The gross reason why you should always lay a towel on hotel chairs before sitting down

IT’S no secret that hotel rooms are filthier than you imagine.

But now it has emerged you should never sit on one of the chairs without first laying a towel down - for a pretty gross reason.

Jenna, a hotel maid in New York told : “Never sit on a couch or chair without laying a towel or sheet down first.

“Many guests sit on them naked, and yes, some leave stains behind.

“And much of the time, the stains are basically just dabbed with cleaner until they can't be seen anymore."

That’s not the only reason you should think twice before perching in the nude on the chairs though.

Chairs can contain bed bugs, which could be carried on your clothes or bag back home after your stay.

British Pest control expert Ranjen Gohri, from 24/7 Home Rescue, said that growth in bed bug numbers can be down to the amount of people travelling between countries, as well as their growing resistance to chemicals.

Once in your home, bed bugs can spread from room to room on luggage, clothing and furniture, quickly beoming a large problem.

While bed bug bites are painless, many people can have a reaction to the red, itchy bumps on the skin.

In some cases people can experience a rash or fluid-filled blisters and they can get infected with bacteria if scratched.

And it's not just chairs that might not be completely clean, as hotel bedding can also be dirtier than you think.

A hotel worker revealed: "I worked in a hotel and, while we did wash the sheets and pillowcases between guests, the comforters and blankets were a different story.

“They were washed just twice per year — once in the spring and once in the fall.”

Another former hotel employee added: “We were all discouraged from changing the top comforter unless it was visibly soiled as we only had a handful of spares and they were in very poor condition.”

Click here to read about a disturbing investigation that revealed how dirty five-star hotels really are.