Last night on News 4 at Ten we finally revealed the findings of our latest hidden camera investigation, which centered on how hotels clean (or don't clean) the glassware and coffee pots in their guest rooms.

Our cameras captured video of housekeepers wiping down drinking glasses with sponges and towels they had used to clean bathrooms and toilets. 

Despite local and state health regulations that require all in-room glassware be cleaned and sanitized at high temperatures, inside a dishwasher, we saw housekeepers rinsing glasses and coffee mugs in the bathroom sinks, with their bare hands, sometimes without using any soap.

We showed our video to the head of the local health department, which is responsible for hotel cleanliness, and he was surprised and concerned about what these hotels are doing.  He told us hand washing may be okay at home, where your dishes are usually used by your immediate family.  But at hotels and restaurants, where the glassware is used by hundreds, maybe thousands of people, proper sanitizing is vital to control the spread of infectious germs.

The health department contacted us shortly before the investigation went on the air to say they are launching a new effort to educate hotels and their employees about proper procedures for washing and sanitizing cups and glasses.

In the past, health inspectors primarily checked only the hotel kitchens.  Now, as a result of our report, they will be looking for proof the glassware in the rooms is being washed properly.

Makes you think of all the times you used that hotel glass to down some medication or brush your teeth, doesn't it?  Yuck!