Prepping Your Hotel Bed

While some hotel rooms offer the top level of finery in every corner, it’s often the case that I’m settling into a less-than-lux budget hotel with room for a bit of improvement. More often than not, I feel the need to prep the hotel room bed before diving in.

One of my first moves is to TAKE ANYTHING DECORATIVE OFF THE BED.

Pillows, dust covers, runners, anything you don’t need to sleep in the bed.  These items are rarely (if ever) washed and can be all sorts of dirty in ways you don’t want to think about.  (The same goes for the rest of the room.)

Also, consider the duvet itself. In most cases (read: if you’re not at a super nice hotel), the duvet is not washed between guests. Some hotels even wash them as little as 4x per year. ew.

Many hotels use what appears to be two sheets sandwiching the duvet to give it a ‘clean’ cover for each new guest (we hope). I can be ok with this for the sake of my sanity- I just try to be sure that the sandwiching sheets are what I come in contact with rather than the (likely) unwashed duvet itself. I also give everything (especially the top edge of the duvet that might come in contact with my face while I sleep) a good spritz of disinfectant spray. 

If I encounter a duvet that’s a single piece without any kind of washable cover I’ll ditch it entirely and use my travel scarf or a sweater for warmth.

I’ll also remove any duvet that is suspiciously colorful (big patterns are a good way to hide creepy stains!). Then, a lil spritz of disinfectant spray, a healthy spritz (or three) of linen spray on the sheets, my silk pillowcase snugly in place, and it’s almost as good as home. 

I absolutely realize that this sucks and may mean you’re sleeping without a warm cover, but you decide how you feel about it. I’m just presenting the facts.

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Another important step to take just after checking into a hotel room is to be sure the hotel room bed doesn’t have bed bugs.

Yeah, they definitely exist.  Check the mattress*, bed frame, and headboard for little brown/red-ish stains (the spots are from the blood they’ve processed from the last person they bit and from their guts being squished!) 

* Yes, that means it’s best to check under the sheets and mattress pad as well as the sheets themselves. I know that’s a pain and even I won’t always go that far, but you can decide if it’s worth it based on the icky-factor of the room you’re in.

If you see these telltale spots ANYWHERE in the room, it could be cause for alarm. Bedbugs don’t exclusively live in beds.

It’s important to recognize the signs of bedbugs since it’s unlikely that you’ll see an actual bedbug (though it’s possible). Those suckers are FAST moving and hide from any light or disturbance.  

It’s also important to do your checking before you unpack to avoid contaminating your luggage.  If you find any evidence of bedbugs, let the front desk know you’ll need a new room PRONTO.

I’m sorry or you’re welcome. Not sure which way to go on this one.

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