The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper print
operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The Standard Group is recognized as a
leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national and international interest.
There are certain things you can expect from a hotel room. Clean sheets and towels should (hopefully) come as a mandatory standard. There are normally some free toiletries thrown in. Fancier places may have a mini bar and some tasty snacks on offer. And of course, in some cases, there should be a hairdryer - one of the perks of staying in a hotel is that you don't need to lug yours round with you.
But you may actually want to start packing your own one.
A past investigation by ABC News uncovered some grim truths about hotel hairdryers:
They are more germ-infested than a dirty toilet. While the toilet gets a regular clean, hairdryers tend to stay hidden away in drawers.
Chuck Gerba, the microbiologist in charge of the experiment, swabbed nine different hotel room items. He made sure he visited a range of hotels, which varied in price from £60 to £302.
His findings? "There must be some things you can do with a hair dryer that I am not aware of because some of them were pretty germy,” he said. It's believed this "germiness" occurs because cleaners will focus on items like the toilet, bath and sink in a hotel bathroom.
Other objects which are frequently touched, but may not be as obviously "dirty", are things like hairdryers, kettles and the light switch.
The next time you visit a hotel, you want to watch out for the free items you use.
join