The professional said she has never been asked to clean the items – and people are disgusted
When staying in a hotel, the first thing many of us do is check how clean the room appears, from the toilet to the bed and what lurks underneath. However, what looks clean on the surface and what’s truly clean can be two very different things.
Taking to TikTok, @ellianamadridssss, who works as a housekeeper listed five items she’s “never been told to clean”. This includes everyday items we drink from as well as the very bed we sleep on.
She says that the items are:
- The coffee maker
- Mattress pad
- The comforter aka the duvet
- The bed runner
- Pillows
Elliana’s post sparked a wave of alarmed comments from TikTok users. The reactions in the video’s comments reflect this concern. Comments like “Are you kidding me?” and “I’m terrified” have been repeated several times. Other users, meanwhile, have shared their own experiences, with one explaining: “When I worked at a hotel, we always cleaned the duvet sheets and pillow cases but only ever cleaned the actual pillows/comforters when they were stained.”
Another said: “I’ve cleaned 5 star hotels and can confirm this is true. Also don’t ever EVER use the glass cups.”
Some shared their personal tricks, such as spilling a drink on the bed before leaving the room to ensure they receive a clean duvet when they returned.
While this doesn’t mean these items are never cleaned – since practices vary between hotels and individual cleaners- it has still left many guests concerned about what they’re sleeping on and drinking from. Allergy specialist Doctor Tania Elliott adds to these concerns, noting that similar items are often overlooked when it comes to cleaning.
Taking to TikTok as @drtaniaelliott, she claimed that these are the “things they don’t clean in a hotel room”. Also listing five items, she starts off by revealing that they “don’t change the sheets every time if they don’t look dirty”. What else does she say never gets cleaned?
She says: “Same thing goes for pillowcases. So always bring your own.” If you like a coffee, it’s bad news as “these things are filled with bacteria”.
In a more startling revelation, she stated that “cleaners do not wash the glasses in between guests. They just wipe it off”. She also explained that “there’s a reason hotel rooms use coloured carpets”, noting that it’s “to hide the stains. So always choose a hotel room that has hardwood or tile flooring”.