Study Identifies Bacterial Problem Spots Within Hotel Rooms

Hotel room TV remotes are about as germ-infested as the bathroom sink and toilet. According to a new study, bedside lamp switches are right up there when it comes to bacterial contamination, too. Researchers from the University of Houston, Purdue University and University of South Carolina examined hotel rooms in Texas, Indiana and South Carolina, testing 19 surfaces in three hotel rooms per state. The report’s most concerning finding was that the sponges and mops used by housekeepers to clean rooms actually contained some of the highest levels of contamination, which means they could spread bacteria to other rooms. The findings were presented Sunday at the American Society for Microbiology’s annual meeting in San Francisco. The study is just a preliminary investigation, designed to be the first step in an effort to improve housekeeping practices and implement a standardized approach to room cleaning based on methods developed by NASA. asm.org