60 minutes dirty cabins show Freaking out??

[alylee777]

Hi,

Did anybody else see the 60 minutes piece last week on cruise ship cabins? It was amazingly scary and gross. They showed all the hidden stuff on the walls, ice buckets, doors, blankets etc in cabins on 4 major cruise line ships.

So anyway...now I have decided to lysol wipe the whole cabin down when I get there and am considering bringing some of my own bedding. Have I just lost it? The thought of urine and semen all over just turns my stomach.

Help. I'm feeling very Howard Hughes.:(

A

[Longboysfan]

Your borderline....

 

Look the room over when you enter it.

 

If smoething is not to your liking - ask the room steward to please look at it and clean it for you.

[ScottsSweetie]

I did not see the show, but imagine that it is just like the testing that they did in hotel rooms across America. When I go into a hotel room, the first think I do is strip the bedspread off since it doesn't get washed often, and I do the same in the cruise cabin. I also always wear slippers or sox in the room as the carpets do not get cleaned a lot. I bet if you put blacklights in your own house you'd find things you never thought were there (especially if you have kids or a pet)!

[Boobaby]

There's a BIG difference in MY dirt and someone elses! Yuck!

[House_Atreides]

Nothing is as clean as we'd like it to be. "Bugs" are everywhere, dirt, etc.

 

I too strip off the bedspread and wear slippers. I also bring a can of Lysol and spray doorknobs/surfaces in my room when I get in.

 

If other's bodily fluids bother you, buy one of those zipper covers for the mattress(es) and put it on under the sheets (the ones used for incontinence I believe, and also they're used to keep your original mattress "free" of dust mites....supposedly).

 

Just an idea...frankly I'm more concerned about the railings on the ship where everyone puts their hands after wiping their noses lol!

 

Have a nice cruise and try to relax.....

 

Mary

[alylee777]

Scotts,

yes, it was very similar to the one they did on hotel rooms. I knew overall about the carpet and the bedspreads. What surprised me was the ice bucket and the blankets with YUCKY stuff. I thought they washed the actual blankets more often then the bedspreads but obviously not often enough! Also, why the heck would that stuff be in the ice bucket?

I guess I will just do an overall really good lysol wipe and get rid of the spreads. I'm not sure about those blankets....

Mary,

I agree about those banisters...and how about casino chips!! Oh well..I can't live in a plastic bubble. I must CRUISE!!!!

A:D

[shanter10yrs]

I saw the special and it only enforced what i had already suspected for years about hotels and cruises. You will all think i am crazy but i actually have a small blacklite that i use. I originally bought it for use with my pets (to make sure i got up all of the vomit or "other" accidents). I now use it when i travel. I take Lysol wipes with me and just spend about 15 minutes when we first arrive getting most of the surfaces, i.e. doorknobs, counters, chairbacks, drawers, and of course the bathroom. I use the lite for the odder sites like the ice bucket, and walls. Not that i am rubbing up on the walls, but i just don't like to know semen, urine or any other crud is in there with me while i sleep. The whole ritual only takes about 25 mintues. Then i am free to enjoy the rest of my time. I do however touch up the bathroom myself.

 

For the bed, i too strip the blanket. I then ask the steward or hotel for 2 extra flat sheets. I sandwich the top blanket or bedspread in those. Usually after the steward sees that i have done that he will do it the rest of the time.

 

Regarding the rails, chips, buffets (think of the dirty hands touching tongs before you Eeeeeek!!) I have a small bottle of Purell that i keep in my or my DH pocket and i use on my hand frequently if i cannot get to a washroom. I also use after shaking someone's hands (after they are gone of course)

 

People think i am nuts but i don't get colds etc. I agree, my dirt is mine, but someone else's is just gross. With everything out there today, especially where the air is recycled, it is better safe than sorry. It is worth 25 minutes in my cabin and a little extra handwashing.

 

Shannon

[kytten_kat]

As someone that works in a hotel, my recommendation is to just ask the steward, or hotel staff, for a clean comforter (bedspread) and blanket. Also, to help with your comfort level, as was posted, ask for a couple of flat sheets to "sandwich" the blanket between. This is also known as double sheeting.

Candy

[coka]

Yikes! That is some serious stuff! I don't think I ever want to meet the guy that pees on a cabin wall! Now, as for the other guy....

 

Coka-thinking-she-is-funny

[Road Warrior]

When I enter a hotel room:

1) Pull back the covers and look at the sheets. One time I saw that they didn't change the sheets (full of hair and what else?). And to think of the times I returned to my hotel room late and just climbed into bed in the dark.

 

2) Alway check the phone ear-piece. I guarantee that if you check it once and see what is there you will be a lot more careful before sticking it up to your ear.

 

3) Do the same for your cruise cabin. Some times the stewards are in a hurry...

[darsben]

How many people blow the whistle on the life jacket that was in someone else mouth and not cleaned? We take Lysol spray with us and wet down the bed covers. Remember the tv remote is usually the worst item in a room. spray the carpet and bathroom well. then go to the sail away party. Come back tipsy to a clean room feeling good. My cruises have always had the blanket hidden between sheets. Do not use the glass in the room. Uually the steward just wipes it out with a cloth between guests. We do the same in swank hotels as well as the crappy Days Inns

[LHT28]

Missed the show ...what were the cruiselines they mentioned?

[tpooleinjax]

Yes - Please mention the cruiselines mentioned in the story

[jbern66]

Come on guys, that's what antibodies are for, to catch all those germs and bugs floating around!

[4boys4mom]

Try the same things at home as 60 mins did. Use your icetrays or maker, your bathroom, your beds... we live in a world of germs and coming in contact with them is really what builds your immune system. Just wash your hands and use common sense, and whatever you do DON"T TOUCH THE HANDRAILS!!!! I do take a can of Lysol(?) and spray down the surfaces the boys come in contact with in the cabin though. Have fun...and remember some of the best times we've ever had we were dirty.;)

[crzycick]

Like somebody else said though, at least the germs at my house are MINE, not somebody else's!! That's kinda the big thing to me.

[165Cindy]

I always sleep with the blankets tucked up around my face. The idea of doing that in a hotel or on a cruise makes me sick!! When ever I travel, I take my OWN thin fleece blanket for cuddling up around my face. They pack up very small and are lightweight. I NEVER use a hotel bedspread. Ugh. but then again, I have a thing about people sitting on beds with street clothes on.

 

edited for typos.

[celbercrz333]

They were saying how bedbugs are on the rise in hotels. Well on our last cruise we were supposed to meet someone who was also from Baltimore on our cruise. They had e-mailed us with their room number and when we repeatedly knocked on their door, nothing. Not there. Well she e-mailed back after the cruise and said she was sorry they were not there because they had bedbugs and they kept out of the room as much as possible. Carnival Fascination was the cruise and the room, according to the lady wasn't even clean when they boarded. On the news segment about hotel bedbugs, they said NOT to bring your own pillow or bedding. You will take home the bedbugs and infest your own home that way. BEWARE!!!! She said they had bites and went to the ship's doctor who only gave them cortisone cream. Yuck!

[TropicalParadise]

has anyone asked their stateroom attendent for new complete bedding when they arrived (ex:sheets, blanket, comforter and pillow cases)? I was just wondering if they are offended by it or if it's no big deal. Does an extra tip help out?

[nycglitter]

Holy Cow! I am not a fan of other people's germs, but I can honestly say this all seems a little much!

 

I too am a fan of ditching the comforter and wearing socks, but scrubbing down an entire cabin??? What about eating at a restaraunt and sitting in a chair that someone else has sat in? Or sitting in a plane breathing recycled air? Running into germs is a daily occurance. Our bodies are built to fight off germs (within reason of course).

 

I cannot live my lefe being paranoid, I would be miserable. I don't do half the things listed here, and am a very clean person. I am sick maybe once a year, generally sinus related and rarely see a doctor, unless for routine check-ups.

 

Life is too short to use black lights and wipes on everything I come in contact with!

[fishinguspo]

This thread should be re named: "Germaphobes, how do I survive?"

 

Next on 60 minutes: Galley inspections of 4 major cruise line ships reveal illegal aliens preparing meals for unsuspecting passengers.

 

O.K., now you all can flame me!!!!

[Guest enjoycruises]

I have to tell u......LYSOL is NOT safe. Did u know that it is toxic and has proven to cause disease in babies and children?

[Boobaby]

When my kids were first diagnosed with allergies, I did a thorough cleaning of their bedrooms and sprayed the Lysol. The next morning they both woke up sick!

 

Bedbugs........How big are they? Can you see them? How do you get rid of them.

I am freaking out!!!

[Guest enjoycruises]

Please parents DON'T use Lysol!!!:eek:

[rambill]

Lysol will also kill your dogs and cats. They absorb the chemicals through the pads of their paws and also by licking.

 

Agree that that's what anitbodies are for. But if you're that freaked about germs, etc. a better alternative is a solution of bleach and water (1/4 cup of bleach to 4 cups of water, I believe) in a spray bottle. That's what hospitals use and it kills 99% of germs and viruses safely.

 

Purell is another good suggestion - it's basically rubbing alcohol in a gel. Use that for your hands and the bleach solution for the cabin, etc. Since most ships have self-service laundries, you can wash your own sheets, blankets and comforters as well.