Dirt alert: please do not touch

Hand sanitisers have become a familiar sight in hotel lobbies across the world since the start of the Covid pandemic. You can't go for your buffet breakfast or get in or out of a hotel lift without being confronted by a bottle of something with a sign inviting you to have a pump.

But if you're starting to become a bit blasé about your hand hygiene, read on.

Research by Chicopee, an international brand of professional cleaning materials, has revealed the worst germ hotspots in Britain’s hotel rooms by swabbing the main touch points to test for high levels of viable bacteria and fungal cells.

If you think that sounds disgusting, you should have seen the photos that came with the press release. (We decided not to share them with you, in case you're reading this while eating your breakfast/lunch/ dinner).

All we're going to tell you is that if you want to avoid coming into close contact with the grubbiest places in a hotel room, don't switch on the lights, don't use the bathroom sink, and don't put anything on your bedside table. Oh, and always take the stairs.

Alternatively, keep on pumping that hand sanitiser.