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Home / Travel

Why you should never sit on upholstered chairs in hotel rooms

NZ Herald
22 Dec, 2019 10:51 PM2 mins to read

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There's a reason you shouldn't sit in the chair in your hotel room. Photo / Getty Images

There's a reason you shouldn't sit in the chair in your hotel room. Photo / Getty Images

Upholstered chairs on hotel rooms are holding a scary amount of bacteria and dirt.

Experts have revealed that since upholstery is harder to clean than bedding and towels, upholstered chairs can hold bed bugs, viruses and other germs that can get make you sick.

"Often, stains on chairs are dabbed and rubbed until they are removed, but other germs that are not noticeable to the eye remain," Dr Nidhi Ghildayal, PhD, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, told Readers Digest.

Chairs are a "high traffic" area, Dr Ghildayal added.

Guests often use the chair to put their luggage, dirty clothes or shoes on it enabling a range of germs to be hidden within the material.

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Other experts have also explained that since staff have a short amount of time to clean each room, the chairs are often given a quick wipe and nothing more.

It is advised to avoid the bacteria of the chair by putting a towel down first, if sitting on it, The Sun revealed.

Smelling the chair will also indicate whether it is mouldy or not.

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Upholstered chairs are not the only dirty parts of a hotel room, it is recommended to also avoid the coffee machine and direct contact with the TV remote.

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