60 minutes dirty cabins show Freaking out??

[Dorothy]

After seeing the original show on hotel rooms, I guessed the same goes with cruise ship cabins. I started bringing a bottle of the clorox with bleach wipes and use those when I arrive and wipe down everything including the bathroom.

 

I, too, ask for fresh clean blankets and bed spreads. The cabin stewards have to make up the beds anyway, so why not with something freshly laundered? If anything, tip them on arrival when you ask for this.

[barjolov]

Wow - if I had to clean my cabin when I arrived and then clean everything I touched the whole trip - it would not be a vacation. Relax - enjoy. Germs are everywhere and yes, sometimes, we do get the flu or a cold or something but its like love - I would rather have lost in love than to never have loved at all. I would rather enjoy the cruise and have a great time.

[debbiecape]

I have to agree with you- Relax!!

 

I have staff at work who constantly wash their hands, use Purell, wipe down the phones, etc etc. Guess who is sick all the time? Truly, I have documented sick days for them which have included gastrointestinal disorders, cold, flu (and they get a flu shot!), bronchitis etc. The less "Fastidious/Fussy" staff have significantly fewer sick days....maybe we just got accustomed to the germs!

[cuccicruisers]

exactly debbiecape.....out of my staff... the biggest germ-a-phobe has the most sick days and her kids are ALWAYS sick. on the other hand my son who went through daycare and was exposed to every bug under the sun is hardly ever ill now that he is in kindergarten.

 

i will admit to opening the office bathroom door with a paper towel after i wash my hands. i have seen women come right out of the stall and out the door. ewwww...that is gross. :eek:

[alliecatn1]

I agree that hotel rooms and cruise ships can be rather uncleanly, but taking a blacklight will probably just make you paranoid! I am a preschool teacher (3 year-olds have a great way of sneezing and coughing on me, so I see my fair share of germs!) and a nursing major and the one thing that I swear by is Airbourne. Just add a tablet to a small amount of water and the mixture of vitamins and minerals will boost your immune system a ton. It works very well when you are in recycled air, places with a lot of people, and when you just can't live in the plastic bubble! Also use some Germ-X or Purell in a handy pocket size and enjoy your cruise! Germs are there all the time, but this cruise will sail right on by!

Allie

 

1/3/06- Carnival Spirit

12/04- Carnival Legend

12/03- Carnival Pride

 

[TNPirate]

Several reports that I have seen lately have cautioned against the overuse of hand sanitizers (Purell, wipes, etc.). They do not say to quit using them completely -- there are times that you need them. I go fishing quite often and use live bait (worms that are packed in dirt). When it is lunch time, I wash the dirt from my hands in the pond or river, and then use the gel or wipe before I touch my sandwich. However, I do not use them after each and every time I touch a worm. I use them before I touch something I am going to ingest.

 

Back to the reports -- what is happening is that bugs, bacteria, and viruses that we used to be able to knock out very quickly with medicine have become drug-resistant because we grab medicines and sanitizing products so often and so quickly. Guess what -- the germs have adapted to what we are using to kill them and are stronger now. By using the alcohol-based products all the time, we actually do our bodies a dis-service. As so many before have said, what is important is regular handwashing with soap and water, and not necessarily an anti-bacterial soap. Regular soap helps remove the soil that contains the germs from your hands.

 

If I have a fever that is not over 100, I let it run -- that is my body trying to fight the infection. If I eliminate the fever, I basically call my troops back in from the front lines. Guess what -- no troops to defend me, germs invade further. Don't get me wrong -- if the fever gets over 100, I go to the doctor. But I don't grab the aspirin because the thermometer says 98.9.

 

If you are one of those people who wants to constantly use anti-bacterial soaps and sanitizing products, then you are going to do that. I am not going to change you, and I am not going to try to. That is your right. However, please don't give me a dirty look (pardon the pun!) just because I touched the handrail on my way to the buffet, and then pick up the salad tongs. I have an immune system that I am going to let work out!

[cruisin-medic]

Amen.

 

Many people have been caught up in the antibacterial craze. They stock their kitchens with antibacterial dish soap, their bathrooms and showers with antibacterial lotions, and their handbags with antibacterial hand gels. But are antibacterial products really effective in the fight against germs, or are they simply helping bacteria to grow more resistant to antibiotic medications. How do antibacterial products allow this to happen?

 

Plain soap is composed of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules. Basically, the hydrophilic molecules allow the bacteria to bind to the hydrophobic molecules by trapping them in droplets of water, thereby allowing the bacteria, as well as other dirt and grime, to be washed off. Antibacterial soap may be more effective than plain soap, but this effectiveness is largely dependant on several factors which are not always present. Primarily, the ingredient in antibacterial soaps and lotions that kills the bacteria should be left on the skin or surface for approximately two minutes in order to be entirely effective. Many people do not wait this long and end up washing the product away before it has a chance to work, enabling the bacteria to continue growing and to become possibly resistant to the products over time. By washing away the mostly beneficial bacteria that live on the skin and depending on ineffective use of antibacterial products to combat germs, people simply allow the problem of resistance to continue to grow.

 

Overusing antibacterial products in the home and elsewhere can contribute greatly to bacteria’s resistance against antibiotic medications. Just like antibiotics, some antibacterial products may only kill certain types of bacteria, enabling the resistant strains to multiply and become even less affected by antibacterial products. When these types of bacteria infect the body, they can be quite difficult to treat with commonly prescribed antibiotics.

 

While selective use of antibacterial products in the home can be acceptable, overuse of any products is a bad idea. People should be aware that most bacteria can be killed just as effectively by a thorough scrubbing with plain soap and water. Common sense and good hygiene should not be ignored for the sake of modern convenience.

 

From the new antibacterial craze to the latest breakthrough medications, people expect to be able to eradicate germs from their lives. What they don’t realize is that some germs can be beneficial to their health. The over-prescribing of common antibiotic medications has enabled some strains of bacteria to grow resistant to the drugs. The dependence on antibacterial soaps, lotions, and gels has enabled bacteria to grow, as well. Many people do not realize that a thorough washing with hot water and plain soap is more beneficial than half-heartedly splashing on an antibacterial gel after a trip to the bathroom or handling the family dog.

 

Scientists have been warning doctors and patients about the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Scientists are working to develop new medications as some strains of bacteria grow resistant to commonly prescribed drugs. Researchers are also encouraging doctors to educate their patients about the latest developments in medications. Of course, common sense good hygiene is the best prevention against many illnesses and infections, and many times healthy adults are able to effectively fight off illness without the benefit of medication. However, in some cases, such as in the very young or elderly, or in cases of severe infections, antibiotics may be necessary for treatment. In these cases, medication should be prescribed with high consideration of to the patient’s needs and the infection being treated. Dispensing antibiotic medications only as necessary can help to combat the rising resistance of many bacterial strains.

 

My blacklight is for old Led Zepplin posters.... j/k

 

The Cruisin-Medic

[cdaystravel]

I bring a container of Clorox Cleanups! I go through the entire cabin; do railings, telephone (eeeeewwww), doorknobs trt....toilet.....like I said, "everything". Use your knuckle when you press the elevator buttons too! Gotta go itch!

[Nliedel]

I am still keeping up with this thread. Like I said before, I respect everyone's lifestyle and cleanliness choices but this is a vacation for me. I am going to trust my cabin steward to do his job and not get paranoid. My son just brought home notice that he was exposed to Chicken Pox at school. Nasty stuff is everywhere. Sure if the Bird Flu starts going human to human I am going to keep my family home (I am not stupid) but I cannot freak out at every little germ. I really think there's something to be said for normal, everyday exposure. However, if someone needs to keep it really clean then good for you! I just can't do it. With all these kids I would never get it clean enough!

[baybreezin78]

NYCGlitter--I am with you. Some of you are doing a great injustice to your immune system by anti-bacterializing everything. You need to come into contact with some level of germs in order to build anti-bodies. I understand about the sheets, but everything else is a bit much. How do you survive on a day to day basis in public?

[RevSmith]

When I was a kid I ate dirt...now I prefere to be clean and not get colds...by the by I am a teacher...

[DONNALAKA]

another thought is to bring the bleach wipes ........ they can be taken out of their round tub and placed in zip lock baggies {moisten w/ alittle extra bleach} and then a little water during the wk will remoisten. maybe they even sell a flat pack for travel ???????????

 

i wouldn't pack near any clothing ;) tho .............{just in case}

 

the double sheet is a great/standard idea. the last few places i stayed did this automatically ............. {including a cruise staterm}

[PADutchman]

No matter what you do the germs are going to win. Want to spend your vacation spraying and wipeing everything you may touch, hotels, air planes, cruise ships, cars buses. Some of you are gonna be busy. Have fun.:D My germs are better then your germs

[ZigNKat]

Amen to all of you who don't sanitize every surface when you get on board!

 

To the rest of you -- how do you live your daily lives? The germs and yuckies are everywhere, on everything you see and touch :eek: every day. I work with a woman who is a clean freak, bleaches everything, even when washing her dinner dishes. Gee. . . she's sick far more often than I am.

 

This is vacation -- wash your hands frequently and relax! You've got the same germs waiting for you when you get home!!! Besides, the DOD will take care of some of them!! ;)

[DizzyDallasDi]

I simply can't let this thread pass by without weighing in......I, too, don't know how the germ-o-phobes of the world go anywhere or do anything! My goodness, do you bring your own silverware, dishes and glasses to a restaurant? What about the servers and cooks -- do you wipe their bodies down with lysol? Not to mention the table itself -- no telling what's on that! And horror of all horrors -- the menu......YIKES!!!!:eek:

 

RELAX (it's a vacation, after all) and just use gool ole' common sense.