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Topics: Travel, TikTok, Health, Social Media
Lucy Devine
A woman has sparked outrage online after revealing an unusual and pretty gross hotel habit.
The travel influencer explained in a TikTok video what people can do if they come away on a trip and realise they haven't brought enough underwear, or if they've forgotten to pack an adequate amount.
Now, this can of course happen to the best of us, but it was the influencer's solution to the problem that left many people baffled.
Sitting next to her hotel room coffee machine, the woman explained what she does if she finds herself without any clean underwear.
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Explaining she learned the trick from a flight attendant, the woman revealed that the 'hack' involves using a coffee machine to clean your dirty underwear.
"Put your underwear where you would put the coffee grounds," she said.
"You close it, you press brew, and it puts scorching hot water through it."
She explained that you can then use the hairdryer to 'blow dry' the underwear, and you'll be left with a 'cleaner' pair that you can effectively wear the next day.
It's fair to say people were absolutely horrified in the comments, with many having serious hygiene concerns.
One wrote: "Is this considered a risk to public safety?"
While another added: "Other options: 1) BUY new underwear 2) Wash the underwear when you shower 3) Wash in the sink 4) BE PREPARED AND PACK EXTRA UNDERWEAR."
And a third added: "I will never drink coffee out of one of those pots again. Why not just get hot water in a cup from there and wash it."
Others called it 'disgusting' while another wrote: "That’s biohazard behavior."
According to Forbes, there are some pretty legitimate concerns. One being that the underwear could contaminate the coffee machine, and vice versa.
The publication also note that while many may assume that the heat of the water would disinfect the coffee machine, this may not be the case.
The temperature may not be hot enough inside the machine, while some viruses, like norovirus can sustain higher temperatures.
Pathogens also need to be exposed to high temperatures for a sustained amount of time, too. In other words, moderately high water filtering through a coffee machine fairly quickly may not cut it
Ultimately, all things considered, it's probably worth checking your hotel appliances are clean before using them, and don't assume that because you're paying for a premium hotel room that they absolutely will be.