Most travelers never give the remote control in their hotel room a second thought. We turn on the TV without giving it a second thought. After all, how harmful can a remote control be to our health? Studies have shown that the remote control is one of the top three dirtiest things in our hotel rooms that can lead to illness. Here are five ways to combat the germs.
1. Bring an extra ziplock bag. Place the remote control in the zip lock bag. The remote will still work, and the plastic bag will protect you from whatever germs are on the remote control. Most hotels have a recycling bin. At the end of your stay, recycle it in the bin.
2. Bring Clorox disinfectant wipes. The disinfectant wipes will work on your remote control and any other surfaces you want to keep clean. Be sure to clean the light switches by the bed.
3. Use the STAYConnect Mobile App by Lodgenet. Most major chain hotels use the Lodgenet entertainment system for their TVs. Download the STAYConnect Mobile app, find the code on the TV’s main menu. Your smartphone is now your hotel remote control.
4. Bring your device. You already travel with a smartphone and a tablet. Add a Chromecast, Amazon FireTV stick or Roku device so you can watch Netflix, Hulu and others. They are compact and easy to set up.
5. You are on vacation. Don’t watch TV, decompress, read a book, get out and explore.