“As Soon as You Check into a Hotel Room, You Should Boil Water and Pour It into the Toilet”: You’ll Be Horrified When You Learn the Truth Behind This Advice

Nowadays, electric kettles are provided free of charge in hotel rooms—from budget accommodations to luxury hotels. However, this appliance hides some stories that might give you the chills.

Recently, Chinese website Sohu quoted a housekeeper from a high-end hotel advising guests to use the electric kettle to boil water and then immediately pour it into the toilet bowl upon check-in. In reality, no one really knows what previous guests might have done with that kettle. Housekeeping staff can only give it a cursory inspection, or at best, rinse it with plain water before the new guest arrives. That’s why it’s recommended that you take this step yourself to disinfect the kettle and ensure your safety before using it.

There have been cases where guests found items like underwear and socks left inside the electric kettle after someone had used it for disinfection but forgotten to remove them. Countless other instances have been reported where guests cooked noodles, made soup, or boiled seafood using the kettle. It’s hard to imagine what state that kettle in your room might have been in.

Furthermore, the toilet itself is a hotspot for bacteria and is notoriously difficult to keep hygienic in a hotel setting. Housekeeping staff often don’t have enough time to regularly disinfect using chemical solutions. Therefore, you might consider proactively sanitizing the toilet surface—the area that comes into direct contact with your skin. By boiling water to disinfect the kettle and then pouring it over the toilet surface, you tackle two potential problems at once.