After a long travel day, all you want to do when you check in at a hotel is drop your bags on the floor and kick up your feet. We’ll stop you right there. First, you should actually put your suitcase somewhere else when you arrive. (Spoiler alert: It’s the bathtub. Read why here.) Next, before you remove your shoes and stretch out on the comforter, consider that your hotel room might not be as clean as you think. We’ve dug into the Daily Passport archives to share what travel experts have identified as the dirtiest parts of a hotel room, so you know what to avoid on your next getaway. Here are five of the worst offenders. 

The Floors

If you’ve been out exploring a new city all day, you probably want to let your feet breathe. But according to industry insiders, that seemingly innocent barefoot stroll to the bathroom can spread a myriad of germs.

Jacob Tomsky, a seasoned hotel industry expert and author, revealed to Sun Online Travel that hotel floors — especially the carpeted areas — are the dirtiest part of a room. “Yes, they are vacuumed but they will almost never get a shampoo and a deep clean as there are constantly people staying in the rooms,” he explained. 

Read more: The One Thing You Should Never Go Without in a Hotel Room

The Coffee Maker

Even if the coffee machine in your hotel room looks clean to the naked eye, microscopic germs and bacteria are likely lurking inside. That’s because bacteria thrives in dark, moist environments, making the coffee machine a hospitable environment for it to grow. And it’s unlikely that each coffee machine in a hotel filled with hundreds of rooms is cleaned as thoroughly and often as it should be. 

Some studies have shown that the average coffee maker may even be dirtier than a toilet seat. Plus, you never know what other hotel guests might have used the machine for previously. 

Read more: The One Thing You Should Never Use in a Hotel Room 

The Ice Bucket

Many hotels offer disposable drinkware to make cleaning up easier, but some still include drinking glasses in every room. If your hotel has actual glassware, it’s worth running each cup under the sink before drinking out of them. Just because there aren’t any visible stains or smudges doesn’t mean that the glass has been recently cleaned. But there’s one other common amenity you might not think twice about before using.

In an interview with Travel + Leisure, Brian Labus, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said that “the grossest thing” you can do in a hotel room “is to use the ice bucket without a liner.” Labus cites a past norovirus outbreak in which people used the ice buckets when they got sick, since they could be kept close to the bed. Those buckets were then unknowingly used by future guests, spreading the virus even further.

Read more: This Common Hotel Room Amenity Isn’t as Clean as You Think 

Decorative Bedding

A viral report by Inside Edition revealed the dirty truth about rooms at three major hotel chains in New York City. Spoiler alert: None were cleaned as well as they should’ve been, especially when it came to the bedding. Do hotels wash the comforter after every guest? According to those in the know, some don’t.

Because of this, it’s best practice to avoid all fluffy textiles in hotel rooms — comforters, quilts, decorative pillows, and even fabric couches. These items are not washed as regularly as sheets, towels, and duvet covers. Throw pillows are among the dirtiest items because they are often put on the floor or the couch and not washed between guests.

Read more: How Often Do Hotels Clean Comforters on the Bed?

Common Touchpoints

Think of all the surfaces in each hotel room that are repeatedly touched during each stay, like door handles, light switches, faucets, and the TV remote control (one of the germiest offenders). While the cleaning staff may have quickly wiped down these areas with a wet cloth or duster, it doesn’t hurt to give them one more clean with some disinfecting wipes. Be sure to get down in the cracks and crevices that are harder to reach in order to ensure a thorough clean. 

Read more: Here’s What You Should Clean Yourself When You Check into a Hotel Room