Bedbugs: they're On The Increase. What You Can Do About Bed Bugs!

Bedbugs: they're On The Increase. What You Can Do About Bed Bugs!

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Bedbugs, Dried Semen and Urine

A separate study by ABC News Primetime also uncovered some things you probably don't want to know about in hotel rooms. The team visited 20 well-known hotels in New York, Miami, Houston and Los Angeles, and used a black light to determine how clean the rooms were.

At every hotel they visited, from a one-star hotel with rates at $55 a night to a five-star hotel with rooms that cost $400 a night, lab results showed evidence of urine or semen in every room tested. Bed bugs have also turned up at even high-level hotels. Some specifics:

• Regardless of cost -- from a one-star hotel room priced at $55 a night to a five-star room hotel room renting for $400 a night -- lab results showed traces of urine or semen in every room they tested.
• Trails of urine on the bedroom carpeting in a well-known Miami hotel.
• Traces of urine on the walls, bedspread, chairs, bathroom vanity stool and carpeting near the bed at a four-star resort.

"There's a lot going on behind those doors," said Dr. Mark Callahan, a physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital. "And the reality is that the hotels are not going to be wiping down the walls and those surfaces."

Is Staying in a Hotel Room Risky?

Though the thought of leftover viruses, urine and other unmentionables in your hotel room is disgusting, most experts say the risks of actually getting sick from hotel germs is pretty low.

Still, 80 percent of infections are spread by someone touching a germ-infested surface, or getting germ particles from a sneeze, cough or touch onto their hands.

"Whether germs are viral, bacterial, or fungal, some can remain active on most surfaces for several days -- no matter whether the surface is stainless steel, wood, plastic, or even the paper in a magazine," says Elaine Jong, MD, co-director of the University of Washington Travel Clinic in Seattle.

And while most hotels do lighter cleaning like dusting, vacuuming and disinfecting daily, in reality, most hotels only do "deep" cleaning four times a year, on average, which means there's a good chance some germs may be left behind by the cleaning people.

What can you do to minimize your risks and stay as germ-free as possible while staying in a hotel? Plenty.

1. Wash your hands regularly and often. This is particularly important before eating, touching your mouth, eyes, nose or face, and after you've been out.
   
2. Choose rooms that cost over $50 a night. Although the ABC News study found contaminants in rooms of all price ranges, University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD, who's also known as "Dr. Germ," believes spending a little more may pay off.
   
   "I did a study about seven years that found if you paid more than $50 a night, there was a much greater chance that the room was regularly disinfected. Rooms under $50 weren't."
   
3. Take off the bedspread. The bedspread is usually full of contaminants, as it's often not cleaned in between guests.
   
4. Pack your own sheets. If you're concerned about what may be on the hotel sheets, just bring your own. Alternatively, sleep in long-sleeved, long pants pajamas and check the hotel sheets for rust-colored stains, which may be a sign of bedbugs.
   
5. Carry with you, and use, sanitizing wipes. Use them to wipe down surfaces that may contain germs, such as the TV remote control, light switches, bathroom faucet, and coffee maker handle.
   
6. Ask for an allergy-free room. Some hotels have rooms that keep dust mites, allergens, and perhaps other germs, to a minimum. Other hotels have "allergy packs" that provide the guest with special pillows and mattress covers (which may be cleaner than the regular variety).
   
7. Pack rubber thongs (flip-flops) or slippers. Wear them at all times in the hotel room, rather than walking barefoot.

some suggestions:

Remove the hotel bedspread. That's typically the most germ-laden thing in the whole room.

Travel with sanitizing wipes. Wipe things that people touch a lot, such as the phone and the remote.

Wash your hands. The main way you can get sick is by getting lots of germs on your hands, then putting your hands in your mouth. So remember what your mother told you, and wash your hands early and often.

Look for rust-colored stains on sheets and bedspreads. It can be a sign that bedbugs are present.

References:

CNN.com September 29, 2006

ABC News: What's Hiding in Your Hotel Room?

MedicineNet.com: Germs are Everywhere -- Really

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