Most people don’t fully understand the physical and mental toll of being a housekeeper. According to A Study 2025 In the Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the main problems hotel housekeepers reported feeling were stress, anxiety, and musculoskeletal disorders. To make matters worse, they have to deal with hotel guests who do not follow unspoken hygiene rules.
In chat with USA TodayHousekeepers are 50% more likely to be infected than any other hotel worker, said Anne-Marie Strassel, communications director for UniteHere, a union that represents more than 100,000 hotel workers in the United States and Canada. “Housekeepers can sustain debilitating injuries, experience pain, and even require surgical intervention,” Stressel explained. “Think of those luxurious pillow-top beds that many hotels have now. The housekeeper is probably lifting 100 pounds just to make the bed.” She also noted that the housekeeper had to put extra pressure on her knees while kneeling to clean the bathroom tiles. In addition, Jacob Tomsky, a writer and veteran hotel worker, said housekeepers are also at risk of contracting diseases while cleaning up bodily fluids in the bathroom.
on RedditMany housekeepers similarly emphasized that housekeeping is a physically exhausting job and it also happens to be very stressful, because they are expected to tidy the room in a limited period of time. Others have subscriber Their work stress is exacerbated by long hours and safety concerns. A lot of bad Things happen to your body when you work out too muchand Work stress is worse for your body than you think – Like the kind of stress caused by neglect or completely unhealthy guests.
Some guests leave trash all over the floor
One of Reddit’s biggest pet peeves with guests is that they leave trash scattered around the room instead of throwing it in the trash. a lot Housekeepers They were upset to find a used condom lying casually on the floor.
In chat with Indian ExpressDr Prashant Jain, associate director of urology department at PSRI Hospital, explained why used condoms should be disposed of properly, saying: “If someone comes in direct contact with them, there is a risk of infection.” While Dr. Jain stressed that the chances of contracting a serious infection through brief contact were low, there was still the possibility of contracting diseases spread through bodily fluids. Suffice it to say that both housekeepers and experts prefer that used condoms be first knotted at the top to prevent spills and then wrapped in tissue paper to further reduce the risk of contact.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only unsanitary item the housekeeper discovered, one housekeeper said Reddit They shared that they once came into contact with a used needle that someone had disposed of in a hotel room trash can. They also recalled how they had to undergo HIV testing due to the incident and felt anxious until their results came back negative. according to Better Health VictoriaContact with a used needle also poses a risk of contracting hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV). GoodRX It recommends disposing of used needles in an FDA-approved container to prevent the risk of spreading infection.
Some guests don’t clean up their feces
on Redditmany housekeepers said that one of the biggest pet peeves is having to clean up human waste, including urine, feces, blood, and vomit. To make matters worse, many said they discovered this waste in unexpected places. Aside from being a terrible thing to do, cleaning other people’s feces can also pose a serious threat to the cleaner’s health. Blood can pose a risk because it can contain bloodborne pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV).
It is worth noting that the risk of contracting HIV through occupational exposure is low. In contrast, it is possible to contract hepatitis B by coming into contact with dried blood on objects such as tweezers. Even hepatitis C can likewise be transmitted through contact with dried blood. However, the risk of infection with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus can be greatly reduced by wearing appropriate biohazard protection and following protocol during cleaning operations.
According to Texas Department of State Health ServicesThere is also a risk of illness from cleaning up stool and vomit because it can contain gastroenteritis viruses. Airborne virus particles from these feces can survive particularly on surfaces such as toilets, handrails, carpets and phones for 12 to 60 days. In addition, stool may contain harmful pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, norovirus, and other parasites. In some cases, a cleanup worker can become sick simply by inhaling airborne particles from moving waste.
Some guests leave nail clippings and stray hair all over the room
Many housekeepers are on hand Reddit They cringed while thinking about how many times they had to clean up toenail clippings from across the room. Like many other housekeeper pet peeves, this poor hygiene habit isn’t just gross; It is also not good for health. Chat with Health summaryDr. Jason Singh, chief medical officer at One Oak Medical Group, explained why nail clippings can pose a health risk, saying: “Discarded nail clippings themselves become biohazards, because they can harbor fungal spores that live for months and are transmitted to others who come into contact with them.”
The obvious solution to this unhealthy problem is to put your nail clippings in the trash. However, you can also go the extra mile and wrap toenail clippings in tissue paper to reduce the risk of contact. Of course, nail clippings aren’t the only thing a hotel guest leaves behind that leaves the housekeeper frustrated, as is the case with many others. Editors They remembered how they had to clean all kinds of hair from all over the room.
last Reddit The thread explained that the problem goes beyond just a painful feeling, as cleaning hair requires a lot of work. sometimes, Housekeepers You should first vacuum the space and then go in with a damp cloth to pick up the small bits of hair that have not been absorbed. Worse still, there was There is no solution for wet hair Other than just grabbing it with a paper towel. one Housekeeper They said they would much prefer people rinse their stray hair down the drain before leaving.
Some guests practice poor hygiene in the bathroom
on RedditMany housewives admitted that they feel nauseous when they have to throw away a used bar of soap. Needless to say, their reservations are completely valid. In chat with Daily healthDr. Kelly Reynolds, professor of public health and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona, confirmed that soap bars contain a lot of germs. According to Reynolds, you can find everything from E. coli, salmonella, and shigella to norovirus, rotavirus, and staph on the surface of a soap bar.
However, it is worth noting that A 1988 study A study in Epidemiology and Infection found that bacteria on soap are unlikely to be transmitted with hand washing, let alone short-term handling. Even putting the risk of infection aside, it’s understandable why someone wouldn’t want to come into contact with something containing all these bacteria. Ultimately, the housekeeper prefers that guests throw used bars of soap into the trash. Unfortunately, this is not the only unhealthy practice they have to deal with.
One housekeeper on Reddit He shared that one guest who stayed in one of their rooms left without draining the shower water and left them to reach into the water to pull the plug to drain it. Obviously, shower water is not the cleanest thing you can lay your hands on. Talk to Daily healthBathing water can contain fecal matter that naturally settles on people’s bodies, said Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of environmental biology at the University of Arizona. He added: “We found about 100,000 fecal bacteria per cup of water in bathing water.”
Not all leftovers are welcomed by the housekeeper
It is not uncommon for hotel guests to think they are being kind by leaving leftovers in the refrigerator for hotel staff to take home. And to some extent, they are right. On one Reddit In this regard, one person shared that they saw housekeepers smiling from ear to ear when they arrived home to pick up sealed groceries that someone had left behind.
However, some hotels do not allow their staff to take home food left by guests, possibly due to safety concerns. So, sometimes the housekeeping staff has no choice but to throw the food in the trash anyway. one Reddit The post explains why this rule was put in place, as they revealed there have been cases where housekeeping staff have been poisoned by eating guests’ leftovers. They claimed that on one occasion an ambulance had to be called to their hotel because a hotel employee ate pancakes left behind by a guest, which later turned out to be cannabis pancakes.
In the same vein, some people are completely inconsiderate of others and leave behind unsealed groceries and half-eaten leftovers from restaurants. Unsurprisingly, housekeeping staff tend to feel unsure about using unsealed food groceries because they are unsure how long it has been since they were opened. Sometimes, mold may develop in food scraps. With all this in mind, it’s safe to say that housekeepers prefer that people only leave behind sealed groceries. For added interest, guests can get away with leaving everything behind Foods you should never eat after their expiration date.
