Traveler puts towels on hotel floor to avoid walking barefoot. Is she ‘too paranoid?’: ‘Are socks not an option?’
When you’re staying in a hotel room, you hope that housekeeping has done a good job sanitizing between guests.
Unfortunately, however, hotel rooms are dirtier than most people realize. As one 2012 study revealed, 81 percent of hotel room surfaces sampled tested positive for fecal bacteria. Most hotel guests don’t think much about this, trusting that hotel management handles cleanliness properly. However, some travelers take hygienic precautions that the general public may find “extreme.”
One such guest, TikTok creator Vicky Kim (@vickykimgenxugc), recently went viral after showing how she handles forgetting her slippers while staying at a hotel.
In the clip, which has garnered over 5.3 million views, she’s walking around the room barefoot, with about four towels laid on the floor. “POV: you forget your hotel slippers and refuse to walk barefoot on hotel carpet,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.
In the caption, she added her reasons for doing so. “Hotel travel tip: never walk barefoot on the carpet—and here’s why,” she wrote, listing:
- You have no idea how often it’s actually deep cleaned (spoiler: not enough)
- It traps everything… dirt, spills, who-knows-what from past guests
- Shoes track in bacteria from literally everywhere
- Quick vacuum ≠ clean
- Your socks or slippers are doing the real work
Commenters Playfully Mock Her
In the comments, some viewers thought there were better ways to handle the situation. Others thought she was completely justified.
“Man, if only there were washable re-useable covers for your feet that could be removed at any time and act as a barrier between your skin and the ground,” one user wrote. “Someone should invent that…”
“So, you are traveling without any socks?” another asked.
Vicky Kim responded, “Used all my clean socks!”
“Hotels really should not have carpet at all. Disgusting,” a third chimed in. “Also bad for allergies.”
How Dirty Are Hotel Room Floors?
According to an expert who spoke with the New York Post, dangerous bacteria are probably lurking around several areas of your hotel room.
Surfaces such as couches, bedding, fabric headboards, and more don’t get cleaned nearly as often as one might think. While sheets are most commonly washed between each stay, pillows and comforters are likely washed less frequently.
As for the floor, whenever there’s a carpet, odds are that it’s only vacuumed between guests. This means carpets can harbor fungal spores, which are known to cause “athlete’s foot,” an itchy, stinging condition that is hard to get rid of.
Most experts suggest avoiding walking barefoot in your hotel room. While socks may be enough to protect you, slippers would work best.
@vickykimgenxugc Hotel travel tip: never walk barefoot on the carpet—and here’s why: • You have no idea how often it’s actually deep cleaned (spoiler: not enough) • It traps everything… dirt, spills, who-knows-what from past guests • Shoes track in bacteria from literally everywhere • Quick vacuum ≠ clean • Your socks or slippers are doing the real work Bottom line: pack the slippers or keep your shoes on ? @UGG® -hint hint ! #TravelTips #TravelHacks #SmartTraveler ♬ original sound – Damianleighclarke
The Mary Sue has reached out to Vicky Kim via email for comment.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
