Cleaning your cabin when boarding.

[danielsumner]

We are Clean Freaks. First thing I do when we get to our cabin on a ship is look in all the closets, drawers, ect. Next we take out our bottle of 70% rubbing alcohol and attach a spray head, grab wash cloths from the bath and away we go. All door handles, tv, tv remote , table tops, inside drawers, shelfs ect. The entire bath gets a spray down and wipe. It might not really do anything but makes us feel better. Ask the steward for two pool towels to put down on the sofa, The bed spread is put away and not to be seen again. I've been known to grab a vacuum from the hall much to the horror of the cabin attentents to tidy up missed areas. Doesn't take much time at all. Steward's love us, we are the easy ones to take care of, I cringe when we walk by some open doors, how do some people live like that, is that what their home life is like?

[setsail]

It's just nomb what others are doing with their cabins

[bouhunter]

Better things to do on vacation. :rolleyes: You do realize the room steward will follow up by cleaning every day with the dirty rags from previous rooms?

[vrock]

We always try to put things away so the counters are all clear and we put the dirty towels in a pile and make sure all garbage is put in the cans. I get laughed at because I will wipe down bathroom counter and sink and we alway use the make up rooms signs. We try to make it as easy as possible for our room steward. They work so hard and we appreciate them. :)

[ColoradoGurl]

I do the same thing, but I bring the travel size bottles of Lysol and clean the table surfaces, light switches, door knobs, remote, toilet seat and flush handle, sink and handles, and the bottom of the tub. At land hotels I put up the "do not disturb" sign for my whole stay (unless I'm staying more than just a couple days) so they don't come in and clean again. On a cruise though, we let them come clean every day. I just re-clean the bathroom counter and toilet myself, the rest I leave alone.

 

I do this because I saw a 60 Minutes (or maybe it was 48 Hours) news story where they put hidden cameras in hotel rooms and found that almost every single hotel chain used the same cleaning towel to clean the toilet as they use to clean the counter and table surfaces, and didn't switch it out when they went into another room; it was super disgusting.

 

They said the reason was because hotel maids were only given 3 minutes to clean each room and that their job was to give the "appearance of clean," and because they were in such a hurry, they were cutting corners by not changing out the towels, and would just wipe everything down so it looked shiny and clean, even though the way they were doing it was actually making it dirtier. It may be an issue that was fixed after that story but I have always cleaned my rooms since then. Plus, I've seen how gross some people are in public spaces, I'd hate to imagine what they do behind closed doors; picking their noses and then turning on/off light switches, going to the bathroom and then grabbing the door handles without washing their hands. I would rather feel comfortable in my room than feel like I have to wash my hands after I touch stuff. It's a little anal, but I do it.

 

 

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Edited October 29, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[BDL]

I always use those clorox cloths that come in a little pouch to wipe down the phone, remote control, light switches and handles in hotel rooms and cruise cabins. I also wipe down anything I might touch around my seat when I get on an airplane.

 

Since I started this about 10 years ago I have only gotten sick twice on vacations/work trips. Before that it was more than half the time I traveled. I also wash my hands when returning to my room, before meals, etc. You never know what you'll touch when using handrails and elevator buttons. I don't think what I do is overkill - it's just been working for me.

[luvscruising2007]

We put things away, put dirty towels in a pile on bathroom floor and use the make-p room signs. We try to make things as easy as possible for the stewards. We do not clean the room. We haven't been sick on any one of our cruises; we have great immune systems, built up over many years.

[Bookster99]

We have never had a problem: One cruise I got sick from too much rich food, and the crew had the room completely spotless before I returned from the infirmary. However, it's your vacation: You need to do what makes you most comfortable.

[Biker19]

Do you also wipe down the pepper grinder?

[gizvic]

I don't go quite as far as the OP, but I do bring Clorox wipes and wipe the phone, the remote, sink handles, and doorknobs.

 

 

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[Bookster99]

Do you also wipe down the pepper grinder?

 

funny

[ColoradoGurl]

Do you also wipe down the pepper grinder?

 

 

No, they stopped putting one of those in the rooms with all the cut backs. I'm actually thinking of cancelling my next cruise because I don't think i'm really getting my money's worth now that those aren't provided anymore. I might give them one more try, but after that, I'm gone. Probably...maybe.

 

 

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Edited October 29, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[DirtyDawg]

..... I cringe when we walk by some open doors, how do some people live like that, is that what their home life is like?

 

Funny, I do the same when I walk by the open doors of Clean Freak's cabins.:D

[cb at sea]

Lol...I''m not so much a "clean" freak as a "neat" freak! I HATE CLUTTER! I do wipe the remote and handles....and I do wash my hands when coming back to the cabin, or home from the grocery store, etc....but I don't use sanitizing stuff...soap and water and a clean towel is fine!

[Ocean Boy]

Don't know how I survived so long without doing this cabin clean down upon arrival aboard ship.

[ColoradoGurl]

Don't know how I survived so long without doing this cabin clean down upon arrival aboard ship.

 

 

Maybe you are one of the people us clean freaks are grossed out by [emoji23] I know a lot of the extra cleaning is just for peace of mind and might not be necessary, but it doesn't hurt. And maybe you're more likely to think its excessive if you're one of those people who picks their nose with your hands and then grabs for the buffet tongs, in which case, yeah, all this cleaning seems weird.

 

(I'm not really implying you personally do that, but just offering an example of one reason it might not occur to someone to be grossed out by the possibility that the surfaces might be covered in someone else's bad manners. If one has bad manners, doesn't wash their hands after the bathroom etc., then they probably aren't the type to mind that other people don't either).

 

 

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Edited October 29, 2016 by ColoradoGurl

[racerxspeedy]

It's always a good idea to check over the room when you 1st arrive. We found some large pieces of broken glass in our state room on Indy. Others have commented on finding incomplete cleaning. Most room attendants are scrambling on turnaround day.

[OCruisers]

We don't really do anything except ...

Before storing our suitcases under our bed I always shine a flash under it to check for space.

It's amazing some of the gross things you'll sometimes fine under there. :eek: .. :rolleyes:

[Ocean Boy]

Maybe you are one of the people us clean freaks are grossed out by [emoji23] I know a lot of the extra cleaning is just for peace of mind and might not be necessary, but it doesn't hurt. And maybe you're more likely to think its excessive if you're one of those people who picks their nose with your hands and then grabs for the buffet tongs, in which case, yeah, all this cleaning seems weird.

 

(I'm not really implying you personally do that, but just offering an example of one reason it might not occur to someone to be grossed out by the possibility that the surfaces might be covered in someone else's bad manners. If one has bad manners, doesn't wash their hands after the bathroom etc., then they probably aren't the type to mind that other people don't either).

 

 

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I took my share of microbiology courses in medical school and deal with the microbial world every day in the office. I am neither stupid nor uninformed and I do not I pick my nose. And I even wash my hands after I use the bathroom. Imagine that.

 

I actually do look around the cabin for "stuff" that I would rather was not there. I don't spray the room down with alcohol, Lysol, etc.

Edited October 29, 2016 by Ocean Boy

[papaflamingo]

I go to the nearest bar and have a drink. I've been on 29 cruises. I know that alcohol kills germs. So far I've never been sick on a cruise.

[gerif]

Gosh, I stay in hotels at least twice a month and the most I ever do is check for bedbugs - that's about as anal as I ever get. Never caught a thing.

[NJporkroll]

Funny how people overreact. We have become a society of obsessive compulsives. When the truth is we need to be exposed to germs, it's how our bodies become immune. Fact is we are sicker today then, we were decades ago. Way too many antimicrobial cleansers being used.

Bleach, hand sanitizer and crazy need to live within a sterile field is hurting us more than it helps.

 

However, I can understand why you feel that way, but I'm more concerned with bringing home bedbugs, than some virus.

 

When we over sanitize, we kill the good bacteria we need to fight off the bad ones... the germs are not so much on the surface as they are imbedded within the pipes, and air vents. Most people get sick from breathing in mold spores from the HVAC systems, a close second is the bacteria that lives within the miles of pipes we drink, wash, bathe and shower in.

 

Not to mention those filthy beverage guns used in bars and drink and coffee dispensers that are never cleaned properly. And don't get me started on hot tubs.

 

There was also the problem of hotel towels not being washed in water not hot enough to sterilize and disinfect the towels properly just to save a few bucks. I'm sure cruises do the same. A simple -2 degree temperature fluctuation save millions a year in the hospitality industry.

 

When I check into a hotel I check for bed bugs [emoji220]. Because that's a real bad problem. Cruise ship are no exemption. And it's just not as simple as checking the piping of the mattress. It's looking behind picture frames, bed frames, furniture, lamps, phones practically any dark warm environment. That is what freaks me out when traveling.

 

Safe travels, if you guys want I can put up some tricks of the trade to find bed bugs. Even behind items that are fixed to the wall like headboard, pictures etc...

 

 

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[capecruzer]

Well, cringe away :D

 

Alcohol kills germs and we consume our share on cruises. Sometimes I think about checking for bed bugs but then the thought escapes me and something more pleasant takes over. I'd be even more a slob if the darn cabin wasn't so small...I truly hate clutter so I do a general pick-up before leaving in the morning and before shutting off lights for the night but anything that happens in between is between me, the cabin steward and those who are cringing when the door is left open and they walk by.

 

At home I have a housekeeper every other week. She does a great job and I love sitting in my home for those first few days. I pick up the clutter between her visits but I don't clean unless absolutely necessary, that's what I pay her for.

 

I'm OCD about some things but cleanliness apparently is not one of them.

[Cuervosar]

We are Clean Freaks. First thing I do when we get to our cabin on a ship is look in all the closets, drawers, ect. Next we take out our bottle of 70% rubbing alcohol and attach a spray head, grab wash cloths from the bath and away we go. All door handles, tv, tv remote , table tops, inside drawers, shelfs ect. The entire bath gets a spray down and wipe. It might not really do anything but makes us feel better. Ask the steward for two pool towels to put down on the sofa, The bed spread is put away and not to be seen again. I've been known to grab a vacuum from the hall much to the horror of the cabin attentents to tidy up missed areas. Doesn't take much time at all. Steward's love us, we are the easy ones to take care of, I cringe when we walk by some open doors, how do some people live like that, is that what their home life is like?

 

You're telling me this why?

 

My other mode of vacationing is backpacking. I actually sleep on dirt, drink water from streams and go days at a time without a shower. The horror!

[Desert Cruizers]

We keep things picked up in our room and should try that at home too.:D I like the Clorox wipes.