the little coffee pot in the rooms!  A real fact on those --a friend that is a pilot for a major airline was telling me how some of the stewardess use it for soaking their panties.  He filled us in on all that bad stuff and uses the wipes when touching stuff in the room.
                      Happy travels...........Jan


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## BevL (Nov 11, 2007)

Jan said:


> And we never ever use the little coffee pot in the rooms!  A real fact on those --a friend that is a pilot for a major airline was telling me how some of the stewardess use it for soaking their panties.  He filled us in on all that bad stuff and uses the wipes when touching stuff in the room.
> Happy travels...........Jan



Just when I was recovering from the gross out over the cups, now this!!


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 11, 2007)

*Washa-Washa-Washa.*




Jan said:


> And we never ever use the little coffee pot in the rooms!


Shux, we run the Mr. Coffee non-electric components through the dishwasher along with all the plates & dishes & glassware, etc. -- the pot, the lid, & the filter holder -- or*,* in dishwasherless mini-kitchen suites*,* we wash'm by hand. 

I doubt the stewardae are able to use the Mr. Coffee internal water-heating components for anything unsanitary. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## nicklinneh (Nov 12, 2007)

Marty Giggard said:


> Most Studios have a small partial kitchen but no dishwasher
> Think about who`s cleaning those dirty dishes and glasses.


Most T/S resorts ask the last tenant to do it-- and you'll sleep on their pillow too!  ---ken


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## pcgirl54 (Nov 12, 2007)

duplicate post


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## pcgirl54 (Nov 12, 2007)

Ok ,now I am getting totally grossed out. I wash the dishes by hand ,airdry them and then put them away each day. We are empty nesters so there aren't a lot of dirty dishes anymore.

I used to think it was odd for people to desantize a newly checked in unit by washing down everything that the maid service cleaned. Now I am thinking differently maybe they are much smarter than I thought. 

Pillows, bedspreads, glasses, remote controls but now the coffee pot. I am glad I drink tea. DH however loves his coffee.


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## Elli (Nov 12, 2007)

I think the earlier poster was talking about the small coffee pot in a hotel room, not in a timeshare.


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## Zib (Nov 15, 2007)

Gosh, I'm surprised I'm not dead now from all those germs!  Isn't it remarkable what the old body can overcome?  However, you can be sure I'll put all the dishes in the dishwasher before using them on my next trip and I'll NEVER drink out of a hotel glass again.  Guess I'll carry a supply of paper cups and my own little container of dish soap to wash those glasses.  Thanks for the 
heads up!


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## arlene22 (Nov 16, 2007)

The very first summer job I ever had was as a chambermaid in a motel. None of us ever did any of that disgusting stuff. So I am really shocked by this.

I guess I have been too trusting, thinking that everyone does it the way we did. I will now run all the glasses/dishes/coffee pots through the dishwasher upon arrival. And I realize the pilot wasn't talking about timeshare coffee pots, but I just can't get that mental image out of my head. YUK!


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## dougp26364 (Nov 16, 2007)

We recently returned for a short trip to a timeshare in Branson, MO. Guess what! I found a small amount of water in the coffee pot. Having recalled the panties soaking in the coffee pot it sort of grossed me out, even though it was a timeshare and I was positive no flight attendant had been soaking their undies in the pot. 

I still washed it out anyway.


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## Tiger (Nov 16, 2007)

I don't think anyone has mentioned yet that on checking into a hotel one can easily wash the glasses in soap and water  and rinse them in hot water.  I've been doing it for years.

I agree with the poster who noted that our skin protects us well from almost all infection.  We couldn't survive if it didn't.


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## spirits (Nov 16, 2007)

*Dirty Glasses*

Thanks for all the advice.  The remote one is the one I'll remember. I don't often stay at hotels unless at conferences from work.  But I distinctly remember seeing on many carts in the morning clean glasses wrapped in paper.  The housekeepers bring them with the sheets etc. Before we all jump to conclusions perhaps a check of the cleaning carts where you stay might aleviate some concerns. Otherwise I might not get a good nights sleep the night before we travel:rofl: That used to be because of anticipation. I really want to keep it that way:whoopie:


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 16, 2007)

*Urban Legend ?*




arlene22 said:


> I realize the pilot wasn't talking about timeshare coffee pots, but I just can't get that mental image out of my head.


I can't help suspecting that the bit about the airline stewardae washing out undies in hotel coffee makers just might be something like an urban legend. 

I mean, think about it -- wouldn't a lavatory washbasin work better for washing out & then rinsing undergarments by hand?  Jamming even eeny-weeny undies into a coffee pot wouldn't leave much room for doing any actual washing, would it?  

What seems more likely (because it's easier & more practical) is using a hotel coffee maker to heat up -- fast -- some really hot wash water,  hotter than what comes out of the faucet, & pouring that into the sink along with some tepid faucet water when hand-washing undies.  

Coffee pots of any size are much inferior to hotel bathroom sinks for doing wash.  Right?  Or am I simply in denial? 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## jewls (Nov 16, 2007)

I usually bring a can of Lysol with me to hotels.  I spray down door knobs, telephone, remote control and lamp switches.  I even spray the bedspread before I throw it on the floor.  My family laughs at me, but now my daughter who travels with her volleyball team understands, as she has seen some unsightly rooms.

I have always been suspicious about the glasses but never thought anyone use them to clean underwear. YUK.


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## bradykp (Nov 17, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> We were having dinner with friends & family at a semi-upscale (well, semi-upscale by our standards anyway) Chinese seafood restaurant at a seaside resort we all enjoy.  Across the way from our table but straight ahead of where I was seated & in my direct line of vision, I saw the bartender polishing some brandy snifters by breathing onto them to make them foggy & then rubbing them shiny with his bar towel, holding them up to eye level so he could spot more places that needed polishing.  I don't drink brandy -- consumed my entire lifetime capacity of alcohol by the time I was 45 -- so I am out of the loop about barware sanitation.  That is, maybe high-proof brandy kills all germs & so the bartender's breath is nothing to fret about, I don't know.  But if the bartender had stopped to think about it, surely he would have realized the customers shouldn't see him breathing on the glassware out there in the open.  Sheesh.
> 
> One time we were having BOGO-coupon supper at a countrified hillbilly-theme restaurant in Branson MO.  I swear, when the kitchen help came out to reload the buffet serving dishes, I could hear _Dueling Banjos_ playing in the background.  I don't really think the look of those folks was part of the country ambiance the place was striving for.
> 
> ...




i've worked at 3 restaurants. if you knew a quarter of the stuff that goes on you'd never eat out. read "kitchen confidential" and then never eat out again.

my policy: what i don't know doesn't kill me. 

as for the brandy and glasses....alcohol kills germs, so i wouldn't worry about bar glasses....the nuts in the bowl....different story


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## bradykp (Nov 17, 2007)

hvsteve1 said:


> Credit Fodor's on line newsletter for posting a link to this report from Fox TV in Atlanta. Hidden cameras show that, in even the most expensive hotels, the housekeepers rinse dirty glasses in the sink and put them out for the next guest. One even handles them with the same glove she just used to clean the toilet and dries them with the last guest's dirty towel  . One of the benefits of Motel 6....paper cups.
> 
> http://clipsyndicate.com/publish/video/438812?cpt=3



for the record, dish detergent also says "do not drink" lol


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## Carolinian (Nov 17, 2007)

One thing to consider, too, is the public restrooms with doors that open inward and have a handle you have to touch to open.  There are a lot of people who don't wash their hands after using the toilet, and then touch that door handle or door knob.

On the relatively rare occaisions the door opens outward, I push it with my shoe, not my hand.  Otherwise, I use a papertowel, or if they only have a warm air dryer then a piece of toilet paper to put over my hand when I touch that doorknob or handle.  

As far as I am concerned, public health laws should require all public restroom doors to open outward.  I also appreciate those in many airports that simply don't have doors at all.


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## dougp26364 (Nov 17, 2007)

Carolinian said:


> One thing to consider, too, is the public restrooms with doors that open inward and have a handle you have to touch to open.  There are a lot of people who don't wash their hands after using the toilet, and then touch that door handle or door knob.
> 
> On the relatively rare occaisions the door opens outward, I push it with my shoe, not my hand.  Otherwise, I use a papertowel, or if they only have a warm air dryer then a piece of toilet paper to put over my hand when I touch that doorknob or handle.
> 
> As far as I am concerned, public health laws should require all public restroom doors to open outward.  I also appreciate those in many airports that simply don't have doors at all.



Or have a mechanism to open the door without grabbing the handle. I've always thought it stupid to wash my hands and then grab a handle by held by Mr. Diarrhea who didn't take the time to wash his hands moments before. 

As a nurse there's not a lot of things that gross me out but public restrooms pretty much do the trick.


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## Leeman (Nov 17, 2007)

Carolinain, I agree with you. I always use the paper towel that I dried my hands with to open the doors on restrooms. I don't understand why it not mandatory to have a door exiting a restroom to open outwards.

To the original poster thanks for posting this clip. I was shocked and I would never have suspected the glasses left in the room. Especially at high end hotels. I have always placed remotes in baggies when on travel. I like the idea about putting the sheets in the bathtub and running water on them just before checking out, I will do this at each place I stay. Going forward, I will wash the dishes in the dishwasher before my family uses them,in the past I didn't. Every time we stayed at a timeshare we'd always put the rest of the dishes we used in the dishwasher and run it, just before we'd leave to check out. Seeing as how this was such a similar process, I know this has to occur in many other hotels in other states as well. 

It's terrible that the news had to do this project to catch these people as opposed to agency that mandates the standards.


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## Mimi (Nov 20, 2007)

*Unsafe Systemic Cleaning Practices in Hotels*

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO!!!!!!!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3estl_dirty-hotel-secrets_news


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## johnmfaeth (Nov 20, 2007)

I was working at home one day a number of years back and the maid we had hired (based upon great references) came by. She donned her gloves and proceeded to clean to kitchen lavatory and then went immediately to the fridge and started wiping down the shelves. I was shocked to speechless - that takes a lot 

After discussing with the missus, called her that night said we were cutting back. After 4 maids, one worse than the next, we decided that cleaning ourselves was the only good solution.

I expect only the worst when at a timeshare or hotel. I always wash everything myself before using.


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 20, 2007)

*That Touchy Issue Hits Close To Home.*




johnmfaeth said:


> I expect only the worst when at a timeshare or hotel. I always wash everything myself before using.


The reason that hits close to home is that the more we think about other people's grossness, the less inclined we feel to use accommodations -- timeshares, hotels, resorts, _mox nix_ -- where various strangers come & go & where the clean-up in between occupants can only be taken on faith.  If we don't think about it, then what we don't know doesn't hurt us.  But if we _do_ think happen to think about it *...* 

The thing is, our own grossness is OK because we're used to it & it's _ours_.  But other people's grossness is just _gross !_ 

Some folks have such acute sensitivity to the problem that they stay out of hotels, etc., whenever possible, preferring to vacation instead in their own travel trailers, RVs, motor homes, & I don' t know what-all.  In fact, I suspect it wouldn't take much to tip The Chief Of Staff over the edge into that category, I don't know.  If it came to that, then I would agree to travel with our own sheets & mattress covers & bedspreads, our own floor runners, & just about anything along those lines needed to counteract the offputtingness of staying whether other people have stayed. 

If that would not do the trick, then I guess we would no longer vacation much, except in our dinky 35-foot non-traveling travel trailer over by Rehoboth Beach DE. 

I can't see us at our advanced age careening down the Interstate in 1 of those big honking Greyhound-size motor homes. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Barbeque (Nov 20, 2007)

I like Carolinian will use a paper towel to open the door of a restroom to leave and then discard the towel at the waste basket there or at another outside.  

The one other thing that I see that is really gross to me is shopping carts  at the grocery store especially the kid seats that women will put their purses in later. Or many will stack their food or even vegetables in the kid seat.  Johnny just sat there and his diaper leaked.


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## jstapleton (Nov 20, 2007)

Thank you for posting this.
When I was younger, I use to go out on Friday nights with my girlfriends.
We use to go to the same bar each weekend and I would sit at the bar and watch the bartender take a glass, dip in water and take out and dry off the glass  
I didn't care how I looked being a girl and drinking a beer from a bottle, there was NO way I was putting my mouth on any of those glasses. :ignore:


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## AwayWeGo (Nov 20, 2007)

*Beyond Dip & Swish Behind The Bar.*




jstapleton said:


> I use to go out on Friday nights with my girlfriends.
> We use to go to the same bar each weekend and I would sit at the bar and watch the bartender take a glass, dip in water and take out and dry off the glass
> I didn't care how I looked being a girl and drinking a beer from a bottle, there was NO way I was putting my mouth on any of those glasses.


By contrast, I noticed a Las Vegas bartender (at the Rio) going through a super-thorough sanitation routine using modern wash-rinse & re-rinse facilities right there behind the bar (upstairs at that mezzanine level  overlooking banks & banks of slot machines where we viewed the overhead show styled after Mardi Gras). 

Remembering that old dip & swish & dry method from the old days, I was surprised & impressed by the extra steps the Rio installed for improved barware sanitation.  (I didn't order anything from the bar -- I don't order anything from _any_ bar -- but that's another story.) 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## Lisa P (Nov 22, 2007)

Barbeque said:


> I like Carolinian will use a paper towel to open the door of a restroom to leave and then discard the towel at the waste basket there or at another outside.


Same here.  I use it to turn off the water and open the door (for me, it's a nurse thing).



> The one other thing that I see that is really gross to me is shopping carts at the grocery store especially the kid seats...


Our local grocery chain (Ingles) always has a canister of antibacterial wipes available and handy for customers to clean the handle rail and any other part we'd like.  I really appreciate that - especially during flu season.


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## Steve (Nov 23, 2007)

CSB said:


> Now that I think about it, how could they wash the glasses properly in a hotel? It would be very costly and time consuming for the staff to replace each glass with a new one, and where would they wash the dirty one besides the sink? The only way would be to wash the sink first, change gloves, take out the disk washing liquid, clean the glass and dry it with a clean dish cloth. Put away the dish cloth, change back to the other gloves and continue cleaning the room. This is a lot of extra work.
> 
> I didn't think that it was so bad that one hotel sprayed the glasses with a disinfectant. As long as the glass was well rinsed, and dryed, the disinfectant would not be ingested. We do not drink the soap that we use to wash our dishes!
> 
> From now on, I bring my own bottled water.



Having worked previously in the corporate guest relations department of a major hotel chain, I can tell you that all of the glasses are supposed to be washed in a commercial dishwasher just like glasses are washed in a restaurant.  The maids take the dirty glasses out each day...just like they take out the dirty sheets and towels...and replace them with clean ones.  Not doing so is a serious violation of company policy and also of local health codes.  

Obviously, some hotels are lazy and sloppy and probably should be shut down by the local board of health.  But the same could be said of restaurants and swimming pools, too.  I worked in a fast food place in high school, and you don't want to know what sometimes happened there.  Or what has happened in a number of restaurants from hepititis outbreaks to worse. You certainly don't want to know what happens in public swimming pools.  

So, if you're going to be really careful, cook all of your own food and certainly do not go swimming.  Of course, that might ruin your vacation...but I think both eating out and swimming in public pools are riskier activities than drinking out of hotel glasses.

Steve


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## ladycody (Nov 23, 2007)

I too worked at a high end hotel in Boston and the glasses were cleaned in a dishwasher.   They had clean racks of glasses available on each floor should they be needed by housekeepers (guest request etc) but, as a general rule...it was the minibar staff (a subdivision of room service) that put in fresh glassware...not the housekeeper that cleaned your bathroom.  

On a personal level...I try not to think about it _too_ much. 

I check things fairly carefully but, like another poster, tend to believe that most people will use a dishwasher where available.  I _will_ clean the coffee pot because it's the one item most likely to be left dirty that a housekeeper might handwash.  I also bring a ziplock with some folded anti-bacterial wipes to use when we first arrive for a quick once-over.  I check my sheets carefully and always throw them in the tub with the dirty towels when leaving to ensure that they get changed out for the next guest.  

Having worked in both hotels and restaurants...if I worried about things I know _could_ be wrong at every restaurant and hotel and coffee shop and store I visited (things that I know _are_ wrong in more of them than I care to admit to myself)...I'd be badly obsessive/compulsive or even downright agoraphobic....and where's the fun in that?


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## dougp26364 (Nov 23, 2007)

Steve said:


> Having worked previously in the corporate guest relations department of a major hotel chain, I can tell you that all of the glasses are supposed to be washed in a commercial dishwasher just like glasses are washed in a restaurant.  The maids take the dirty glasses out each day...just like they take out the dirty sheets and towels...and replace them with clean ones.  Not doing so is a serious violation of company policy and also of local health codes.
> 
> Obviously, some hotels are lazy and sloppy and probably should be shut down by the local board of health.  But the same could be said of restaurants and swimming pools, too.  I worked in a fast food place in high school, and you don't want to know what sometimes happened there.  Or what has happened in a number of restaurants from hepititis outbreaks to worse. You certainly don't want to know what happens in public swimming pools.
> 
> ...



If you're refering to urine in swimming pools, that's not really much of a worry. First off, unless someone has a urinary tract infection, urine is bacteria free. You also have all that chlorine or bromine to take care of other nastys that get into the pool. The biggest risk in a public pool are the swim diapers. They do not keep feces contained in the diaper and babies have accident. Now feces is unlike urine in that it does have a lot of nasty bacteria running around in it (no pun intended).

As for fast food restaurants I guess I was lucky when I was a kid. Nothing really disgusting ever happened that I can recall. I wouldn't say they were exceptionally clean but then again, very few home kitchens are. Being a nurse I always wash my hands before handling food as well as between handling different foods. In watching other people prepare food at home I certainly can't say the same for most. Cross contamination is a great way to spread bacteria.

You can't avoid bacteria and I don't believe we should put as much effort into as some people seem to do. However, just rinsing off glasses time and time again is setting the bar a little high in the risk catagory IMO.

I remember years ago seeing the maid carts with racks of glasses in them. The problem is that seems to be a fond memory from long ago. I recent years I can't say I've seen one maid cart that had glasses in those brown plastic racks on them. For that matter I don't recall seeing a maids cart big enough to hold racks of glasses to replace in the rooms (and take the old glasses out). 

Maybe I haven't been paying close enough attention. Maybe hotels have found they're not being checked on this and are purposely cutting corners to save a buck. All I know is after that video I will be paying more attention to the maids carts and, if I don't see clean glasses on them and racks of dirty glasses going out of the rooms I'm not touching those glasses provided in the rooms. For that matter if I notice they're not replacing the glasses I might just quit staying at that hotel chain figuring if they're cutting that corner then what else isn't being cleaned properly as well.


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## Picker57 (Nov 27, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> We were having dinner with friends & family at a semi-upscale (well, semi-upscale by our standards anyway) Chinese seafood restaurant at a seaside resort we all enjoy.  Across the way from our table but straight ahead of where I was seated & in my direct line of vision, I saw the bartender polishing some brandy snifters by breathing onto them to make them foggy & then rubbing them shiny with his bar towel, holding them up to eye level so he could spot more places that needed polishing.  I don't drink brandy -- consumed my entire lifetime capacity of alcohol by the time I was 45 -- so I am out of the loop about barware sanitation.  That is, maybe high-proof brandy kills all germs & so the bartender's breath is nothing to fret about, I don't know.  But if the bartender had stopped to think about it, surely he would have realized the customers shouldn't see him breathing on the glassware out there in the open.  Sheesh.
> 
> One time we were having BOGO-coupon supper at a countrified hillbilly-theme restaurant in Branson MO.  I swear, when the kitchen help came out to reload the buffet serving dishes, I could hear _Dueling Banjos_ playing in the background.  I don't really think the look of those folks was part of the country ambiance the place was striving for.
> 
> ...



These are hilarious - would probably be even moreso if I (a) wasn't a brandy drinker and (b) didn't like Wendy's chili.  Jeez...life'll never be the same. 

          ---Zach Kaplan


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## johnmfaeth (Nov 27, 2007)

Hi Zach,

Yes, sipping Jack Daniel's does have the effect of killing anything living in the glass. Works for me...

John


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## JudyS (Nov 27, 2007)

AwayWeGo said:


> The Chief Of Staff's late grandfather used to say we're each going to eat a pound of dirt in our lifetimes anyway so what the heck -- or words to that effect.
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


My mom used to say you have to eat a peck of dirt in you life.  And I'd reply, "Yeah, but what if the time you finish your peck of dirt is when _you die_?"   

I kind of wish I hadn't read this thread!  Maybe I was better off not knowing.


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## hvsteve1 (Nov 27, 2007)

Fox 5 New York just did their own version. Housekeepers in two upscale Times Square hotels were caught doing stuff like washing glasses and drying them with dirty towels. One used a dirty washcloth to clean the toilet then wiped down the counter top with the same fetid rag. They then showed the clips from Atlanta. Hotel chains said, in this latest expose', it was an "isolated incident" and a violation of their procedures. *Naughty Maids! *(Sounds like an adult video title I once had).:hysterical:


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## billymach4 (Nov 27, 2007)

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?p=427323&posted=1#post427323

Maybe one of the moderators wants to merge threads???


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## Blues (Dec 6, 2007)

This has been making the rounds all over the internet -- not just TUG.

A co-worker, not on TUG, forwarded the same information.  Another co-worker responded as follows:

"I worked as hotel maid to help pay for college. The number of rooms assigned and the number of items to take care of per room makes real cleaning pretty much impossible. Housekeepers have to cut corners in order to get through their assignments or else get docked or fired. A common practice in the place where I worked was to straighten up sheets instead of changing them; usually this was if the same guest was staying another night, but not always....

When staying in hotels, I use the plastic-wrapped plastic cups (not the glass ones), I try to minimize my skin contact with the outside of the bedspread, and I check the sheets before getting in. And I never eat any food that I drop onto the floor (not even the 5 second rule)."


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## SandyW (Dec 7, 2007)

I once worked in a mid-price range hotel, so I can verify that the information posted here regarding hotel maids is absolutely true.  As a result of that experience, whenever I travel,  in addition to not using hotel glasses, or coffee cups, I always carry along a can of Lysol Spray. I use it to spray the bed sheets & pillows, headboard, bed spread, carpet, shower, toilet, bathroom floor, chairs and especially the telephone and TV remote.


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## Karen G (Dec 12, 2007)

*Hotel drinking glasses*

This video clip  might make you think twice before using those glasses.


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## dioxide45 (Dec 12, 2007)

The same may hold true for timeshares. How well do you know those glasses and table settings in the cabinets and drawers were cleaned before you checked in? I know that most timeshares have dishwashers, but is there any way to prove that dirty dishes left behind by a guest were actually run through the dishwasher?


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## AwayWeGo (Dec 12, 2007)

*I Will Not Be Using Those Hotel Glasses -- Not Till I Wash'm.*

There was some recent major serious discussion related to this right here on TUG-BBS. 

Click here for that. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## hvsteve1 (Dec 24, 2007)

Well, here's an update on the "clean thing". We just returned from a cruise on Regent, a luxury cruise line. They had something in the public restrooms I had never seen, but a great idea. As with upscale hotels, the rest rooms used regular hand towels that were then dropped in a container...no paper towels to open the door. *However*, on the door itself was a small dispenser for mini paper towels and a small trash can, also attached to the door. It was actually there for the purpose of opening the door and disposing of the towel as you walked out. What a great idea


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