60 minutes dirty cabins show Freaking out??

[Gone Fishing]

Just wash your hands and keep enough alcohol in your system to kill off any stray germs that dare enter your body. :D

[daniela]

You can have your room steward put a few pillow cases on each pillow, that should help. I usually do that even in hotels - nothing wrong with taking some precautions.

 

I was on the Celebrity Infinity in South America in Jan 2006 and they had those hand sanitizers at the buffet stations. Everything that was shiny - handrails, elevator buttons etc. - was dribbling in goo from all the disinfectant they were using. People were still getting sick with some kind of intestinal virus and needed care in the infirmary.

 

Always take a strong antibiotic with you just in case you need one.

 

I also like alcohol wipes sold in drugstores.

 

Happy cruising and good health to everyone.

[mahreeya]

I think she said Nonoxynol-9, a product used in cleaning agents, baby wipes and most popular as a contraceptive, it kills sperm and germs. It has also been identified as a health risk, see attached link:

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonoxynol-9

 

I love CSI reruns!

 

 

Thanks for the info. The cure sounds worse than the illness. I will use a bottle of Tanqueray, and disinfect from the inside out.

[Gone Fishing]

Thanks for the info. The cure sounds worse than the illness. I will use a bottle of Tanqueray, and disinfect from the inside out.

 

See, Mahreeya knows how to fight off germs!!! :D

 

 

In nature all creatures look for the most comfortable place they can find to live. Since alcohol is a proven disinfectant, by keeping a constant high blood alcohol level, germs will quickly abandon your body in search of a more hospitable host. Perhaps someone who has lower immunities due to a lack of exposure??? :rolleyes:

 

 

It is kind of gross though thinking about it. Just be glad you can't see all of the microscopic organisms (both beneficial and harmful) that surround you every second of the day. Some of those critters are really scary. :eek:

John

[Sammie47P03]

Those of you that don't want to take pillows along with you can use this method to protect yourself..

 

Go to a store like Bed Bath and Beyond and buy a allergen cover for the pillow - they cost around 10 each - they zip up around your pillow and trap stuff inside. Then when you leave - either fold it up in a ziploc bag and take it home and wash it in hot water to use in the future - or throw it away. You are already spending at least a grand or two on the cruise - what's another 20 bucks to make you feel more comfortable.

 

I buy these not for the "germs" but because I have such severe allergies that if I sleep on a pillow that is not somewhat protected, I will wake up with a headache or sinus infection.

 

As for those of you that are heading for the first open bar to disinfect from in the inside out - I'll meet you there!!

[Nliedel]

Please relax. Your home, unless you are a super neat freak, is not as clean as you think it is and honestly most hotel rooms are shameful at best. We live in dirt and germs every single day, they are all around us and not matter how clean you are you cannot get rid of them all. There are even studies that show that too clean is bad for you.

 

I am not advocating living in fiflth but some dirt is healthy. The important things are clean in a cabin and a hotel room and that is what is important. The laundry the sheets and towels go through is very hot and kills most germs. While you should not accept obvious dirt you can go overboard about it too. I am not going to freak about this or possible bedbugs or anything else that can ruin my vacation. Well maybe hurricanes.

[flredneckcub]

hmmmmmmmm, seems if you have enough iodine in your body, you can deal with germs and microorganisms without a problem........providing you still have your tonsils and your appendix.

[pppiglet]

Please don't come to my house! We love our dirt. Keeps us healthy. I don't have time to clean because I'm on the cruise message boards all the time.

On our cruise we washed our hands and avoided railings, but did'nt do a thing to the room. We even sleep with the bedspread! I do like that suggestion about the allergen free pillow case though. We never get sick except for sinus problems. But now that you mention all this yuck, I might take some wipes for the telephone and remote!

[herecomesthesun]

You come in contact with gross stuff everyday. If you knew it all you'd probably go insane.

 

I always take off the comforter from my bed at hotels and will do the same on my cruise. I am planning on bringing disinfectant wipes just in case, but I will not clean my own room when I'm on vacation! :rolleyes:

 

The best plan of attack is to wash your hands with soap and water frequently and carry hand santizer with you. And don't rub up against the walls.

[Surfdancer]

Horray for Bleach!!! So, so true. Just take a spray bottle and put in as little as 1 teaspoon of bleach. Just be careful - it may take the color out of certain fabrics. For hard surfaces, though, can't be beat! Note: once it dries, it's gone. Safe enough (in small concentrations) to drink - what do think is in that powder that the florist gives you for your arrangments? Bleach.

 

I don't believe Lysol is toxic if used ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS. Call Ricket & Coleman and ask them. This is a super company that would never sell a toxic product, but like any chemical, if used in high concentrations, applied as an aerosol without proper ventilation, etc., it might make you sick. Check it out...any replies? (Anyway, forget all that other stuff, get some bleach).

[Safari Woman]

Yep, I got it from the swank (expensive) Hilton in San Diego a few weeks ago. They used down pillows and I was so tired after my traveling experience, I took a shower and just passed out between the sheets. It was one of those nights where you wake up the next morning in the exact same position. Before I was even out of bed, I noticed right away that I had a rash of bumps around my mouth, right where I had the most pillow contact pressure. I dismissed it as an oddity but was suspicious right away. We stayed there three days. Four days later, the other side of my face broke out while the first occurrence grew worse.

 

 

 

Once home after further travels that included the awful bumps, I went to my regular doctor and a dermatologist to discover and confirm that I had picked up SOMETHING from my contact with that pillow. I am still using an expensive steroid cream now to try and calm it down before my cruise in less than two weeks!!! ACK!! :(

 

 

 

Just to say, take this stuff seriously. Not convinced? I arrived to the condo I rented in Hawaii back in April to find the maid and her children leaving. A few days later I came down with the worst flue ever and only flue I had in over ten years that reoccurred for the next 5 weeks all but completely spoiling my entire trip. One day at the laundry mat I saw the same maid and was talking politely to her when I warned her not to get too close that I was sick, she blurted out "Oh yeah, my kids have had that for two months now!" ARRRRRRGGGGG !:mad:

 

 

 

I'll be taking some disinfectants, and pillow covers and any other measures I can think of as well as gladly spend a few minutes of my time at the beginning of my cruise to be sure none of the above or anything similar happens to me on the trip. I'm an outdoor dirt loving fool, but many human germs are vicious nasty creatures that want to invade my body. THEY WILL NOT WIN THIS WAR!

 

 

 

I am a cruise newbie but otherwise a travel pro. All rooms are potentially dangerous and one has to look out for oneself.:cool:

[BuckGuy]

Common sense and awareness.

 

We can all get paranoid about something.

 

I have a pet peeve at home for instance. I don't like any of my guests ever washing my dishes (by hand). I always re-do them. Heck, how do I know if they used water that was hot enough.

 

Well, that's just me. To each his or her own.

 

Happy cruising. Just watch out for the Norwalk disease.

[cruizinrican]

I use to think my daughter's friend's mother (boy that sounds confusing) was completely nuts bc she would have huge bottles of alcohol and spray everything with it to clean! The poor child would come home from school and be met by the mother with a pair of socks and a bottle of alcohol in the garage where there was a built in shoe cubey that held all shoes worn outdoors (they weren't allowed in the house). This woman is a complete clean freak. She would proceed to spray her 16 yr. old daughter's feet with alcohol and then hand her a pair of clean socks so that she may enter the house. And she isn't allowed to bring in her purse either!

 

The counter tops, bathrooms and all sufaces are wiped down several times a day with alcohol (this woman does not work outside of home). She even washes the clothes with alcohol and the daughter's jeans are all very light in color! The house is so tidy that if you were to walk in in any given moment, you would think that it was a model home and that no one lived in it! Everything from the towels perfectly folded on the rack to the shower doors that are so clear you can't even see them!

 

She definately has some type of disorder, this can't be normal. But now that I read this thread she doesn't seem all that crazy? Apparantly there are alot of people who think this way?

 

So funny-

Cruizinrican:)

[Safari Woman]

Now that is something! I guess my house mostly looks like a magazine layout - lol - (I hate to admit it) - but that is just nuts!!!

 

Obsessive might not be a strong enough word for that.

 

Proor girl.

 

Hmmm, well if I forget and walk on the cruiseship carpets barefoot, I'll know what to do!

 

lol JK

[Seago2]

I use to think my daughter's friend's mother (boy that sounds confusing) was completely nuts bc she would have huge bottles of alcohol and spray everything with it to clean! The poor child would come home from school and be met by the mother with a pair of socks and a bottle of alcohol in the garage where there was a built in shoe cubey that held all shoes worn outdoors (they weren't allowed in the house). This woman is a complete clean freak. She would proceed to spray her 16 yr. old daughter's feet with alcohol and then hand her a pair of clean socks so that she may enter the house. And she isn't allowed to bring in her purse...

 

She definately has some type of disorder, this can't be normal. But now that I read this thread she doesn't seem all that crazy? Apparantly there are alot of people who think this way?

 

So funny-

Cruizinrican:)

 

Yes, my college roomate was like that- now she takes Luvox twice a day. Disorder? You betcha.

 

But I had a child client in a divorce case that your post reminds me of. After visitation with Dad Mom would meet her in the garage, strip her from head to toe, throw everything in the washing machine, put a towel around her, rush her through the house ("Don't touch your baby sister!!"), put her in the shower and put the towel in the wash with the other stuff. Her main problem was how to scrub the backpack clean in time for school the next day.

 

I went off on her. Can you imagine the message she was sending the kid? "Your father's house is so toxic that you need to be hazmat'ed before you can come back into our circle." This is the prob with your friend- she is teaching the child to be terrified of the outside world (haha if she's 16 she probably knows what time it is).

 

I wonder how many of the posters on here are redheads? My best friend is a redhead and if she sleeps in a hotel she gets a rash because her skin is so sensitive.

[cruizinrican]

My friend's mother does this too, I forgot! When the daughter comes home and gets feet sprayed with alcohol and then socked just so she can enter the house, she is then told she has to put all the clothes she had on while "outside" the house in the hamper and she is told to shower! WHat freaks!

 

Thsi woman is not redheaded unless she dyes it? What does this have to do with it? Do you have a theory?

 

Cruizinrican:)

[Seago2]

 

Thsi woman is not redheaded unless she dyes it? What does this have to do with it? Do you have a theory?

 

Cruizinrican:)

 

The redheaded part referred to the large number of posters who have broken out in a rash after sleeping on hotel pillows...

[cruizinrican]

LOL, that is gross! Poor people! LMAO

 

Cruizinrican:D

[Bunti]

Contact dermatitis does not necessarily mean dirt or germs. It can come FROM soap or cleaning items. Even pine oil cleaners, like Pinesol. Or fabric softener. My ex-DH cannot wear clothing that has been washed or dried with fabric softener or he gets a rash. (contact dermatitis)

 

He is also sensitive to deoderant, powders, air-fresheners, scented candles or cleaners etc. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to avoid those things.

[QQRZZA]

I am an old Infection Control nurse with years and years of experience. I know exactly what you need to do.

 

1.Wash your hands frequently

 

2. About a week b4 your cruise go to your doctor and ask for a CHILL PILL, valium should do the trick.

 

Then, enjoy your cruise and have a great time! Germs are everywhere thank goodness , or we would have died a long time ago!

 

 

Having managed hospitals for 30 years, I can tell you that common sense will go a long way toward having a healthy, enjoyable vacation and life. You can't avoid all sources of infection, but you can minimize your chances of getting in serious trouble. Hospitals are full of evil infectious agents, but we still use them to save lives and improve quality of life every day. Ships, hotels, airplanes, trains, busses, subways....are all sources of "germs". Avoid all these places and you'll stay home and die of boredom. Forget taking Lysol wipes to your next trip on the subway or cruise ship. Wash your hands, take that chill pill, have a great glass of wine and enjoy.

[MrsPete]

The TV news shows run this "news flash" every year or so, and people always get upset about it. We all stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, visit public buildings . . . and the great majority of us live to tell the tale. This is not something to worry about.

[Chucksta63]

The TV news shows run this "news flash" every year or so, and people always get upset about it. We all stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, visit public buildings . . . and the great majority of us live to tell the tale. This is not something to worry about.

LOL so true is it running again...lol

Can't stay in bussiness with a problem like that...

[stanggirl70]

Always take a strong antibiotic with you just in case you need one.

 

I would seriously advise against self-medicating with antibiotics. They are not a cure-all and must be prescribed for specific illnesses. If you take them unnecessarily, they can kill the beneficial flora (necessary bacteria) in your system. These are the bacteria which help your body process food, or keep us ladies from getting yeast infections.

 

If you take the wrong antibiotic for a bacterial infection, you could do more harm than good. Plus, antibiotics do nothing against viruses, which cause most of the illnesses people complain of (colds, flu, etc).

 

My mother is a microbiologist and always said a 10% bleach/water solution will kill ANYTHING, including HIV. If this is important to you, take such a solution in a tightly-capped bottle and clean as you see fit.

 

Just my two cents. :D

[AmandaNS]

Just a friendly reminder that for anyone who's travelling by plane to get to the cruise, you can't take bleach (in a bottle) on the plane. It's considered to be a flammable / explosive material, and is banned.

[m steve]

I have found that often when using sun screen on a cruise I break out with rashes on arms and legs. Baby formula sometimes helps. I expect to be somewhat cautious about the ships cabin cleanliness just like a hotel room. I like the double sheeted bed or a duvet. The suggestion of trating your body internally with alcohol seems like the best suggestion. It will also help get the kids to sleep early so the parents can mess up the bed.