A Closer Look
By: Timothy R. Thompson

    With many people traveling this time of year, I thought it would be a good idea to take a closer look at some of the dirtier stuff involved. As some of you may recall a recent article I did for the column Jun 4, 2007 Food for thought: "Do we really know" we touched briefly on many items involved in travel. This month we will go a little more in detail.

 Public Restrooms: We have all seen and used these terrors before, even some of the hospitals we have been in have less than desirable rest rooms. And that includes the ones marked "Staff use ONLY", but that's another story. I am sure most of us have used the infamous rest stop, the gas station, fast food joint and the list just goes on. We see how some places do not clean the rest rooms, it makes your skin crawl when you walk in. My suggestion for this is keep napkins, tissues or paper towels in your vehicle. Take a handful with you when you go in one of these chambers of horrors since you cannot be 100% sure they will be available. Use these for personal needs, but also use them to turn on water faucets and open and close doors. The less actual contact you have with items in the rest room, the better you are. I never physically touch anything other than the floor in a public rest room, I always use some form of a barrier with the hope that I am protected, even if it is just a little.

 Restaurants: Sure many of them are very nice, but how clean are they. We know they clear the tables, but do they wipe down the salt and pepper shakers or the other condiments. How many hands have handled these objects before you. And how about the cloth napkins, are they truly clean. Then there's the issue of the silverware, do you at least wipe it down before you use it. You can always ask for more napkins and clean utensils. And don't forget to check your so-called clean plate at the buffet. Do not be afraid to ask your server for clean items, this is your health and safety.

 Buffet: You are probably saying this should be in the restaurant category, but I feel this is something that deserves it own. Did you know that a Buffet can be a great spot for you to contract Hepatitis A. The big transmission factor for HAV is oral/fecal, sounds yummy, right. Think of it this way, employees and guests use the rest room and return to the Buffet without washing their hands. What do they leave behind for you, what ever they did in the rest room. Think of it as eating from a litter box. Sorry I spoiled your lunch on this one.

 Hotels, Motels, Resorts, etc: Many times we are at mercy of the place we decide to stay. That is usually due to the fact that we are tired when we check in, I too am guilty. All we want to do is get to our room and get something to eat and rest. Do you ever take the time to think of who stayed in this room before you, how and if the room was actually cleaned. A few years ago I started thinking these thoughts and it caused me to somewhat change my ways. I no longer use the comforter, I try to avoid the remote control and phones as well. Another thing to try an avoid are the pillows. Many places only wash the comforters once a week, and I cannot get a good answer on how often the pillows are actually washed. As far as sheets, pillow cases and blankets I have been told by many sources that they are done on a daily basis.  An investigative report a couple years ago revealed the following items:

- Semen
- Blood
- Urine
- Feces
- Any other bodily fluid you can think of

These items were found on all of the covers, pillows, floors, counters, phones, remote controls, drapes, walls .... do you get the picture. A recent report on Fox 5 Atlanta revealed something else about these fine places. Drinking glasses going un-cleaned, as most of us know some places still put out real glasses in the rooms for their guests. This report revealed that in different hotels the glasses that were used were not properly cleaned. In some cases they were rinsed and placed back on the counter for the next guest.

What I suggest we all do when we stay at a hotel is:

- Bring a sleeping bag or your own covers
- Bring your own pillows
- Do not use the glasses
- Do not use the remote control
- Use your cell phone instead of the room phone
- Always keep sanitary cleaning wipes with you
- Don't be afraid to ask that the room be cleaned or ask for another room

For those of you who enjoy the life of camping, this is for you. I am an avid camper and we go several times throughout the year, we own our an RV along with two camping resort memberships and one time share. We have seen many different places and we are very critical about the places we stay. I have seen some that even though they have housekeeping on staff, the place is filthy. I have seen them mop the floors with dirty water and clean the walls of the shower with the same mop and water. I have seen them wipe down counters with dry, dirty rags. Many times we complain about these cleaning situations, but most of the time the place does nothing so it is then up to us. We keep cleaning materials in our RV so if we have to clean before we use, oh well. There have also been times that we have used rentals at camping resorts and those are nightmare. Dead bugs, dirty utensils and bedding. We rented a trailer at resort when we got married and ended up getting it for free. It was filthy and we had to clean it.

So as you can see, even when you are not working you need to be careful and remain aware of your surroundings. Don't be afraid to complain or ask that something be done about it, you are paying for this, you deserve a safe, clean place to sleep and relax.