Preventing Germs At Hotel

[princess0511]

what do you all do to prevent germs in the hotel room? I usually wipe down the remote and door handles, but am looking for other suggestions. We will be traveling to Disney in late April. I know I can not prevent all germs. Thanks!

[BigRedDad]

I can of Lysol over the entire room would do the trick. Any where and every where your fingers, feet, and body may touch.

[Dsnygirl]

We carry the mini spray Lysol and use that w/ Lysol anti-bacterial wipes to wipe down everything the prior guests would have been handling in the room... the door handles and remote like you said, and also the phone (make sure you do the cradle of it and the buttons, too), the knobs on the drawers and the bathroom area - sink/faucets/toilet. Not that we don't trust the housekeepers to do a good job, but sometimes their version of "clean" and mine differ just a bit. It might LOOK clean, but I'm more nervous about what I can't see... :blush:

(I'm a nurse, and VERY well teased for my anti-germ tactics when we travel. Luckily, no one but my family notices, and I'm only a nut on the plane ride down and when we're unpacking... for the rest of the trip, I pretty much let it go... ;))

[KylesMom]

Other than the suggestions above, we remove the comforters from the beds upon arrival & pin a note to them to please leave them off for the remainder of our stay. :mickey:

[g8rgirl29]

Don't forget your basic, frequent hand washing!! I always ship down a container of antibacterial soap.

[MidnTPK]

what do you all do to prevent germs in the hotel room?
I ignore them.

I'm not sure if that method is effective or not...

But there's no way of proving the-germ-that-got-someone-sick came from your room, as opposed to a ride lap bar, the seatbelt on an airplane, the food at the restaurant, or the guy who sneezed in your direction while waiting in line.

Give all the other germs floating around WDW, the ones that might be left in a hotel room after a professional housekeeper cleaned the room are pretty low on my list of priorities.

[disneymom15]

We don't do anything either.

[Ms. Mode]

I ignore them.

I'm not sure if that method is effective or not...

But there's no way of proving the-germ-that-got-someone-sick came from your room, as opposed to a ride lap bar, the seatbelt on an airplane, the food at the restaurant, or the guy who sneezed in your direction while waiting in line.

Give all the other germs floating around WDW, the ones that might be left in a hotel room after a professional housekeeper cleaned the room are pretty low on my list of priorities.

I hear you...me too :thumbsup:

[PopPhan]

We basically rely on good personal hygiene. What germ are out there, we try to build up natural defenses against them.

I can tell you that in the last 7 years of trips to WDW, the only problem I ever encountered was an ear infection that I probably had before the trip down as it hit on the last day of a 5 day trip. (Now I know why babies cry on airplanes!!!!)

[Goofy Pluto]

A few germs never hurt anyone. As a matter of fact, they help your immune system.

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

We drive down so, we have room to bring our own bed sheets and pillow cases. We've always done this... when we flew and didn't have room, we always stayed in a room with washer and dryer. We wash the sheets as soon as we get there. Also, we wash all the dishes in the dishwasher as soon as we get there too. We also have cleaning wipes that we use to wipe the normal stuff down... one thing to add is the balcony railing and patio chairs. (usually has bird poop or something on there too)

and we have anti-bacterial foam gel in the entry hall and in our diaper bag.

wow, after putting it down on paper, I seem like a mega germ-aphob

[MMFreak]

I can only think of one word to describe some of the precautions some of you take and that is....



WOW

[Seasonscraps]

We basically rely on good personal hygiene. What germ are out there, we try to build up natural defenses against them.



I am the same way.

[kakn7294]

Unless someone has a compromised immune system, good personal hygiene and frequent, thorough hand-washing - both of which should be part of your normal, everyday routine anyway - should be sufficient. I don't do any extra cleaning above and beyond what the housekeepers have already done unless something looks visibly dirty.

[mouseketeer mom]

We don't do anything extra! Good handwashing, thats all.

[lettripp]

I am usually too excited that I'm vacation to think of sanitizing...

[bruin1344]

I ignore them.

I'm not sure if that method is effective or not...

But there's no way of proving the-germ-that-got-someone-sick came from your room, as opposed to a ride lap bar, the seatbelt on an airplane, the food at the restaurant, or the guy who sneezed in your direction while waiting in line.

Give all the other germs floating around WDW, the ones that might be left in a hotel room after a professional housekeeper cleaned the room are pretty low on my list of priorities.

I agree, I dont even think about it. I trust the housekeepers use anti-bacterial cleaner to clean the bathroom and the sinks. You can usually smell the cleaner when you first walk in and use clean sheets.

The only thing I do is wash my hands before I eat or touch my face.

[jmj18]

We too wash our hands often and use sanitizing gel/spray in the parks. Other than that.....we don't really do anything special.

I guess I feel like we can get sick anywhere...so I try not to stress too much on vacation. We have been very lucky so far.:mickey:

[kemps@wdw]

Nothing! There is NO possible way, in a place like that, to avoid them. Normal hand washing, of course. But no spray, wipes, or gloves.

[Pop Centurion]

Just avoid rubbing your eyes, eating, or touching your face at all without washing your hands first if you're really concerned about germs.
I'll admit, we do carry a small bottle of purell with us for instances when we grab a quick snack and need to clean our hands without looking for a restroom.

[Dsnygirl]

Nothing! There is NO possible way, in a place like that, to avoid them. Normal hand washing, of course. But no spray, wipes, or gloves.
Now see, I have to disagree with that. I am a nurse, and have seen (and participated in) multiple studies on surfaces that have been "cleaned" vs. anti-bacterialized. You CAN most definitely help yourself to avoid getting sick if you spend 5 minutes upon arrival grabbing a wipe and wiping down the common touchable surfaces... and trust me, not all mousekeepers, no matter how good they are (and we love our mousekeepers) get everything.

Outside of the room? Admittedly, there's not much you can do... you're certainly not going to spend time wiping down door handles and rides. But in your own room, you can definitely keep things more sanitary than they started out.

I admit I am more conscious of it than most, but after having two vacations ruined after getting sick not long after arrival (and knowing I wasn't exposed at home), I do make sure I wipe things down when we first arrive -- and haven't had a sick experience since.

Is it partly good luck?? Probably... but you can't say that doing nothing is the same as cleansing the surfaces... you really do decrease the risk of getting sick in those simple 5 minutes.

(and I also understand that whatever decreases your stress level works, too... so if you're not someone who worries about it, then don't... but if you're someone who wants to be careful and will be more stressed if you feel you could be doing something but don't know what to do, or haven't?? Then by all means, make yourself feel better, bring some wipes and have at it... having it off your mind is better than wishing you'd done something! :D)

[Joannelet]

This past December we were there with my DS1,my mom, dad and hubby. I brought Lysol with us and paper towels. I wiped down all the door knobs, surfaces etc. upon arrival and didn't worry about it the rest of the trip. When in the parks I sanitized after every major ride. Kept my hands away from my face etc.
It worked because no one in my fam got sick!!!

[javamama]

I'll admit I'm a germaphob bigtime, but I've gotten tons better the older my kids get. I do pack my purell, antibacterial wipes, and make my kids wash their hands alot. I do usually have a mini lysol spray, but I think I've forgotten to use it the past two trips...eekkk!!! Honestly if I showed everyone here the picks of how dirty, filthy, the Poly Princess Suite was no one would belive me, our brand new socks that we put on that morning(and I'm a stickler for no shoes on in the house) we're brown on the bottoms the carpets were dirty, the walls had stains, the furniture had drip marks from beverage spills. Mind you this isn't your run of the mill room at WDW, 8 suites are in this building only! So I really wouldn't go crazy worrying about germs, just sing the hand washing song my 3 year learned in preschool and you'll be all good! Top and bottom, inbetween, now your clean!

[Tink#64]

Usually we just stick with the hand washing & I tote a refillable bottle of hand sanitizer that hangs from pack eveywhere we go in WDW. But last year oldest DS actually got the Swine Flu, (not in WDW but a miserable, scary experience) so I'm disinfecting a whole lot more, not obsessing, but trying to err on the side of caution! I'm taking Lysol wipes for the obvious upon checking into our room, then we'll follow with the best we can do considering being on vacation in one of the busiest places on the planet! :blush:

[disneydeb]

I just take a can of Lysol and spay everything. I keep my clean clothes in ziplock bags and use hand sanitizer periodically. Keeping clean clothing in large ziplock bags probably does nothing except make me feel better and after I put items in the bag, I squeeze the air out so I can put more in a suitcase.

[eandrsmom]

Antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, and antibacterial soap. I always have hand sanitizer in my purse. I always bring a bottle of liquid soap to use in our room for hand washing. But, the most important item that I bring are antibacterial wipes. When we get to the room, I wipe down all of the hard surfaces in the room. Plus, I keep them in the diaper bag to wipe down the tables at the CS restaurants or in the airport. Just wipe and toss. We probably go through 3 or 4 small canisters the week we're there.

[mook3y]

I prefer using Ozium over Lysol. But, I have Asthma and Lysol is more irritating to my lungs than Ozium is. It reduces airborne bacteria and removes not masks any odors.

Then we also wipe down commonly touched surfaces with clorox anti-bacterial wipes.

[Darbylew]

I lysol everthing in the room as we enter. I also
carry hand sanitizer with me at all times. I also
carry wipes. We have never gotten sick at WDW so we want to keep it that way. :mickey:

[MNNHFLTX]

I do think it's a good idea to take some precautions--yes, exposure to germs is necessary for building a strong immune system, but some types of bugs serve no purpose except to possibly make you sick. For example, studies have shown that in many hotel rooms the remote, phones, door handles and clock radio are contaminated with E. coli (meaning that previous did not practice good handwashing after using the bathroom). If E. coli is present, odds are that other harmful gastrointestinal pathogens might also be present. So wiping down those items in a hotel room is probably not a bad idea. But yes, the single best precauation you can take while on vacation is frequent, good hand-washing or use of a hand-sanitizer.

[waymickey]

i bring a small thing of dish soap and clean the glasses each day. Or we just use or refillable mugs. those glasses are gross. We also wipe down everything in the bathroom.

[princess0511]

Thanks for all the advice. I have just been more nervous of germs since my son was born and I will be pregnant this trip. I will use lots of your advice! Thanks!!

[KatrinaJ91]

I agree! We don't do anything in the room....never really thought about it! I have never been one to carry antibacterial stuff or any of that. We just wash our hands after restroom use and before eating meals! I must say...it works well for us. My family is rarely sick...small colds here and there. I can't ever remember a time when any of us got sick either during or after a trip to Disney. I think too much "clean" causes more problems and illnesses.




A few germs never hurt anyone. As a matter of fact, they help your immune system.

[dnickels]

If there's anyone on the fence and getting all freaked out about germs from reading this thread just let me add my 2 cents.

-lived the past two winters just behind the MK and went over to Disney at least weekly
-my lower legs are paralyzed so when getting on or off rides, sitting down at tables/benches, etc I have to touch things more than most in order to grab the handles or get myself up and down from a seat
-I always drink from the water fountains
-I can't tell you the last time I was sick, not even a cold, it's been years and years.

If you're still freaked out, that's okay too, keep buying those Clorox wipes and I'll just buy some more stock in the Clorox company.

[LudwigVonDrake]

I use my immune system :D

[Jeffybob]

The only precaution I really take is washing my hands after taking bus transports around the Resort. I always wash my hands when I get to where I am going, after taking a bus.

Also, I am mindful about the trays that food is carried on. I use a bit of gel after carrying the tray, and before eating.

I think that if you keep your hands out of your mouth, away from your eyes and wash them frequently, you should be fine.

As for the rooms, I have never had an issue. I am more concerned about confined spaces like airplanes vs. a room at a Disney resort.


-Jeffybob (Boardwalk DVC Member since '98) :mickey:

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