Don’t sit on upholstered chairs in hotel rooms – they are filthy even if they look clean

They may look clean and fresh, but there’s a pretty gross reason why you should avoid taking a seat when staying at in a hotel room.

You should never sit on the upholstered chairs in a hotel room – as they are hiding much more bacteria and dirt than you think.

Even if they look clean, they could be housing bed bugs, viruses and mould.

Experts have explained that because they are hard to clean properly, unlike bedding and towels that are washed at a high heat, upholstered chairs hold a range of germs that can make you sick.

With cleaning staff also being short on time when cleaning an entire room between guests, the comfortable chair often gets overlooked.

Dr Nidhi Ghildayal, PhD, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, told Readers Digest why this is.

He said: “Often, stains on chairs are dabbed and rubbed until they are removed, but other germs that are not noticeable to the eye remain.”

According to experts, you should never sit on the upholstered chairs in a hotel room.

Chairs are a “high traffic” area, he added, meaning guests will often sit on it, put their luggage on it or throw dirty clothes and shoes on it, leading to the range of bacteria hidden within.

To avoid falling sick, putting down a towel first can avoid any direct contact with the chair.

Smelling the chair could also reveal if it is mouldy.

Sadly, it isn’t the only filthy part of a hotel room.

The remote control and the carpet are often the dirtiest as they are cleaned the least often.

Avoid the coffee machine too – one guest found a “petri dish” of mould and fungus after trying to use one in their room.

Unsurprisingly, most travellers say the most important thing for a hotel to be is clean when staying the night.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission