I just discovered this General Interest forum, and was reading the posts on favorite small things in hotels. I usually use the coffee maker and drink from the glasses first thing in the morning. I have missed all the 20/20 shows on the nasty germs around them.....I might be afraid of the answers - but what happens with these machines, are they not cleaned? Do many of you use them?

Elaine

If you're that worried, you can always do a dummy run and boil a pot without adding the coffee before letting it cool down and do one for real.

I clean it, run water through it and use a paper cup.
The cups are whet freak me out.
I think a vast majority are washed in the room with an old rag.
NO THANKS!

sere, I saw one of the shows, and I wish I hadn't! They set up hidden cameras in several hotels, including some very nice upscale properties. The glasses were not removed from the room or sterilized. Some they would rinse under the sink, and some they would spray with a liquid that said it wasn't safe for human consumption, and then they would wipe it with a dirty rag. The report said if you think about it, do you ever see housekeeping carts that have glassware on them? Usually not. I had never thought about it before.

In my opinion there's too much media hype about germs, and this fuels the public sense of germophobia. What did we ever do before antiseptic wipes, antibacterial soap, purell, and everything else? How has mankind survived all these years.

I bet you'd find far more nasty stuff on the money you handle every day, on the shopping cart at the store, on the door handles at public buildings, on your pet's fur, and on the hands you shake when greeting others.

Oh dear, something else to worry about!

An immune system and running hot water through the coffee maker should take care of things. But what could one do about the glasses? Eeuuww!

Now I at least run the glasses under hot water and scrub them a bit. Another special I wish I hadn't seen - where they take a black light and run it all over the hotel room - lol.

I was the glasses/mugs provided by the hotel in hot water with soap. Same goes for coffeemaker. I don't expect the maid washed them for me.

I use it all and enjoy it with wild impetuous abandon!

I use it all, although I'll wash the mugs first. Seems like more hotels are now supplying paper cups instead, or in addition to the mugs.

I will definitely start rinising the cups before I use them now.

I am so freaked about bedbugs, I do check the headboards the minute I walk into the room.
I had found a huge toenail in my hotel bed once, so I always check the sheets too.

Elaine

I have worried about the cups, glasses and coffee pots ever since I saw the 20/20 report and always made sure I washed them myself before using. I have noticed on this trip however, that many hotels we have stayed in have had glasses, cups and even clean coffee pots on their carts. Maybe some of them got the hint when they also saw the report on 20/20. Ho0e these new carts are a trend. I'm still not counting on it tho.

Cali, that's good to know - I hope it's a trend.

Hi seremarcus.

<I just discovered this General Interest forum>

You might enjoy the 'Fodorite Lounge', where other interesting topics of this kind are discussed. It's on the drop-down menu.

I use the coffee maker but depending on the stay, I bring my my own coffee. Often I buy water, unless the tap water is good.

If I'm traveling by car, I bring my own ceramic coffee mug because I don't like like the tiny ones generally offered. If I'm going by plane I bring a travel mug with lid. I use it to pack small things in and when I get to the hotel unpack it for coffee and my water.

It has never occured to me to clean the coffee maker.

Jed -

Thanks! I will give that a try!Have not tried it - yet!

Elaine

Okay, I missed all those 20/20 shows also. I have heard about the glasses and mugs not being washed properly. But what exactly did they show about the coffeemaker itself that would make one not want to use it? (I hope I'm not going to regret asking this )

They didn't actually show anything with the coffeemakers but I like to know the water is emptied out of them from the previous guest and I assume if they just wipe the glasses they just rinse or wipe the coffee maker carafe too. I have seen them replace the coffee maker when they redo the room at a couple hotels that we are on right now. I liked that - glasses and cups too. I must admit these are hotels with restaurants so they have commercial kitchens and dishwashers so I am not sure this would be possible in hotels/motels without kitchens.

I'm not typically a germophobe or clean freak, but the hidden camera reports grossed me out. They showed hotel maids cleaning room glassware and ceramic coffee cups by a variety of methods, including wiping inside and out with the rag just used to clean the counters or simply spraying with "windex" and wiping to clean. uggggggggggggggggh