If you’re preparing a trip out of town you’ll want to make sure you book a hotel with disinfected rooms.

The last thing anyone expects is to sleep in a dirty hotel room. Staff are expected to maintain their hotel with high quality following the visit of a guest. Many hotels have a consistent cleaning schedule but it can still leave rooms dirty for following guests to endure according to experts.

In 2012, studies showed 81% of the surfaces in hotel rooms had samples of fecal bacteria. This is just one of many things to know before you travel. Now, we question:

What is the Dirtiest Part of a Hotel Room?

Research has shown that common surfaces, such as lights, TV remotes controls, toilets, and sinks, are the areas contaminated the most with bacteria.

Think about it, we come in contact with objects more than we realize we do. Solid surfaces can be natural places for germs to settle because of the frequency of contact throughout a single day. Considering hotel rooms are frequented multiple times within a week, microbes that have built up over time can be astounding.

Many consider bathrooms to be a dirty room in comparison to others. Believe it or not, whatever was in your toilet can end up contaminating your toilet, the handle to flush, even your walls and floor after your flush.

Recent studies by Kelly Reynolds, germ enthusiast and University of Arizona associate professor, and colleagues was published. It was illustrated that contaminants can be found on toilet seats, floors, back of toilets, wall behind toilets, flush handle, and toilet paper dispensers after flushing.

The sink can be a prime site for microbes because of crevices around faucets. These locations are narrow making it hard to clean but it will occupy water, creating moist environments for germs to flourish.

Outside of the bathroom, we question:

Why do Hotels Use Carpet?

Industry leaders in the world of hotels will prioritize comfort, along with many other things, but is comfort worth the germs that embed themselves in soft surfaces like the hotel room carpet and bedspread? So, why do hotels use carpet? Why is this the preferred flooring when it could harbor so many germs?

Some linen are changed between visitors renting the room, such as towels, sheets, and bath cloths, but many hotels do not wash their comforters or carpets as frequently. Avoid contact with particular surfaces as much as possible. It is inevitable that you will come in contact but limit your exposure; for example, many remove the comforter from the bed completely.

So, we understand that microbes can be found anywhere in hotel rooms but the abundance is dependent on how well they were able to sanitize the room.

Everything can become infested with germs if it is not completely sanitized; hotel room desks, drinking cups, and coffee pots included. Often, when we clean, we do more damage by moving the germs from one location to the other as opposed to actually getting rid of the germs which defines the fine line between cleaning and disinfecting.

To examine how microbes are able to travel among their environments, multiple studies have been conducted, specifically with hotels like those on Top Hotels World. For example, a virus was placed in the bathroom of a hotel then data was recorded. Conclusions show that staff that came to clean the room spread the microbes of the virus among many nearby rooms.

Naturally, we encounter germs everyday but many do not cause illness. There are very few germs that we encounter on a daily basis that are dangerous but you can never be too careful, especially now. Remember that a little bit can go a long way by using your foundational hygienic procedures. Wash your hands consistently, limit unnecessary contact, and accept that we all work together to protect each other.

How do I Avoid Coming in Contact With These Germs?

When staying in a hotel, regardless of how much you paid or how clean it appears, a disinfecting process of your own can limit the risk of encountering dangerous contaminants. This is especially important when it comes to where you eat and sleep. If you’re looking for a hotel in Las Vegas during this time, then you can check out the cheapest month to fly there and get the best deal.

Hand washing should become second nature. Even after washing your hands, avoid making contact with your face, especially your mouth, whether you have made contact with any surfaces or not.

Germs are unavoidable but maintaining awareness and diligently disinfecting our environments are steps we can take to avoid the harmful pathogens.