How Often Do You Clean Your Luggage?
Except when something spilled, I have to say “should I clean my suitcase” was not a question that crossed my mind. I tend to be a bit finicky anyway, carrying it instead of rolling it through puddles, mud, etc so it usually appears fairly clean anyway.
It wasn’t until my trip to New Dehli visiting friends who were very particular about washing hands, taking shoes off at the door, and sanitizing the restaurant tables that I started to think about what my clean looking luggage might actually have picked up during the trip. And then when I think about how I wouldn’t walk barefoot through the airport and everywhere else my luggage rolls yet I roll it on my carpet at home…yuck!
I did a little research on what it would take to disinfect my suitcase and most articles just suggested a sponge and soapy water. So I decided on Lysol disinfecting wipes just to make sure. 🙂 For the wheels which on closer inpsection had actually picked up some gravel and grossness I did both lysol and a soapy sponge to get all the crevices.
It took about 2 minutes and I felt better about storing them in my closet with my other stuff. I don’t wipe down my suitcases after every trip, but try to do it every month or so or after I’ve traveled internationally.
And I have tried to make it a habit to run a disenfecting wipe over my luggage and laptop case grips whenever I think of it. I’m so careful to usually wipe down my tray table, seat buckle, and now the air vents, I should be paying attention to my own belongings as well!
After getting bed bugs from some random trip, my luggage gets in the trunk of my car for 3 days after a trip (since your interior of your car most of the year goes about 110 degrees inside on a sunny day) Then I was it down with Dawn dishwashing soap, which was a recommendation of the exterminator. This is done after every trip that involves a hotel. Takes a couple minutes and will save my the horrific experience that I had to go thru to get rid of bed bugs