Does anyone every completely unpack their suitcases while on vacation
 

In the States, particularly, hotel rooms come with dressers (chests of drawers). Maybe I have never stayed in the same place long enough, but I have never been inclined to pull all my clothes out of my luggage and stow the clothes in the drawers. You?

Sure I do. If I am staying in one place for a week or so. Like a cruise, or a week in Mexico. Much nicer than digging in a suitcase every day. <BR>If I am moving around every day or two or 3, then I only take out what I need.

Yes, absolutely. Even if I'm on vacation for a few days, I like to hang up some clothing and refold others - mainly to get wrinkles out. It's much easier to get up and out in the mornings too if everything is unpacked.

I hang up or put away whatever I can. In economy-minded European hotels I often find that drawer space in the smallish rooms is at a premium, if there is any at all. Sometimes the only place for the suitcase is under the bed or stowed somewhere inconvenient, but can't be helped.<BR><BR>So whatever I can't hang up has to stay in the suitcase if there isn't drawer space. I do find,like traveler, that I am constantly refolding and rearranging the clothes in the suitcase.

Not since dust mites got into my clothing from the dresser drawer that hadn't been cleaned for many years I assume. I began itching and it ruined the whole trip. Do you really think the maids wipe drawers clean?

Thanks so much, xxx, for putting that thought into my head, but I've fortunately never had the problem. I do long trips -- up to five months at a time. If I'm three nights or more at one place everything comes out of the suitcase. It takes about 5 minutes and takes another 5 to put in back in. That little bit of spent time really helps to make me feel like I'm &quot;living&quot; there.

I was a little too embarrassed to admit this before, but when I put things in drawers I do line the drawers with one of the many plastic dry cleaner bags that I had in my suitcase where the original purpose was to reduce wrinkles.<BR>In the clothes.

Great suggestion, elaine. Also, if you put the plastic dry cleaner bag in the dresser drawer, you won't encounter a problem I ran into on my last trip. Before going out for the evening, I changed into a blazer which I had packed in a dry cleaner bag to avoid wrinkles. I left the bag on the bed, intending to use it to re-pack the blazer when I returned to my room later that night. When I returned to the room, however, the bag was nowhere to be found; apparently the chambermaid (who had been in the room while I was out -- I could tell, because the waste basket had been emptied) thought it was garbage, and took it away. I was a little peeved, because I don't think a maid should dispose of anything that a guest hasn't actually put in a waste basket. However, I didn't complain about it because (a) I didn't want to get the maid in trouble over such a small thing, and (b) it's entirely possible that some people are so lazy that, if they wanted to get rid of a plastic bag, they would just leave it on the bed and expect the maid to remove it, and the maid may have thought I was one of those people. In the future, however, I'll remember your tip and avoid the problem altogether by using the bag to line the drawer.

xxx, I don't know if you got dust mites, but I got parasites on my clothing from a dresser drawer. Someone before me at some point must have had lice, because they got on my husband's and my underwear that we had put in the drawers. <BR>Plastic covering is a good idea, because I don't think a maid's duty is to sterilize a drawer where other people's clothes were.

I hang up some of my clothes, but I never use the drawers. If the room has a wardrobe and I'll be there for a few days, I use the shelves to stash my carry on, travel books, umbrella, etc.

I usually hang a few things but that's it, and after this post I definitely won't put anything in drawers!

<BR><BR>Usually if I'm going to be in the same room for more than three or four days, I'll completely unpack. Otherwise, I won't. I certainly won't completely unpack for only a one or two night stay.

Judging by the way many people look for places to stay -- &quot;don't care about the room, so long as it's clean&quot;, &quot;looking for a place less that $60 a night&quot;, and so on. I'm not surprised they'd get lice and mites in their clothes. Let's face facts, the chances of getting them are a lot greater in a one star hotel than in a three or four star hotel.

I think the likelihood of catching something from the previous guest's clothes is not related to how many stars the hotel has.<BR>I do hang the clothes I wore that day in the closet (and febreeze them) but I like to keep my expensive coat etc locked up in my suitcase.

Come to think of it, I bet the drawers are never cleaned out, much less with a bug spray. Seems like lice could live in the corners and seams of the dresser's drawers for their whole lives and of many generations without anyone even noticing, except those who take them home with them.

I like to just wear all of my clothes I am bringing with me on my body in one shot (like that time on FRIENDS). Of course, it makes me look like the Michelin Man and makes going to the bathroom difficult, but if I am ever looking for the right pair of socks life is easy.<BR><BR>Anything for a laugh, people.

<BR><BR>All of you who are deathly afraid of lice in one star hotels please stick with your three and four star hotels. The less competition for the one stars, the better!

Having taken the advise found on this Forum I now pack everything in plastic bags - ie socks all together in one etc etc, and then if there is sufficient room just take the bags from the case and put them in the drawers. Hopefully the bags will protect the clothes and me from anything live!

Now I am freaked out! Is there anything a person can take to spray into drawers etc? I always take Lysol<BR>with me- but that won't kill bugs!!!<BR>Any ideas other than lining drawers with plastic?? Thanks!!

I think Lysol will kill parasites if sprayed directly into the drawers. I think using the plastic bags in the suitcase and in the drawers is a good idea though.<BR>In Canada I found roaches in my clothes after I had used the dresser.