Hotel Housekeepers Find This to be the Single Nastiest Offense of Hotel Guests

Not every hotel guest is considerate of the hard work that goes into keeping hotel rooms clean and trouble-free. I scoured Reddit and housekeeping forums to get to the heart of hotel housekeepers’ pet peeves. Here’s the list of 21 offensive behaviors hotel guests perform in alphabetical order as I struggled to decide which is worst. In fact, I was totally shocked that people do some of these things. (Also, read about “Hidden Fees Hotels Charge You and You Don’t Even Realize.”)

What kind of person leaves a hotel room with a bathtub full of dirty water? Bad hotel guests do apparently. I can't imagine reaching into a tub filled with used bathwater. Even if it's not draining due to a clog, call maintenance. Don't leave it as a surprise for housekeepers.

One hotel housekeeping pet peeve I discovered focuses on women who experience a heavy menstrual cycle and bleed through a pad or experience a tampon leak while sleeping. If that blood gets on a hotel's clean white bedding or drips on the carpeting while rushing to the bathroom, it's a biohazard. Housekeepers know it happens, but not telling staff is unacceptable. The same is true if an infant or toddler's diaper leaks overnight.

Housekeepers are busiest from the hotel's morning checkout time to the afternoon check-in. That means that most housekeeping staff go home for the day around 4 p.m. They aren't there 24/7. Asking them to clean your room when you head out for dinner and drinks isn't acceptable unless you've checked that it's an available service beforehand. And you should plan to tip for the inconvenience.

I was surprised to learn that people dye their hair or use spray-on fake tanning products in a hotel room rather than at home before they leave for vacation. Some hair and skin dyes stain tubs, towels, and flooring and require extra effort to remove. If you must dye your hair or skin when you're away from home, go to a salon.

This is one of the grossest to me, as it's generally the household chore I am tasked with and dislike the most. If a guest has a lot of body hair or very long hair, it's going to get caught on the drain. Removing the stopper and pulling a mouse-sized hairball from the metal bars on a drain is disgusting. Be considerate and dispose of your own hairballs before you check out.

Relaxed mornings and sleeping in is normal behavior on vacation. Make sure you put up the "Do Not Disturb" sign before you do. Housekeepers hate guests who fail to put up the sign and then get upset when they enter the room while they were still asleep and didn't hear a knock.

Sticky sauces like ketchup, sweet and sour, and barbecue sauce are sticky and cling to the fingers. Runny egg yolks and fresh berries create annoying stains. Wash your hands before you touch a remote, bedding, furniture, or wall. They're very hard to clean off porous surfaces or electrical items. As appealing as breakfast in bed is, don't do it if you don't have a table next to you to put things on.

Before you leave your hotel room for the final time, make sure the toilet is flushed. I cannot imagine starting a cleaning job and discovering someone has left a smelly gift floating in the toilet bowl. Gross.

Hotel room trash cans are typically small. If it's overfilled, call the front desk and ask if you can have your can emptied. I do it all the time when I stay in hotels. Leaving trash on the floor, counter, table, or under the bed is the behavior of a bad hotel guest.

If you want your room cleaned, make sure you take your "Do Not Disturb" sign down before you leave your room. If you come back and housekeeping is in your room, it's not a big deal. Give the housekeeper space and take a walk or go have coffee in the lobby for half an hour or so.

I'm shocked to learn that some annoying hotel guests use the electric kettle or even the ice bucket to make canned soup, canned pasta, or ramen. Cleaning tiny herbs and dehydrated vegetables from a narrow electric kettle is a nightmare.

It's disgusting hearing of housekeepers who've found evidence of people being sick or heavily intoxicated and leaving body fluids on carpets, walls, and even side table drawers. Get to the toilet. If you know you can't make it, at least grab a bag and trash can or bowl to contain waste. If you don't make it in time, do what you can to clean up. Then, tell the staff. Cleaning up after guests who've thrown up or not made it to the toilet involves a lot of extra work.

Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage for maids and housekeeping cleaners ranges from $11.79 to $21.96 per hour across the U.S. The average wage is $16.66, which isn't a living wage in many states. Tips are essential for housekeepers to afford housing, food, and utilities yet some people don't leave one.

Many hotels welcome dogs, but it's not okay to leave pet messes for housekeeping. If your pet has an accident, don't leave it. Get cleaning supplies and clean up as soon as the mess happens. Also, don't leave your pet in your room when you're out. Anxiety over a new place can lead to destructive behaviors. Plus, it's often against hotel policy and puts the housekeeper at risk of getting bitten or scratched.

When housekeeping comes into your room to freshen things up, they're going to vacuum, dust, make beds, clean surfaces, and check supplies like toilet paper, towels, soap, etc. If your dirty clothes are lying all over the floor or bed, it makes it harder for them to do their job.

Balling up wet towels is helpful to hotel room cleaners. However, leaving them on the carpeting or bedding increases the risk of mildew formation. Mildew is challenging for housekeepers. Put them on the counter instead.

If you book a non-smoking room, don't smoke in it. Go outside to a designated smoking area instead. If you can't go without, see if there are any rooms for smokers. One risk is that you'll set off the fire alarms and extinguishing system. It's also hard to get the smell of stale cigarette smoke out of furniture, walls, carpeting, and curtains.

The items people feel they can take home are frustrating as housekeepers must report obvious thefts. Items like paintings, small appliances, cups, bedding, and towels are not free for the taking. Thick hotel towels are one of the most common thefts. Expect to pay for missing items.

If you need something, ask a housekeeper for it. Don't take things off a cart. They only have so many items on a cart. That roll of toilet paper you snuck when they weren't looking could impact their job efficiency. They reach the last few rooms and realize they're short on supplies and have to go back to the housekeeping store room.

I admit, I never thought of this as being gross, but I get it. You've used the bar of soap during your stay. It's slimy and may even have body hairs stuck to it. If you're not taking it home, toss it into the trash. Housekeepers don't want to touch it. I'm making sure I do that in the future.

My biggest rule in a hotel is never to yell at housekeeping staff. They're not paid enough. If you're upset, stay calm and ask for a manager. You may not have noticed all of the rules when you checked in. Two items that housekeepers receive blam are not their fault. Checkout is set at a specific hour for a reason. It's not the housekeeping team's fault is that hotel rooms aren't cleaned daily. Hotels limit how often towels are washed to help lower water consumption.

I mentioned staying at a hotel in Maine earllier. I highly recommend exploring Maine's coast. I've been to many beaches in New England and New York, and Maine's beaches are among the best. Any of these expensive Maine hotels provide a luxurious home away from home where housekeeping teams are among the best.