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These are the most germ-ridden places in your hotel room, apparently

Photo credit: DragonImages / Getty
Photo credit: DragonImages / Getty

From House Beautiful UK

By this point in the year, you've probably been dreaming about your summer holiday for what feels like decades.

But we've just discovered something that might dampen your enthusiasm to travel ever so slightly – or at least ensure you go on holiday with a bumper pack of disinfectant wipes in your bag.

According to one germ expert, hotel rooms can be pretty grubby places and there are some spots that are particularly likely to be covered in bacteria – which is probably not too surprising considering the amount of negative TripAdvisor reviews you've probably read in relation to a hotel's cleanliness and hygiene.

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Speaking to Time, Kelly Reynolds, an associate professor of environmental health at University of Arizona, explained that light switches and TV remotes are likely to be the dirtiest spots in your room.

The reason? Hard surfaces that are touched frequently by different people are the perfect breeding ground for microbes.

Photo credit: Alice_yeo / Getty
Photo credit: Alice_yeo / Getty

Other germ hotspots include the whole bathroom, including the toilet and bathroom sink, but we're not exactly surprised by that.

'When you flush the toilet, the viruses and the faeces do get spread throughout the walls of the toilet, the flush handle, and the walls of the bathroom,' explained Reynolds.

And the other bacteria hotbed to avoid is your actual bed. More specifically, that fancy-looking bedspread...

'Your best bet is to avoid contact,' Reynolds added. 'A lot of people will recommend just folding the bedspread back or throwing it on the chair and don't use it while you're there.'

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