A room that looks clean and a room that is actually clean are two very different things.
That first moment when you walk into a hotel room can be deceiving. The bed is crisply made, the carpets are vacuumed, and the surfaces seem to shine. Housekeeping staff are under immense pressure to turn over rooms quickly, however, which means that a room can look clean at first glance while hiding a multitude of sins.
For your own peace of mind and well-being, it’s worth taking five minutes to conduct a quick but thorough inspection. This simple routine will help you spot the difference between a surface tidy and a genuinely sanitary space.
1. You should start with the high-touch, low-priority items.
The first places to check are the items that countless hands have touched but that often get missed during a rushed cleaning. These include the TV remote, light switches, the telephone, and the alarm clock. These objects are notorious hotspots for germs. A quick way to test them is to run a disinfectant wipe over the surface; if it comes back grimy, it’s a clear sign of a less-than-thorough job.
While you’re at it, check the door handles, both for the main door and the bathroom. A truly clean room will have had all these small, frequently-handled items wiped down. If these are dirty, it’s a major red flag about the attention to detail applied to the rest of the room.
2. Give the bathroom a much closer look.
A quick glance can tell you if the toilet has been flushed and if there are fresh towels, but you need to look closer. Check the corners of the bathroom floor, especially behind the toilet and door, as this is where hair and dust love to accumulate. Pull back the shower curtain and examine the bottom for any signs of pink or black mildew.
Don’t forget to inspect the drinking glasses. Many hotels now provide single-use plastic cups or glasses sealed in plastic, which is a great sign. If they are reusable glass, hold them up to the light to check for smudges or lipstick marks, an indication they may have just been rinsed instead of properly washed and sanitized between guests.
3. You need to look under the fresh sheets.
The bed may look inviting with its pristine white duvet, but the real story lies underneath. Pull back the comforter and the top sheet to get a good look at the mattress pad or protector. This is a layer that doesn’t get changed with every guest, and its condition is a great indicator of the hotel’s deep-cleaning standards.
Look for any stains, hair, or other debris. While the sheets on top might be perfectly clean, a soiled mattress protector underneath suggests that the foundational elements of the bed’s hygiene are being neglected. A truly clean hotel ensures that every layer of the bed is properly maintained and spotless for its guests.
4. Do a quick dust check on forgotten surfaces.
Dusting is one of the first things to be skipped when a housekeeper is in a hurry. You can get a great sense of the room’s overall cleanliness by checking the places where dust settles but is often ignored. Run your finger along the top of the headboard, the back of the television, and the top of the picture frames.
Lampshades are another excellent tell-tale spot; give one a gentle tap and see if a puff of dust emerges. These out-of-the-way surfaces are a dead giveaway. If they are covered in a fine layer of dust, it means the room has only received a cursory wipe-down rather than a deep and detailed cleaning.
5. Inspect the coffee maker and ice bucket before using them.
The in-room coffee maker and the ice bucket are convenient amenities, but they are also known for being breeding grounds for germs if not cleaned properly. Before you brew a cup, open the coffee maker and look inside the water reservoir. Check for any signs of mold or mineral buildup. A quick sniff can also tell you if it has a stale or musty odor.
Always make sure the ice bucket has a fresh, clean plastic liner. You should never use an unlined ice bucket, as you have no idea what the previous guest may have used it for. If there is no liner provided, it’s a sign of poor hygiene standards, and you should call the front desk to request one.
6. The final check is to trust your nose.
Sometimes, the best tool for checking a room’s cleanliness is your own sense of smell. A room might look spotless, but a persistent musty or damp odor can be a sign of underlying issues like mold, mildew in the ventilation system, or carpets that haven’t been properly deep-cleaned. Air freshener can mask odors, but it won’t hide them for long.
If the room smells stale or anything other than fresh and neutral, it’s a sign that it may not be as clean as it appears. After your initial visual checks, take a moment to just stand in the room and breathe. An off-putting smell is a perfectly valid reason to request a different room.