Can hotel towels spread diseases?

When we go out, we will inevitably stay in a hotel. If we don’t prepare towels, we will use the hotel towels after taking a shower. Some people worry that the hotel towels are not clean enough, so they worry that they will catch other diseases. In addition, some five-star hotels have recently been exposed to some negative news, and people have a worse impression of hotels and always have certain doubts about their service quality. So, can hotel towels transmit diseases?

1. Can hotel bath towels transmit sexually transmitted diseases?

Experts say that sexually transmitted diseases, like common infectious diseases, require three conditions to get sick: the source of infection, the route of transmission and the susceptible population. Sexually transmitted diseases are contracted through sexual contact between a healthy person and a person with a sexually transmitted disease. "In addition to sexual contact, indirect contact can also transmit sexually transmitted diseases, but the chance is very small, almost less than 5%." In addition to being transmitted through direct sexual contact and indirect contact, sexually transmitted diseases can also be transmitted through blood. According to statistics, more than 90% of sexually transmitted diseases are directly transmitted through sexual intercourse.

2. Can hotel towels spread genital warts?

The possibility is very slim.

3. How to prevent hotel towels from spreading genital warts

The pathogen of genital warts, human papillomavirus, is a DNA virus without an envelope, and is not effectively killed by ultraviolet light or 75% alcohol.

However, thermal disinfection is very effective and can inactivate it by heating it to 56°C for 30 minutes.

All hotels that change and disinfect towels for each guest should not spread genital warts with their towels and bed sheets.

Because the current towel sterilizers on the market have a temperature preservation range of approximately 55°C to 65°C, and the highest can be adjusted to 100°C.

Don't touch these items when staying in a hotel

1. Coffee pot and ice bucket

After a long journey, when you enter the hotel room, someone will immediately use the coffee pot in the room to boil water; or pour ice cubes directly into the ice bucket, ready to quench your thirst and take a breath. Please note that you should think twice before doing this.

2. Glass

It is best not to use glasses in hotel rooms (including bathrooms), especially not to drink water. Because some room attendants are too lazy to use detergent to clean the cups, they just rinse them with tap water and rarely use high-temperature disinfection procedures.