By the end of the summer our family will have stayed at five different hotels in three different states. Two down, three to go. (You’ll recall the first left much to be desired.) I’m hoping the next few will live up to their online descriptions. It’s bad enough when you see a six-legged critter scurrying across the floor of a four-star hotel, but having to worry about hair, pet dander, pollen, mold and other bacteria left behind from the previous guest—it’s enough to make you put the kibosh on family trips.
Let’s face it; every time you check into a hotel room, you leave a little piece of yourself behind (and so do the countless other guests that came before you). But, hang on, there’s good news for you germ-weary travelers. Two companies recently announced they are converting hotel rooms across the country into allergy-free, germ-free environments. Pure Solutions says it has created a “pure room,” which promises to reduce over 90% of the bacteria and viruses in a room.
According to company executives, there is a seven-step process that converts an existing hotel room into a healthy, allergy-friendly environment—or “pure room.” The process promises to cut down on things like bacteria, pollen, and dust. The first step is to clean and sanitize the room’s air handling system. Workers then install a tea tree oil cartridge (the company claims tea tree oil is a natural disinfectant). Later the room is shocked with a 4-hour ozone treatment that reportedly kills any remaining odor and bacteria. Finally, a special mist is applied to all surfaces to act as a bacterial shield.
The other company creating healthy hotel rooms is Environmental Technology Solutions. It takes a different approach with its “enviro-rooms.” Rather than converting an existing hotel room, the company completely guts rooms and starts from scratch. According to company executives, workers replace carpet with hardwood floors, and window treatments with wooden panels and blinds. By doing so any aerosols (including deodorant, cologne, hair spray, etc.) cannot be absorbed in the carpet or drapes. In addition, “enviro-rooms’ have allergy-friendly bedding (void of dust mites), air purification systems and non-upholstered furniture.
As you might expect, staying in a hypoallergenic hotel room will cost you a bit extra—about $10-15 a night. Currently, the Hilton O’Hare in Chicago offers “enviro-rooms” and you can expect to see more within the next year. As for Pure Solutions’ “pure rooms,” the company expects to have floors of allergy-friendly rooms in over 100 hotels by year’s end.
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