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Hotel worker busted going through traveller’s luggage

<p dir="ltr">A traveller has shared a hotel story from hell, revealing he secretly filmed a hotel worker going through his possessions after he checked in and unpacked. </p> <p dir="ltr">The guest captured the footage of a housekeeper appearing to sift through his belongings and look in his safe, after he utilised the hidden webcam on his laptop. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sharing the video on TikTok, the traveller issued a warning to his followers, with the caption, “Pro travel tip: you can turn your laptop into a security camera.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The video then shows the housekeeper helping himself to a beverage out of the mini fridge, before starting to rummage through the wardrobe.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Be careful when you’re travelling. This was the first time I set up a camera and caught this.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Luckily, the housekeeper didn’t take any belongings from the savvy traveller, although they still reported the incident to hotel management. </p> <p dir="ltr">They said the hotel “managed the situation professionally”, and the housekeeper was fired “on the spot”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The guest said when booking the hotel, they noticed a series of reviews mentioning thefts but weren’t able to find any proof, hence they felt the need to set up the camera. </p> <p dir="ltr">The video has racked up over 170,000 likes, with many people in the comment section saying they rely on similar technology to keep their belongings secure. </p> <p dir="ltr">One nervous traveller commented, “This is exactly why I barely take anything out of my suitcase, always keep my lock on it and always travel with the keys.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

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Former housekeeper shares things she would never use in a hotel room

<p dir="ltr">After working as a housekeeper for many years, Tara knows a thing or two about hotel rooms. </p> <p dir="ltr">The former cleaner has made a frank admission about what goes on behind closed doors when cleaning and tidying hotel rooms for the next guests. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Hate to break it to you, things aren’t as clean as you think they are,” Tara said on her TikTok.</p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to list the things she would never use in hotel rooms after her years in the industry, beginning with basic kitchenware. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The first thing I would never ever use is the coffee pot or any of the glassware.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Usually the housekeeper rinses these things out in the bathroom sink and dries them off with the same rag they clean the rest of the room with.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The next thing she avoids using or touching is the ice bucket.</p> <p dir="ltr">“A lot of times people just innocently use these as water dishes for their pets but then other times, people do much worse things to these buckets... and I don’t ever want to talk about that,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also advises travellers to remove the bedspread as soon as you check in to your hotel room. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Take that s*** off the bed the minute you walk in there and do not put it back on the bed,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“They are so filthy, they only get washed once a year unless there’s a visible stain on them.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So unless someone has puked, bled, p***ed or s*** on them, they do not get washed for an entire year.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Seriously, I’ve seen some things.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In a follow-up video, she explained why parts of hotel rooms are neglected during the cleaning process. </p> <p dir="ltr">“You would actually get in trouble if you took too long to clean hotel rooms and you would get in trouble for backing up the laundry if you’re sending down too many bedspreads and blankets and things like that.”</p> <p dir="ltr">She added, “Totally depends on hotel, training, employee and management but I’m turned off for life because of what I’ve seen.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

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5 vintage housekeeping hacks that work wonders

<p>The expectations of managing a house have certainly changed since the ‘50s and ‘60s but that doesn’t mean we can’t utilise the tricks they learnt along the way.</p> <p>These housekeeping hacks were developed to save time and money.</p> <p><strong>1. Phone hack</strong></p> <p>In 1953, Dorsey Connor shared a home hack in her book <em>Gadgets Galore</em> for women who only had one phone line. She recommended putting the phone on the ground in a dishpan when you move around the house so that you will be able to hear incoming call as the dishpan will amplify the noise of the ring.</p> <p><strong>2. Wet weather clean-up</strong></p> <p>In 1957, one contributor to the <em>Encyclopedia of Household Hints and Dollar Stretches</em> suggested keeping a sponge by the back door on rainy days. When someone comes in the house with a dripping umbrella or wet shoes, the sponge can be used to immediately wipe the water. When the sponge needs cleaning, the book recommends soaking it in salt water.</p> <p><strong>3. Strategic accessories</strong></p> <p>In 1962, Peg Bracken proposed to readers of <em>The I Hate to Housekeep Book</em> to get rid of unnecessary covers and rugs of any kind. She said that a rug in a room would just be another item to clean. “The reason you picked linoleum or vinyl instead of wall-to-wall carpeting was so you could wipe it up, remember?” she wrote. Peg urged readers not to buy toaster covers, shelf liners or throw rugs as they would double the cleaning.</p> <p><strong>4. Stretching food</strong></p> <p>A problem that is as common today as it was decades ago is trying to stretch food when unexpected dinner guests show up. Peg recommends serving “things under things” to avoid this issue. By placing meat on top of potatoes or vegetables, gives the appearance that the plate is full. A dinner roll could be placed underneath a roast to catch the drippings.</p> <p><strong>5. Planning grocery shopping</strong></p> <p>Author Marguerite Dodd found grocery shopping “needlessly consumed” a “great chunk of time”. She believed running to the shops to pick up only a handful of items was a waste of time. She recommended limiting shopping to once a week to pick up dairy, fruit and fresh vegetables. The rest of the items she said should come from a well-cultivated stash. Marguerite advised for meat to be bought monthly and stored in a freezer along with frozen vegetables.</p> <p>Do you use these vintage hacks? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

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Shocking confessions of real-life housekeepers

<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/">GoodHousekeeping</a></strong></em></span> asked real-life housekeepers and cleaners to reveal the strangest and funniest things they’ve experienced on a job. And we must say, these confessions are truly bizarre!</p> <p><strong>“A pet goat drove me to quit.” – </strong>A full-time house cleaner from Centennial, Colorado</p> <p>“Two months after I started working for this millionaire, she got a goat – in addition to her 10 giant dogs. The dogs had access to the entire house. Soon enough, she started feeling bad about leaving the goat outside, so she started letting it sleep in her bed along with the dogs. I would go four times a week (for at least six hours a day) and spend the entire time just cleaning up after the animals. The goat peed on everything. It got to a point that was just too much. I cleaned everything with such attention to detail and she'd go back hours later – after the dogs and goat had been through again –  and complain that I wasn't doing a good job. After a year, I had to drop her as a client.”</p> <p><strong>“I thought I was working for a serial killer.” – </strong>A full-time organiser from Los Altos, California</p> <p>“A client asked me to set up a filing system with crazy category names such as 'easiest way to kill someone without being traced,' 'types of murder weapons,' and 'types of poisons.' At first I was horrified; then I found out that this client is a successful mystery writer.”</p> <p><strong>“You get blamed for everything.” – </strong>A full-time house cleaner from Bethesda, Maryland</p> <p>"After working for nearly eight months for this one family, the wife accused me of breaking her mini blinds. I reminded her that they had been broken since I started, but she didn't believe me. She said I had to pay for new ones or she was going to dock my pay. I said it was unfair but she didn't care – she fired me on the spot."</p> <p><strong>“You get the most ridiculous jobs.” – </strong>A full-time organiser from Columbus, Ohio</p> <p>"My very first client asked me to wash the paperclips we were using. We were organising a home office that hadn't been used for a while and everything was covered in dust. She, understandably, didn't want to use the dusty paperclips, and simply brushing them off or getting new ones was not an option for her."</p> <p><strong>"If you leave it out, we'll look at it." – </strong>A full-time house cleaner from Cherry Hill, New Jersey</p> <p>"I know for a fact that some of my co-workers try on the clients' clothes if they're left alone in the house. Some other cleaners always help themselves to food or even alcohol. Plus, there's just general snooping. If you leave important papers laying around, most of us are going to look to see how much you charge on your credit card, what you owe on your mortgage, or what your bank statement looks like." </p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/08/things-in-your-kitchen-you-should-clear-out-right-now/">10 things in your kitchen you should clear out right now</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/07/why-we-should-keep-up-with-the-washing-up/">Why we should keep up with the washing up</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/07/why-you-should-never-make-your-bed/">Why you should never make your bed</a></em></strong></span></p>

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Former housekeeper to the Queen reveals her secrets

<p>If anybody can teach you how to make a bed fit for royalty, it would be the Queen’s former housekeeper. Barbara Allred, who was head housekeeper at Sandringham for a decade, now tutors at The English Manner, which trains butlers and housekeepers for billionaires, celebrities and aristocracy.</p> <p>Allred (left) tells <em>The Daily Mail</em>, “When you're working for the top, standards have to be 110 per cent, not just 100 per cent.”</p> <p>So what domestic secrets can the former housekeeper reveal?</p> <p><strong>For sparkling bathroom thrones</strong></p> <ul> <li>To remove lime scale build-up on chrome taps, apply a paste of 2 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar. Use a toothbrush or cotton bud to clean difficult areas, and a bottle brush to clean plugholes.</li> <li>Keep a sponge and rubber gloves dedicated to the toilet - and manually clean under the rim of the bowl.</li> <li>Don’t use bleach as it takes the shine off porcelain. To remove mildew or mould, mix equal parts lemon juice and baking powder into a paste, leave on for two hours, and then rinse off. Toilet paper should roll from the front. Fold the end into a point to show the bathroom has been cleaned.</li> </ul> <p><strong>For crisply folded towels</strong></p> <ul> <li>Lay the towel flat, then fold it in three, lengthwise, before hanging on the towel rail.</li> <li>If you're folding them away in the cupboard, fold them in three again (or four, for large bath towels.) Stack towels, neatly, with the fold towards you, with towels of one size in a single section.</li> </ul> <p><strong>For a table setting fit for a royal</strong></p> <ul> <li>Set one place setting first to ensure you're happy with it. Then place each main course plate on the table. All plates should be equidistant.</li> <li>Each main course plate should be an inch from the edge of the table, as should the bottom of the cutlery. The side plate should be at ten o'clock in relation to the main plate. Glasses are at two o'clock.</li> <li>The red wine glass is traditionally larger, and to the right. The white wine glass is smaller, to its left.</li> <li>The sweet fork and spoon are normally positioned at the top of the main plate.</li> <li>A tablecloth is optional.</li> <li>Polish cutlery, and clean glasses without touching the rim - use your left hand to cradle the bowl; never twist the bowl when washing or drying the inside of a glass.</li> </ul> <p><strong>For a dust-free house</strong></p> <ul> <li>Start from the ceiling, from the left, so you can be methodical. Use a cobweb brush for ceilings.</li> <li>A squeezed out damp cloth is best for ornaments. If it's dry, you're just pushing dust around - you need the dust to adhere to the cloth.</li> <li>For antique picture frames, use a soft hogshair brush - one for wood and another for metal.</li> <li>Dust furniture with a very tightly squeezed out soft cloth. Never spray wood directly - spray the cloth. The same rule applies to cleaning windows.</li> </ul> <p><strong>For silver that shines</strong></p> <ul> <li>Don’t use a toothbrush if the silver is intricately wrought - use cotton buds.</li> <li>Then wash the item in warm water and liquid detergent, and dry. Use a soft, lint-free cloth to buff it - it’s the buffing that makes the difference.</li> </ul> <p><em>Source: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3358717/How-run-house-fit-Queen-Plates-inch-table-edge-Taps-sparkle-like-crown-jewels-former-royal-housekeeper-reveals-secrets.html" target="_blank">The DailyMail</a></em></p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/10/things-you-shouldnt-put-in-the-dishwasher/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/diy-christmas-decorating-ideas/">13 easy-peasy Christmas decorating ideas</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/10/things-you-shouldnt-put-in-the-dishwasher/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/diy-christmas-decorating-ideas/">More great vintage household tricks from the 1900s</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/10/things-you-shouldnt-put-in-the-dishwasher/"></a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/home-garden/2015/12/vacuum-cleaning-tricks/">Vacuum cleaning tricks you’ll want to know about</a></em></strong></span></p>

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Confessions of the housekeepers of the rich

<p>Good Housekeeping asked cleaning professionals to reveal their craziest and funniest stories. Employees of the rich and successful, these housekeepers revealed some serious dirt.</p><p>"I know for a fact that some of my coworkers try on the clients' clothes if they're left alone in the house. Some other cleaners always help themselves to food or even alcohol. Plus, there's just general snooping. If you leave important papers laying around, most of us are going to look to see how much you charge on your credit card, what you owe on your mortgage, or what your bank statement looks like." – A full-time house cleaner from Cherry Hill, New Jersey</p><p>"I've had husbands outright flirt with me. Some have even offered me money — clearly hinting that they'd hope to get something in return. I've had guys hire me and then call me to ask me out. I do consider myself an attractive woman, I just didn't realize how desperate some guys are." – A full-time house cleaner from Lawrence, Kansas</p><p>"Two months after I started working for this millionaire, she got a goat — in addition to her 10 giant dogs. The dogs had access to the entire house. Soon enough, she started feeling bad about leaving the goat outside, so she started letting it sleep in her bed along with the dogs. I would go four times a week (for at least six hours a day) and spend the entire time just cleaning up after the animals. The goat peed on everything. It got to a point that was just too much. I cleaned everything with such attention to detail and she'd go back hours later — after the dogs and goat had been through again — and complain that I wasn't doing a good job. After a year, I had to drop her as a client." – A full-time house cleaner from Centennial, Colorado</p><p>"A client asked me to set up a filing system with crazy category names such as 'easiest way to kill someone without being traced,' 'types of murder weapons,' and 'types of poisons.' At first I was horrified; then I found out that this client is a successful mystery writer." – A full-time organizer from Los Altos, California</p><p>"After working for nearly eight months for this one family, the wife accused me of breaking her mini blinds. I reminded her that they had been broken since I started, but she didn't believe me. She said I had to pay for new ones or she was going to dock my pay. I said it was unfair but she didn't care — she fired me on the spot." – A full-time house cleaner from Bethesda, Maryland</p>

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Confessions of housekeepers

<p>Good Housekeeping asked cleaning professionals to reveal their craziest and funniest stories. Employees of the rich and successful, these housekeepers revealed some serious dirt.</p><p>"I know for a fact that some of my coworkers try on the clients' clothes if they're left alone in the house. Some other cleaners always help themselves to food or even alcohol. Plus, there's just general snooping. If you leave important papers laying around, most of us are going to look to see how much you charge on your credit card, what you owe on your mortgage, or what your bank statement looks like." – A full-time house cleaner from Cherry Hill, New Jersey</p><p>"I've had husbands outright flirt with me. Some have even offered me money — clearly hinting that they'd hope to get something in return. I've had guys hire me and then call me to ask me out. I do consider myself an attractive woman, I just didn't realize how desperate some guys are." – A full-time house cleaner from Lawrence, Kansas</p><p>"Two months after I started working for this millionaire, she got a goat — in addition to her 10 giant dogs. The dogs had access to the entire house. Soon enough, she started feeling bad about leaving the goat outside, so she started letting it sleep in her bed along with the dogs. I would go four times a week (for at least six hours a day) and spend the entire time just cleaning up after the animals. The goat peed on everything. It got to a point that was just too much. I cleaned everything with such attention to detail and she'd go back hours later — after the dogs and goat had been through again — and complain that I wasn't doing a good job. After a year, I had to drop her as a client." – A full-time house cleaner from Centennial, Colorado</p><p>"A client asked me to set up a filing system with crazy category names such as 'easiest way to kill someone without being traced,' 'types of murder weapons,' and 'types of poisons.' At first I was horrified; then I found out that this client is a successful mystery writer." – A full-time organizer from Los Altos, California</p><p>"After working for nearly eight months for this one family, the wife accused me of breaking her mini blinds. I reminded her that they had been broken since I started, but she didn't believe me. She said I had to pay for new ones or she was going to dock my pay. I said it was unfair but she didn't care — she fired me on the spot." – A full-time house cleaner from Bethesda, Maryland</p><p><strong>Related links:</strong></p><p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/10/household-tricks-from-1900s/">Vintage household tricks from the 1900s</a></span></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/10/tips-to-iron-quicker/">Clever tips to cut ironing time in half</a></span></em></strong></p><p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="/lifestyle/at-home/2015/09/how-to-save-ruined-clothes/">10 ways to save clothes you thought were ruined</a></span></em></strong></p>

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