Your travel gear is gross. Here’s how to clean it.

By Andrea Sachs

The Washington Post

When Natalie Exum looks at luggage, she sees dirty shoes.

Exum, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said suitcase wheels are similar to soles. Both trap and transport crud from airport terminals and hotel lobbies, city streets and parking lots.

“Your luggage is going through a lot of yucky places,” Exum said, shuddering at the thought of people who set their bags on beds.

Travel gear sees more of the world than common household objects. Luggage, noise-canceling headsets, neck pillows, reusable water bottles, toothbrush holders and other mobile items are exposed to a host of pathogens and grimy particles as they move through different environments — from airport shuttle to baggage cart, airplane floor to seat-back tray, Dopp kit to hotel bathroom counter.

“You are taking these through public areas, touching things or dragging them on the floors so many people have been through,” said Jessica Ek, a spokeswoman and cleaning expert with the American Cleaning Institute. “You can pick up germs that are out in the world.”

Medical professionals say the health risk is low. If your hand touches a contaminated surface and then your mouth or eyes, you could contract a virus or bacteria.

The gross factor, however, is high.

Take, for example, this familiar scenario. You pile your luggage into the airport bathroom stall, placing your phone on top of your carry-on and your coffee on the ledge of the toilet paper dispenser. You flush the toilet, releasing a cloud of fecal matter into the air.

“You’re not going to get sick from it,” Keith Roach, an internist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian. “It’s just kind of yucky.”

You can take some preliminary steps to protect your travel goods and yourself. Wash your hands with soap and water. Wipe public-use surfaces, such as airplane tray tables and airport work stations, with an antibacterial cloth. When using hotel or airport restrooms, lower the toilet lid or store loose belongings in your luggage before flushing.

Also, steer clear of hand dryers, which Exum said can disperse germs.

“Instead of being afraid of everything, be conscientious in those high-risk situations,” she said.

Dry out toiletries and cases

The trick to keeping your toiletry containers fungi-free? Never pack them wet.

“If you put them away damp, that can really get bacteria, mold or other things growing that you really don’t want,” Ek said.

Before you return your toothbrush to its holder and soap to its case, wait for all components to dry, though not at the expense of your morning hygiene. For bottles of lotion or shampoo, wipe down the cap and exterior.

Ek said if you don’t see or smell anything funky, you can space out cleanings. However, for heavy usage, she recommends washing them with soap and water, rinsing, wiping and drying.

Wash your neck pillow

Beside your head, you know what else likes to rest on your neck pillow? Dead skin cells and oils.

“The real issue is you’re getting dead skin and oil from your skin, and it’s not going to be pleasant,” Roach said. “It won’t feel good, and it won’t smell good.”

If your neck pillow has a removable cover, Ek said to toss it in the washing machine on a gentle cycle. If the insert is attached, you can throw the whole pillow in the machine, set on cold. She warns against frequent washes, however, which could turn your pillow lumpy.

The eye mask can also go in the wash, she said, but avoid hot water, which can erode the elastic strap.

Clean your grimy phone

If your devices become sticky, crusty or crumb-infested, Ek said to wipe them down with a clean, dry cloth, followed by a disinfectant wipe. Then air dry.

Be especially vigilant with your phone, which, she said, is 10 times germier than a toilet seat.

For earbuds, Ek said to use a disinfectant wipe or a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth. Keep liquids away from the openings or connecting ports, which could damage the electronics.

Bose, the audio gear manufacturer, recommends a cotton swab, dental floss stick or piece of tape or putty to reach tougher spots. But don’t poke or prod too deeply.

For the band part of headphones, which can absorb oils from your hair, Ek suggests dipping a cloth in a cup of warm water with a teaspoon of laundry detergent. Treat the electronics with the same care as earbuds.

Vacuum your luggage

The biggest dirt and germ magnets are the wheels and handle. To clean a hard or soft case, Exum recommends running an antibacterial wipe from top to bottom.

For the interior, TravelPro, the luggage maker, suggests a handheld vacuum or lint brush for removing dirt and debris. Follow with an antibacterial or sudsy wipe and a squirt of odorizer spray or a sheet of scented fabric softener.

For especially tough smells, Ek said to apply a paste of baking soda and water.

“If you’ve done those steps and are still having an odor,” she said, “it’s time to replace.”

Totes and duffels made of such materials as polyester, nylon, canvas or cotton can usually go in the wash. Close all zippers, which can catch on other fabrics.

Use soap on your water bottle

In 2017, a team of researchers tested 90 reusable water bottles from a Midwestern college campus and determined that the portable drinking vessel can be a cesspool of pathogens.

“Improperly cleaned water bottles may present a potential reservoir for bacterial colonization and thus be a risk for foodborne illness,” the study concluded.

To prevent your water bottle from becoming a scientific experiment, clean it regularly with soap and water.

“You really should be cleaning it while you’re traveling and not just a week later when you get home,” Ek said. “At the end of the day, wash it in the hotel sink and leave it out on a towel to dry overnight.”

If the bottom is slimy, Ek said to squirt dish or hand soap into the chamber, add water, tighten the lid and shake hard.

“You need water, soap and friction to reach some of those harder parts,” she said.

For narrow drinking accessories or designs, such as a reusable straw, nozzle or spout, Ek carries a pipe or tube brush.

Exum avoids straws entirely, opting for a bottle with a fitted screw cap.

“Anything that gets on [a straw] is going into your body, and then your immune system is going to have to do something with it,” she said.