Do You Disinfect (Sanitize) Your Cabin Before You Unpack?

[ambergem142]

Yep, we do this as well. Gives us peace of mind [emoji4]

 

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[Texas Tillie]

Yep, we do this as well. Gives us peace of mind [emoji4]

 

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Although, as many have pointed out here and elsewhere, it is a false peace of mind, but if it makes you feel good, go for it. :cool:

[CASCRUISER72]

Absolutely! I am not risking it.

 

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[tanstaafl_2001]

No, but my wife does!

 

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[packer99]

We check for bed bugs. Occasionally will wipe down the remote.

[OCruisers]

No never have and don't plan on doing so on future cruises.

[need2cruisesoon]

Just to follow up on may original post, I am leary on walking on the carpet as well in the cabin thus I wear flip flops from the bathroom and in and around the cabin. Foot fungus is a terrible affliction.

 

Also keep my clean clothes in the 2 gallon zip bags when stored in the drawers in the room.

[cruisejunkie2]

Bed bugs is real and not germophobic...

 

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[Lady Chew]

I always wipe out the drawers & shelves; it's amazing (and I don't mean that in a good way) how much gunk is left in the drawers. I'm not trying to sterilize anything, just pick up stray lint, hair, etc - and there's always stray lint, hair, etc …

If I think about it and have the time, I'll wipe down the phone, remote, door knobs, etc.

[Hlitner]

Bed bugs is real and not germophobic...

 

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With that we surely agree. The irony is that when there are bed bug outbreaks on ships they were likely brought aboard on luggage. On over 100 cruises we have never had a bed bug issue nor has any of our cruising friends. But it does sometimes happen and has been discussed on CC. Perhaps we all do ourselves a disservice by tossing our luggage on the bed to unpack. But other then a quick look at our luggage it can be very difficult to detect a bed bug or even a few bed bugs that might be stowing away on a bag.

 

Hank

[BeagleOne]

Checking for bedbugs and cleaning any gunk from the drawers are good ideas. Disinfecting with disinfectant wipes just provides a false sense of security. Contact time is what kills the germs, so if the surfaces aren't visibly wet for about five minutes, they're not disinfected.

[Langley Cruisers]

... so if the surfaces aren't visibly wet for about five minutes, they're not disinfected.

 

At the very least, they are cleaned. The wipes are filthy when I finish cleaning with them. ;p

[pris993]

We always use the Clorox wipes to sanitize the entire cabin, that means dresser drawers, phone, bathroom and desk.

 

I usually lift the mattress and check for bed bugs as well.

 

I just want to start the cruise off on a healthy note.

 

Not to that extent... read something on line the other day... that will change the way I travel... learned the bins that are used at airports when we go thru security are more dirty (and never cleaned) than the bathrooms... so this week when I take flight, I will collect my items, then disinfect by hands before proceeding my flight. I always wipe down the tray table, seat arms and anything else I touch on an airplane... now I realize... may not make a lot of difference if the bins are that full of germs.

[sprint180]

With that we surely agree. The irony is that when there are bed bug outbreaks on ships they were likely brought aboard on luggage. On over 100 cruises we have never had a bed bug issue nor has any of our cruising friends. But it does sometimes happen and has been discussed on CC. Perhaps we all do ourselves a disservice by tossing our luggage on the bed to unpack. But other then a quick look at our luggage it can be very difficult to detect a bed bug or even a few bed bugs that might be stowing away on a bag.

 

Hank

 

I can not store my luggage under the bed for that reason. Yes I know if I bed bugs can be anywhere but I just can't do it.

[sprint180]

I wipe down drawers and such, not so much for germs but for dirt. Lord knows there is a million germs on the railings and door handles so I don't worry much about that.

[Camelia-]

Since first encounter with noro virus , we swipe in

every cabin or hotel room using Clorox wipe's on every handle , switch and most importantly , the TV Remote ( research shows it to be the most germ infested item in any cabin or hotel).

Lets face it , stewards are in a rush to prepare cabin for us so don't count on disinfecting .

 

Yes..that's exactly right. Stewards cannot possibly do a thorough job of cleaning since they have so many cabins to turnover for the next cruise. there have been a number of times when going to the cabin on the first day and finding items from previous cruisers..etc. There are some parts of the cabin that they just don't get to.

 

Having said that I don't do a very thorough clean but I never miss the tv remote, the door knobs and any other constantly used surfaces..it might not help but it helps my peace of mind and that's not a little thing I guess. I'm going to add checking for bedbugs on my list!

[lenquixote66]

We always use the Clorox wipes to sanitize the entire cabin, that means dresser drawers, phone, bathroom and desk.

 

I usually lift the mattress and check for bed bugs as well.

 

I just want to start the cruise off on a healthy note.

 

 

Absolutely .We also check the sheet and blankets for signs of bed bugs.

[ilikeanswers]

I just can't see the effectiveness of wiping down your cabin:confused:, it certainly would not give me peace of mind. I have been known to wipe drawers for dust and my mum always wipes fridges before placing her medication (she says they are always filthy). But we never use disinfectant, just damp paper. Personally I think the my phone screen is a lot more germ ridden than anything in my room:'). At the end of the day you are going to touch a lot of shared surfaces so really the most effective thing to disinfect would be your own hands.

[CarrieAP]

I never did but started last year. This post surprised me, not expecting all the “no” replies. Spent 35+ years as a nurse so not a germaphobe by any means (we never wore gloves in the early years to protect ourselves, just the patient ) but prefer to minimize my chances catching noro while on a cruise. Researched CDC guidelines, purchasing wipes and hand spray from amazon. Wipe surfaces on the airplane (don’t forget air flow director), hotel and cruise ship. Spray hands at table just before eating. Of course no guarantee, but improving my odds of avoiding GI illness is worth the small effort it takes.

 

Respiratory illness sadly is another story. Too many folks don’t sneeze into their arms or cover mouths when coughing.

[jlp20]

...prefer to minimize my chances catching noro while on a cruise. Researched CDC guidelines, purchasing wipes and hand spray from amazon....

 

The issue is Noro is a virus that sprays and wipes do not affect. If you can keep the surface WET for 15 minutes with alcohol or 5 minutes with bleach. Whatever liquid is on a wipe will evaporate from a surface within 10 seconds.

[MCC retired]

Public areas , hand rails , door knobs , surfaces , etc. get daily attention from the crew.

If you a lucky , your cabin touchpoints may have been cleaned once before you arrived then not again?

Did your cabin previous occupants practice hygiene ?

[NHProud]

The issue is Noro is a virus that sprays and wipes do not affect. If you can keep the surface WET for 15 minutes with alcohol or 5 minutes with bleach. Whatever liquid is on a wipe will evaporate from a surface within 10 seconds.

 

 

 

This topic has been discussed before and on that previous thread someone mentioned a spray available in Britain that kills the norovirus. It is available on Amazon and sure enough it is so labeled .

 

 

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[davekathy]

 

 

 

 

Public areas , hand rails , door knobs , surfaces , etc. get daily attention from the crew.

If you a lucky , your cabin touchpoints may have been cleaned once before you arrived then not again?

Did your cabin previous occupants practice hygiene ?

Does your stateroom attendant?

[Mike981]

It's a personal choice. It's like the button at a crosswalk, do they actually work? Some say at most, 10% of the time. The rest of the time they are supposed to pacify the person pushing the button.

 

FYI how you contract Noro:

 

 

From the CDC -

An infected person touches the surface with their bare hands that have poop or vomit particles on them. An infected person vomits or has diarrhea that splatters onto surfaces. Food, water, or objects that are contaminated with norovirus are placed on surfaces.Jul 16, 2018

 

From CBS News -

Noroviruses may spread through the air. ... While current medical guidelines say noroviruses are spread by touching contaminated objects or eating food or drinking liquids that contain the virus, a new study suggests it can also be airborne.May 1, 2015

[gooch47]

Never have. I understand you who do it for your piece of mind, but I personally believe that is all it does.

 

And the minute you step outside the cabin, what have you really accomplished?