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The Easiest Way to Clean a Hotel Bathtub

The Easiest Way to Clean a Hotel Bathtub

You're on vacation, walking 20,000+ steps a day trying to get in all of your sightseeing before the sun sets. At the end of a long day, the only thing you can think of is relaxing - what better way to close out your day than taking a bath. Feeling exhausted and wanting to wind down, you turn on the faucet to fill your bathtub as soon as you get back to your room.

Too tired to think, you get into a hot bath of bacteria and cleaning chemicals. Disgusting!

“Is it safe to take a bath in your hotel tub?” is a commonly asked question. Many people say to never use the hotel’s bathtub. But you’re on vacation and REALLY want the full spa resort experience. What’s the point of going on vacation if you can’t even take a relaxing bath? Your normal daily life is so busy that you never have time to draw a bath at home. With some simple preparation, you can get the hotel bathtub spa ready, even for a germaphobe.

While disinfecting sprays and wipes can be used for high contact areas in your hotel room, they shouldn't be used for the bathtub. Using sprays and wipes would only add more cleaning chemicals to the bathtub surface.

A concern with these disinfectants is that they contain quaternary ammonium compounds (aka QAC or quats), which can cause skin rashes and respiratory issues.

I prefer a more gentler but effective cleaning approach.

Here's what you need:

White Vinegar and Dawn Dish Detergent

You will be mixing equal parts vinegar and dish detergent into the spray bottle. This can be done in the hotel or prior to traveling. I understand these items are not typically included in a packing list, but if you know your hotel has a bathtub, you can premix the formula and keep it under 3oz to avoid any run-ins with airport security.

  1. Heat vinegar in the microwave for 30 seconds. (Optional step, but recommended if you have a microwave in your room.
  2. Fill the spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and dish detergent.
  3. Shake it up well.
  4. Voila! You have yourself the best bathtub cleaner.
Before and After

When you check into your hotel, rinse the bathtub with tap water (from the shower head). Then give the entire bathtub surface a good spray from your cleaner and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. (Note: This is going to smell very vinegary, so be sure to close the bathroom door to contain it!)

See it in action! Spray, wait, wet, wipe.

Now you can go about your day, checking off items on your itinerary. When you get back to your hotel room, simply splash the bathtub with some tap water and use paper towels to wipe down the bathtub. No elbow grease required! Any contaminants should come right off. Give the bathtub a good rinse with tap water and you’re done. You're now ready to take a bath!

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