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Am I The Only Non Germophobe?

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by monkeyshed, Mar 26, 2016.

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  1. monkeyshed

    monkeyshed Highest Vegas Slot Jackpot in 45 Trips = $650

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    So....it seems that in many of the reports I read that people bring blacklights, Clorox wipes, rip the sheets off of the bed, flip the mattresses, etc to inspect and clean their room as soon as they get in it. I've never done any of this. I take the preliminary look around but don't recall that I've ever even had to call or report something so nasty or dirty that I couldn't live with it. I do realize that someone else was in my bed yesterday, just as someone was in the chair that I sat in on the plane, the bus, etc.

    Am I the only non-germophobe around? I've never had bed bugs, never been sick from a room, etc. Maybe its like the people who say, "If you worked at a restaurant you'd never go out to eat again." Ok, don't tell me. What I don't know is treating me pretty good so far.
     
  2. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Ok, I won't tell you.
     
  3. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    You are not. I humor my wife and let her wipe down our airline seats and tray tables, then the remote etc in the hotel room, but I would never do that. I have yet to touch one of those hand sanitizer dispensers anywhere we travel.

    While playing machines I try and avoid touching my face and I wash every time before we eat, but that is about it.

    Just an aside...I recently visited someone in the hospital and every time a care giver came in the room, they did the sanitizing thing. There was one dispenser in every room. No wonder germs are getting resistant to everything.
     
  4. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    I don't think that anybody is the only anything on this great big planet of ours. :) I don't consider myself a germophobe and anyone who came by to look at my kitchen today would have to agree. However, I do have some issues with a few hotel items I think are not cleaned to my standards. I am pretty regularly grossed out by the in room coffee pots that have that mystery film in the bottom of them. I also wish the bedspreads were changed more often than they are and am happy to frequent hotels that have gotten rid of them.

    I have been lucky enough to not have ever experienced bed bugs, but if I were, I'm pretty sure i'd be one of the people checking the matress every time I checked into a new room. I don't bring disinfectant wipes, but I have on rare occasions asked housekeeping to come back through the room when I found something gross. Once my husband was sitting naked on the couch in our room and I must have made a face because he asked me what I was thinking about. I told him I was just wondering how many naked, funky butts had been on that couch and he got up and put a towel down. :haha:

    I guess everyone has different standards of cleanliness. I know my mom vocalizes hers when she visits my house. ;) I try not to judge people based on their preferences. If you don't mind a little funk, more power to you. But for those who do, I think it's great that people here feel free to share what works for them in the hopes of helping others.
     
  5. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    In Vegas and when traveling anywhere, I worry more about the bed bug issue. I have a large house and it would cost a fortune if we ever brought them home. Sorry monkey, I said I wouldn't say anything, but I did find evidence of them on a Vegas mattress (I have photos) and found a live bed bug at a Toronto airport hotel. I put my suitcases in the tub and inspect before settling in and I never unpack clothing. I take precautions when I return with my belongings and luggage just in case. Ignorance may be bliss (I enjoyed hotel stays more before I knew there was an issue) but it could also be very expensive. To me, it is worth the effort to take precautions but in reality, they could crawl into your belongings in a cab, a movie theatre, anywhere so there are no guarantees and I'mnot going to stay home to avoid the problem.
     
  6. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    Other than the bedbug concern, I think people believe they have a lot more control over what they are exposed to than they actually do. I agree with Joe - I don't obsess about cleanliness, but try to avoid touching my face when playing machines or not having the opportunity to wash my hands for awhile. My wife and I travel a lot (this year, so far, NYC, Cabo, Reno, New Orleans, Las Vegas) and we've never encountered bedbugs. We're mid-level hotel travelers, so I'm aware it could be an issue. I'm just too lazy to check each time, figuring it will be obvious if I wake up with bites.
     
  7. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    Just to add. My oldest brother was nailed with bedbugs twice in the last 10 years. Once in NYC and once in Philadelphia. I suppose I should be paranoid and be checking, but I never have. Ignorance is bliss.

    I did throw in two very large plastic garbage bags in the zipper compartment of my luggage, just in case, but that's my only precaution. Hopefully, I'll never need them.
     
  8. NandJfrmNJ

    NandJfrmNJ VIP Whale

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    Another non-germophobe here. Being exposed to "germs" enables your body to develop antibodies against them. Bedbugs are not germs so I'm as conscientious about them as anyone. That being said, I do take normal precautions like washing my hands after using the restroom and washing them before I eat. One thing I never do is to hold the handrail on escalators. I don't think they ever get sanitized. It seems to have worked out well for me because I rarely get sick (colds, flu, food poisoning from a buffet. etc.). My friend, however, is a true germophobe. She washes her floors everyday and uses hand sanitizers all the time and she's always sick.
     
  9. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    I subscribe to the notion from Nietzsche: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I'm rarely sick and only when forced by my wife do I take an Advil. But with that said, I caught a cold when up in Boston for a trade show a couple of weeks ago. I finally got a flu vaccine in February.
     
  10. deansrobinson

    deansrobinson VIP Whale

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    I s'pose it might make one feel better to add some extra protection to the room, but at the same time, I think in terms of all the people I run up against and everything I end up coming in contact with in Vegas. I think I'm more likely to come up against Patient Zero at one of the bars or restaurants or at one of the tables...or on the flight out there. But I will say this...I think that if you're hacking and barking or exercising your nostrils, it is kind of a turn off at a table.
     
  11. Candy Apple

    Candy Apple VIP Whale

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    Do you mean you pump gas, touch escalator handrails, or push shopping carts and then eat without sanitizing or washing your hands? That would be gross.
     
  12. deansrobinson

    deansrobinson VIP Whale

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    No, I mean that I am much less likely to suffer from an unsanitary hotel room than I am in coming in contact with the general population.
     
  13. monkeyshed

    monkeyshed Highest Vegas Slot Jackpot in 45 Trips = $650

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    I have this same kind of friend. She once went to a museum with me and went ballistic when my kids held the railing going down the stairs, launching on about how many germs were on it. As you said, I haven't had a sick day in two years and she's out every few weeks.

    I'm not meaning to condemn or criticize anyone for their cleanliness measures at all. I'm a first grade teacher, so maybe that is why I'm not grossed out by as much. I see kids not flushing, not washing, picking their noses, etc. I have them clean it up when I see it, but I can only imagine how often they don't and then grab my hand or use my supplies. As far as the hotels, my thought is that probably every surface in your room has, at one time or another, been used in ways that would horrify you. Yes, even those expensive Wynn rooms. So, if I'm going to stay in a hotel room I have to accept that or become the maid. In my mind, wiping a Clorox wipe across the couch isn't going to get the bodily fluids out. I understand wiping down hard surfaces, remote etc., but there's really only so much you can do. I think as Sonya implied, you go through the measures that make you feel comfortable.

    We once went to a restaurant and, before we could order, my son threw up all across the table. We took him to the restroom and they sent someone to clean and mop the area. By the time we left, about 15 min later, they were already seating someone at that table. It seemed gross to me, having just seen what was on that table, but I suppose it happens all of the time.
     
  14. irishdave

    irishdave VIP Whale

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    My solution to this issue is to drink have at least 10 drinks of 40 proof (or higher) whisky every day when I'm in Vegas
     
  15. roycpa

    roycpa High-Roller

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    Regarding the ubiquitous hand sanitizers, I really think they are there just to make people feel better, and not because they actually do any good!! Somewhat like the rules that TSA has - mostly just to make us feel safe. Germs are everywhere and our bodies, thankfully, are made to handle them.
     
  16. meyers67

    meyers67 VIP Whale

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    People who take out handi-wipes before meals, or to their grocery cart annoy me.
     
  17. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    I suppose i would fall into the germophile group.

    i dont inspect the bed lines for hairs nor do i care.

    I embrace my amoebic friends. I walk in bare feet in the hotel room and shower in bare feet as well. I drink out of the glasses, tap water of course, never bottled if i can help it. I am a bottled water denier.

    I will get a big gulp of pool water and spit it out when swimming. i find it funny to do that. dont swallow it of course, its pool water.

    As I side note, i also only shower in ice cold water twice a day. I might use hot water once a week or two as a treat but usually cold. Lets you know you are alive!!
     
  18. IM ALL IN

    IM ALL IN High-Roller

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    I like your solution.
     
  19. IM ALL IN

    IM ALL IN High-Roller

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    I don't handi-wipe the grocery cart, but I never put food items in the seat where kids in diapers sit.
     
  20. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    I admit it. I do travel with Clorox wipes and I do wipe down remotes and any other surfaces I don't trust that housekeeping has touched. I do carry hand sanitizer but almost never use it. Sometimes you know you need to clean your hands but there is no place to properly wash them. If I am aware of a recent bed bug infestation, I will check the linens and I make a point to try and put my suitcase up on a shelf. But that's It. I know that some exposure to germs is good for you and I don't kill myself trying not to touch handles or fist bumping instead of shaking hands and stuff like that.
     
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