When I check into a hotel after a long travel day, the first thing I want to do is get into my hotel room and get situated.
Usually, this would mean tossing my luggage onto the bed where I could easily see and access the contents, start unpacking, or change out of my airplane clothes.
For years, I did this without a second thought. But it took me years to realize what a mistake that is, and an especially dirty one at that.
In a study commissioned by InsureandGo, a microbiologist found bacterial loads on suitcase wheels that make a public restroom look pristine. And while you're probably not going to pick up a serious illness just from setting your bag down on your bed, you may want to rethink that approach and pivot to a luggage rack or closet instead.
Here’s more on what's hitching a ride on the bottom of your luggage.
In this article
What the InsureandGo Study Found
The travel insurance provider InsureandGo commissioned Amy-May Pointer, who holds a BSc (Hons) in microbiology, to figure out what we drag into our hotel rooms after traveling.
Pointer's team traveled to a busy airport train station in Greater London and swabbed 10 bags at key contact points, then took the samples back to a lab, where they were incubated for five days. The results were a bit startling, though, considering what we drag our luggage through, not entirely unexpected.
As you might guess, our bags pick up germs from every airport, train station, sidewalk, and street puddle we drag them through. And that doesn’t include checked airline bags where you don’t even see how they’re handled or stored.
The primary touch points are the spots with the highest bacterial loads, and while this may be alarming, the bacterial counts essentially reflect the places where your luggage has been.
Knowing where the bacteria concentrate will help you decide where your bag should go when you finally get to your hotel.
The Dirtiest Parts of Your Luggage (And Why)
As you'd expect, the study found that the wheels of your roller bag are the most contaminated parts of luggage.
It makes sense—you roll them through all manner of different environments, and they pick up just about everything they touch. The InsureandGo study found that the wheels on the tested bags carried about 400 colony-forming units (CFU) per 3 square centimeters, or nearly 58 times more bacteria than you'd find on a typical public toilet seat. The base of your suitcase didn't fare much better, coming in at 350 CFU per 3 square centimeters.
While you may not have to worry about picking up bedbugs or other pests from rolling your bag, the study identified Staphylococcus, which is commonly found on human skin and settles on public floors, as well as Bacillus species, which are hardy enough to survive on dry pavements, on the tested luggage.
When you wheel your suitcase into your room and toss it onto the bed, whatever is on the bag will end up on the bed, just as if you'd put the soles of your street shoes on it.
Where Bags Should Go Instead
When you first walk into a hotel room, leave your roller bags on hard surfaces or a dedicated luggage rack.
Racks are designed to make your bag accessible while keeping dirty wheels away from carpets, linens, and other surfaces that could be contaminated.
If your hotel doesn't have a rack (maybe you should have upgraded), leave your bags on a hard surface, near the entryway, or even in the bathroom. Pointer recommends keeping your bags off the bed altogether and away from any surfaces where you may eat.
While you don't need to sanitize your bag every time you move it, regular cleaning will go a long way toward reducing bacterial loads.
Pointer suggests adding disinfectant wipes to your packing routine and wiping down the wheels and base of your bag after you've pulled it through particularly germy places, like public streets or restrooms.
Another good habit is to wash your hands after handling your luggage, especially before you eat or touch your face.
These habits require little effort, but ensure you only unpack the things you meant to bring with you.
The Shortcut
Treat your suitcase like a pair of street shoes. In one lab test, the wheels came back nearly 58 times dirtier than a public toilet seat.
Unzip it on the luggage rack, the closet floor, or the hard floor by the door. The bed and anywhere you'll eat are off-limits.
Pack a few disinfectant wipes and give the wheels and base a quick pass when you check in.
Wash your hands once you've unpacked, before you touch food or your face.
