Hotel Bed Runners Are Hygiene Risk Experts Warn

Guests who stay in hotels should move bed runners off the bed on arrival and avoid in-room soap, hairdryers, and kettles.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Home Cleaning

Flat vector editorial illustration of a coral bed runner draped over a wooden chair in a quiet hotel room. — Hygiene experts advise hotel guests to move bed runners off the bed on arrival, as the thick fabric is laundered less often than sheets and collects more contact. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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A YouTuber has urged travellers to remove hotel bed runners as soon as they arrive, while inventor Lori Greiner, 56, has advised guests to avoid three in-room items: hotel soap and shampoo, hairdryers, and kettles.

Why it matters

Bed runners are the strip of thick, coloured fabric across the foot of the bed, and they are usually not laundered as often as the sheets, which are changed for every guest. Guests sitting and throwing bags on that part of the bed make it a point of concern, and the advice is spreading as a practical hygiene tip for anyone who stays in hotels.

The YouTuber sblga, with 61,000 subscribers, and a housekeeping manager both advise removing the bed runner on arrival. Lori Greiner, 56, recommends avoiding three items: the soap and shampoo, the hairdryer, and the kettle.

The players

Lori Greiner

Inventor and entrepreneur, 56, who posted a TikTok video recommending that guests avoid hotel soap and shampoo, hairdryers, and kettles.

sblga

YouTuber with 61,000 subscribers who urged travellers to remove hotel bed runners immediately upon arrival.

The details

Bed runners are usually not laundered as frequently as hotel sheets, which are changed for every guest. Guests typically throw their bags on the bed and sit at its foot, where the runner sits, so it gets contact that the sheets underneath are protected from. Soap and shampoo dispensers are typically refilled rather than cleaned out, which can let bacteria build up inside them. Hairdryers are touched with unwashed hands and rarely deep cleaned between stays, and some people have used hotel kettles to wash socks and small undergarments.

The Home Front

Hotel laundering practice, in which sheets are replaced for each guest, sets the standard that guests now compare against when they consider the bed runner. The advice extends a general consumer habit of checking in-room surfaces and dispensers to the everyday items most travellers use without a second thought.

When you next stay in a hotel, consider moving the bed runner off the bed on arrival and placing your bags on a luggage rack or chair. Wipe down the hairdryer and kettle before use, and avoid using hotel kettles for washing clothes.

The takeaway

Hotel bed runners are the item most likely to be overlooked, because sheets are replaced for every guest and the runner usually is not. Setting the runner aside and cleaning hotel-supplied items before use is a simple habit that costs nothing when you travel.