A stay-at-home mom’s creative hacks for guarding against germs on holiday have gone viral. In a video amassing millions of views, she shares why a sponge should be on your travel checklist.
Putting a sponge in your luggage sounds like an utterly bizarre idea, but one keen traveller has revealed why it’s a great idea.
A TikTok user’s idea for supplementing an often forgotten hotel staple takes up minimal space and only requires two things. TikTok user and stay-at-home mum, Ollie, who runs the account lets.do.it.all has shared her favourite travel hacks in a viral new video.
Amassing 5.5 million views, the video showcases some colourful and creative travel tips to avoid germs on holiday.
One of Ollie’s tips for “packing like a pro” involves carrying cut up pieces of sponge that are pre-soaked in washing up liquid. As she demonstrates in the video, travellers should soak a full-size scourer sponge in liquid detergent, and, after waiting for it to dry, cut it into small but manageable pieces.
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The next step is to put all the chopped up pieces in a resealable plastic bag. Then you’re ready to pack this handy tool into your case. But, like many viewers, you may be wondering when exactly this will come in handy.
In the same video Ollie immediately demonstrates that the pieces of sponge can be easily remoistened and used to clean cups and other kitchen items that you may find in your hotel room, which is ideal if your accommodation is not self catering and therefore without a sink.
Some TikTok users in the comments questioned the utility of the hack. One user asked: “where are you going and why are you going to a place where you need small pieces of soupy sponge. Like what? It’s giving 5min crafts on facebook.”
In response, another user pointed out why it’s a helpful hack, especially in hotels. “Most hotel kitchens don’t have anything to wash dishes with, so that’s actually a good idea for small trips,” they wrote.
Ollie’s video also had a few other tips that drew mixed reactions from viewers. Another hack she shares in the video involves securing shoes in a shower cap before putting them in your luggage – to presumably keep dirt from touching your clothes.
Hair ties around suitcase wheels
The other hack she shared was another designed to limit germs and grime. Ollie urged followers to secure hair ties around each wheel of your luggage – the wheels are still functional as she demonstrates in the video but they don’t get dirty.
It was popular among some viewers, with one commenting that it “will not only keep the wheels clean but it’ll also help identify your luggage easily”. Another wrote that, beyond utility, it’s just a fun idea: “decorating wheels are actually cute”.
While you may think that dirty luggage wheels are not a big deal, a recent study revealed that the wheels on your luggage actually track more bacteria than a public toilet seat.
As part of a new study funded and facilitated by InsureandGo , researchers swabbed the wheels, base and trolley handle of a suitcase to test for bacteria. The findings revealed that wheels of a suitcase can carry almost 58 times more bacteria than a public toilet seat.
Microbiologist, Amy-May Pointer, explains that this isn’t the only part of the suitcase you need to worry about. “Your suitcase wheels could harbour more bacteria than a public toilet seat, and the underside of your bag isn’t far behind,” she states.
Naturally, the wheels are dirtiest because of their constant contact with pavements, toilet floors, and airport floors. However, the base of a suitcase can also easily track dust, dirt and germs.
Researchers found that black mould could easily latch onto luggage. “Suitcases, especially their wheels and bottoms, are germ magnets that can out-germ even a toilet,” says Pointer.