The Nastiest Thing in Your Hotel Room Is...

The light switch. Sorry, were you planning to read in bed?
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 24, 2012 9:28 AM CDT
The Nastiest Thing in Your Hotel Room Is...
Don't touch that.   (©wayne's eye view)

Bad news for germophobes: Light and lamp switches are among the dirtiest things found in hotel rooms, according to a new study. TV remote controls also rank near the top of the most-contaminated list, LiveScience reports. Of course, your remote at home may not be any cleaner, but in a hotel room, "there's a stranger factor" at work, says the lead researcher, in an apparent attempt to totally gross you out.

Hotel rooms "don’t have to have it ready for surgery," he adds, but it may still cause you some dismay to learn that the bacteria levels in hotel rooms were found to be as much as 10 times higher than the levels allowed in hospitals. Researchers also found high levels of contamination on the mops and sponges contained in maids' cleaning carts, meaning bacteria is likely being transferred from room to room. But, good news! Headboards, curtain rods (no big surprise), and bathroom door handles (surprise!) had much lower levels of bacteria. (More bacteria stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X