You check into your hotel room, tired after a long day of travel. Immediately, you notice the complimentary ice bucket and the neatly arranged glasses, gleaming under the lights. While it seems like the perfect setup for a relaxing in-room drink, you might want to pause. In fact, before you fill that bucket, you should consider what those items have been through.
Hotel housekeepers, the heroes who see what really goes on behind closed doors, have shared some unsettling secrets. As a result, many of them say they would never use these common amenities in their own hotel stays. Below are seven cringe-worthy reasons why the hotel ice bucket and glasses are best left untouched.
1. The Glasses Often Get a “Quick” Rinse
You might assume staff take those glasses to a kitchen for a high-temperature dishwasher cycle. Unfortunately, that’s often not the case. Because of immense time pressure to clean dozens of rooms, some housekeepers admit to taking shortcuts.
Specifically, this can include simply rinsing the glasses in the bathroom sink, sometimes with the same cloth they use to wipe the counter. Moreover, others have admitted to wiping them with a furniture polish rag to make them shine. Consequently, while they may look clean, they are far from sanitized.
2. Ice Buckets Double as Unofficial Trash Cans
When there isn’t a trash can nearby, for example, guests often improvise. The hotel ice bucket, therefore, frequently becomes a convenient receptacle for all sorts of garbage. People toss in used tissues, leftover food, and wrappers. Although a plastic liner might be present, it doesn’t guarantee the bucket itself is clean.
In fact, that liner can leak, and housekeepers rarely scrub and sanitize the bucket itself with the same rigor as a toilet. For this reason, it often just gets a quick wipe-down before the next guest arrives.
3. Housekeepers Use the Same Cleaning Tools Everywhere
In the world of hotel cleaning, efficiency is key. This means, for instance, that housekeepers take the same cart of supplies and tools from room to room. As a result, the sponge they use to wipe down a bathroom counter could be the same one they use to wipe out an ice bucket.
Consequently, cross-contamination is a serious risk. In other words, germs from one guest’s bathroom could easily transfer to the very item you plan to use for your drink. This fact alone is enough to make many housekeepers steer clear.
4. Staff Rarely Sanitize Them Properly
True sanitation requires specific chemicals and dwell times to kill bacteria and viruses. Given the tight turnaround times for cleaning rooms, however, housekeepers place ice buckets and glasses low on the priority list for this level of deep cleaning. In most cases, a quick wipe is often all they get.
Furthermore, these items fall into a grey area of cleaning protocols. They aren’t dishes that go to the kitchen, nor are they bathroom fixtures. Ultimately, this lack of a clear, enforced sanitizing process means their cleanliness is highly inconsistent.
5. Guests Use Them for… Questionable Things
Now, this is where the details get truly disturbing. For instance, housekeepers have reported finding guests who used ice buckets for horrifying purposes. Some guests, for example, have used them as makeshift potties for small children or vomit basins when sick.
Therefore, there is absolutely no way for you to know how a previous guest used that bucket. The thought of putting ice for your drink into something that may have held bodily fluids is a risk no one should be willing to take.
6. Time Pressure Leads to Shortcuts
However, it’s important to understand that this isn’t always about lazy or careless staff. On the contrary, hotels often give housekeepers an impossibly short amount of time to completely flip a room. Consequently, they must prioritize the most obvious areas of cleanliness, like the bed, toilet, and shower.
As a result, items like the coffee maker, remote control, and yes, the hotel ice bucket, often receive the least amount of attention. When forced to choose, therefore, cleaning the toilet will always win over scrubbing the ice bucket.
7. There’s No Way to Know Their History
Ultimately, the issue comes down to a simple, unsettling fact: you have no idea where that glass or bucket has been. For example, you don’t know who used it last or how staff cleaned it. In short, the visual appearance of cleanliness can be deceiving.
Therefore, given the numerous horror stories from those who clean the rooms every day, the risk is simply not worth the convenience. The consensus among many hospitality insiders is clear: avoid them.
When in Doubt, Bring Your Own
This information isn’t meant to ruin your vacation but rather to empower you to travel smarter and healthier. If you want a cold drink in your room, for instance, look for a vending machine with sealed bottles or cans. Similarly, if you need a cup, pack your own reusable water bottle. In the end, a little bit of caution can save you from a whole lot of gross.
Have you ever had a questionable experience with hotel room cleanliness? Share your story in the comments below.
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The post 7 Reasons Housekeepers Say They Would Never Use the Hotel Ice Bucket or Glasses appeared first on Budget and the Bees.
