As a selective germaphobe I’ll probably regret asking this, because what you don’t know can’t hurt you (well, at least pre-coronavirus…ish). But I’ll do so anyway, because I’m convinced that collectively OMAAT readers know everything.
We all know that hotel bedding is washed between every stay. At least that’s how it’s supposed to be, though some undercover investigations over the years have revealed that’s not always the case. But what bedding items are washed, specifically?
Are duvets washed, or just the covers?
There’s a huge variance in terms of the quality of hotel beds. Some are downright heavenly, while others… aren’t. I’m not an expert on bedding terms, but one thing I really like is when a hotel bed’s duvet is fully enclosed between sheets. In other words, some hotel duvets are wrapped in sheets so that there’s a zipper or buttons fully enclosing it.
Other hotels simply have the duvet and then two sheets around it, but then they easily come apart, meaning you may often find yourself in direct contact with the duvet.
I’m not sure if I’m explaining that well, so below is a picture of what that looks like, with that checkered thing in the middle being the duvet.
And below is a close-up of the duvet specifically (if that’s even the right term).
That leads me to the question — is the actual duvet washed after every stay, or just the sheets? My assumption has always been that just the sheets are washed, and that you’re potentially drooling on the same duvet as everyone else. But I recently had a conversation with someone who thought that hotels washed the duvets between every stay, which I simply don’t believe.
For that matter, am I the only one who has a strong preference for hotel beds that have the duvet fully enclosed in the sheets (via a zipper or buttons), rather than just sandwiched between them, where it easily comes apart?
What about other decorative bedding?
While the above is my biggest question about hotel bedding, I might as well ask a couple more questions. When hotels put decorative throws or blankets on beds, are those washed between stays? I assume not, but I’d sure love to be wrong. Assuming it’s not after every stay, does anyone know approximately how often they’re washed?
And I don’t even ask about decorative hotel pillows, because ugh…
Bottom line
Even taking coronavirus out of the equation, I tend to think that you’re better off just not knowing certain things when it comes to hotel cleanliness. So I’m not sure why I’m asking, but…
Anyone have any insights? And anyone have any other hotel bedding questions that someone else might be able to answer?
