NOT AS CLEAN AS IT LOOKS! | DEGERM YOUR HOTEL ROOM WITH A FEW EASY TIPS

I've been back in the U.S for the past month and have been staying at hotels ever since. Thanks to Priceline I can stay at nice 4 star hotels, but no matter what star it is, hotels are at the top of my list of things that I HATE! For some it might be relaxing, but for me it's nothing but a hassle and my OCD+Paranoia always kick in. I can't sleep thinking about all the germs that are lingering around the room. I'm counting down the days till I go back to my extra sanitized home! Until then I will keep doing what I have to do to make sure I eliminate the germs in the hotel rooms as much as I can. 

After checking in, the first thing that I do is put out the Do Not Disturb sign and that stays on the door for the remainder of my trip. That sign probably has all sorts of germs on it too. I think hotel rooms are germ hotspots and I don't think the housekeeping staff really do any deep cleaning, which is a reason why I wouldn't want them coming into the room everyday and doing a quick picker upper because I don't consider that cleaning; that might just be making it worse. Plus I don't feel comfortable with strangers in my room. 

Hotels are definitely not my HOME AWAY FROM HOME and one reason for this — I can't stand the site of the carpeting. Thank GOD the hotel we are staying in is in the process of changing all of its carpets and our room has new ones, so that makes me feel a little better. Throughout my whole life, I've never gone in my house with my shoes on. It's a hotel, you obviously have no other choice but we pack our slippers and don't walk barefoot or in our outside shoes around the room. I'm going to go off topic a little bit, but for those who go into their homes with shoes that they have worn outside, they should really reconsider it. You walk into public restrooms and the filthy streets with your shoes and you bring everything you've stepped on into your home; it's really not hygienic. If you are worried about it being rude for guests, just keep some disposable overshoes (think blue plastic/doctors office) by the entrance and guests could just easily slip them on if they don't feel comfortable taking their shoes off. If you have pets that go outside, you can just wipe their paws with wet wipes before letting them back into the house; this way your house is more hygienic! 

GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE!!

One thing that is a key factor for the reason that I HATE hotels is: the chance of catching some beg bugs! I'm terrified that I'm going to run into bed bugs one day, so the first thing I do is check the room for any bed bugs. Don't think yeah right, it's a 1 in a million chance because it's not! My brother in law found bed bugs twice and he had to check into another hotel in the middle of the night. So I always do a complete check before I start unpacking. I take out my iPhone, turn on the camera light and pull up the sheets and then I check to see if any bedbugs are hanging out around the mattress. I do this by lifting the sheets off the mattress and check around the corners and I check the headboard too. Hopefully you don't but if you do happen to come across some bed bugs, grab your stuff and run! JK, you don't have to run but take your stuff and ask for a new room and it's always good to take photos for proof. If you don't feel comfortable staying in that hotel, you can always ask for a refund and they shouldn't have a problem giving you a refund. And don't forget to post a review on the hotel to give other travelers a heads up!

I then pull off everything from the bed and I usually pack my own sheets, if not I make a quick run to TJ Maxx or somewhere similiar and purchase some sheets. If I don't do this I just can't sleep at night thinking about all the germs I'm sleeping on. I've had a few encounters where the sheets were not clean. But If you aren't as obsessive as I am, you should still take off the decor pillows, the comforter/blanket and just leave the bottom fitted sheet and the sheet over that. I've done a lot of research with a lot of reliable sources that note that those other things aren't washed daily and I doubt those decor pillows are ever washed. Initially, my husband thought I was crazy but now he's gotten use to this and without me even telling him, he throws everything off the bed as soon as we get into the hotel room. Talk about team work! 

CLOROX WIPES✓ ZIPLOC ✓ 

Anyways, back to hotels. I always pack clorox travel wipes with me and as soon as I check for bedbugs, I'm ready to settle in. So I wipe everything that I will be touching — door handles, light switches, faucets, shower door, toilet flusher, toilet seat, fridge, safe buttons, thermometer and whatever else I will be in contact with. I wipe the toilet seat with the wipes but I still cover the seat with the tissues that they always have by the sink; 8 tissues usually does the job. I use to wipe down the remote control, until I read an article that said the remote control in hotel rooms had the most germs and a bunch of bacteria that can make you sick. So to be safe, I pack ziploc with me and I put the remote controller in ziploc and I don't need to worry about getting sick! 

This all might seem so complex and time consuming but I promise it's not as hard as it seems and it usually only takes about 5 minutes to clear the room before you can start enjoying it. If you are bummed about not having room service everyday; do you really need your sheets changed everyday? I doubt many people change their sheets at home daily; I change mine weekly. If you need toilet paper or fresh towels, just stick your head out the door and room service is always out in the hallway. I've been cooped up in a hotel room for the past month, so I just wanted to share some of my tips with everyone. Think I'm crazy? That's totally fine, you'll thank me later! JK