Dutch flight attendant Demi shared a video on her TikTok channel @demibonita with the top four things she does as soon as she gets to the hotel room.
She started by saying: “Always close the curtain. You don’t want anybody across to have a look inside.” The flight attendant shared the second travel hack: “Never use the kettle. You don’t know what has been inside of it.”
If travellers need to use the kettle, the crew member recommended rinsing it a few times first or cleaning it before making tea or coffee.
She also urged travellers to never touch the remote control “without first cleaning it,” and always remove the “decorative pillows and blanket from the bed”. Demi asked her followers: “Am I the only one who does this?”
Many said they do the same, with one adding a clever tip: “Don’t use the iron without flushing the reservoir or checking the iron surface for debris.” But why should you not use the kettle in the hotel room?
On the online forum Reddit, some people claimed they have used the kettle to wash underwear.
Dr Heather Hendrickson, from Massey University in Auckland, commented that’s “super super super super gross”.
She explained: “However, who knows how long that water, with nutrients that have been introduced and then sterilised, sits around in the kettle before someone else uses it?
“There are simply too many unknowns and hotel kettles are not industrial-strength cleaning facilities.”
One traveller explained on Reddit: “Never use the kettle from your hotel room, you have no idea what it is used for. My brother works in a hotel in Amsterdam, and he comes home with the craziest stories.
“He told me that guests almost exclusively use the kettle for other purposes than making tea. The kettle is frequently used to cook rice, warm up small towels and clean/wash underwear.
“A lot of hotels don’t expect guests to do this (and aren’t aware of this behavior) and don’t ‘deep’ clean the kettles. For your own personal hygiene, avoid using the kettles in hotel rooms.”
