Your Suitcase Is Filthier Than A Toilet Seat—Here’s How To Clean It

Jetting off somewhere fabulous this season? Before you toss your suitcase onto the hotel bed, you might want to think twice. New research from travel insurer InsureandGo and microbiologist Amy-May Pointer reveals that your luggage could be harboring nearly 58 times more bacteria than a public toilet seat—especially on its wheels and base. From staph to black mold, the results are enough to make you scrub your suitcase as soon as you walk through the front door.

The Dirty Truth About Your Luggage
As part of the study, suitcases were swabbed at a busy UK airport train station. The results? Hundreds of bacterial and fungal colonies were found on seemingly innocent parts of your bag—with the wheels being the worst offenders.

Here’s how the grossest surfaces ranked by colony-forming units (CFU) per 3 cm²:

• Suitcase wheels: 400 CFU
• Suitcase base: 350 CFU
• Luggage trolley handles: 280 CFU

Pointer calls the wheels the “shoes of your suitcase,” and they’re often rolled through everything from public washrooms to station platforms before ending up on your hotel bedspread or carpet at home. Even worse, soft-shell suitcases were found to harbour more fungal growth than their hard-shell counterparts.

What’s Really Lurking?
The swabs revealed strains like Staphylococcus (which can cause skin infections and food poisoning), Bacillus (responsible for foodborne illness), and even Serratia marcescens (linked to wound infections in hospital settings). And yes, black mold spores were also present—especially on the undersides of bags.

How to Travel Cleaner: Tips from a Microbiologist
Luckily, there are simple ways to keep your suitcase from turning into a rolling petri dish:

• Use the hotel luggage rack. If there isn’t one, cover suitcase wheels with shower caps or plastic bags to avoid contaminating floors and bedding.
• Avoid puddles and restroom stalls. Steering clear of dirty surfaces minimizes your microbial pickup.
• Clean your hands. Use sanitizer after handling trolleys or luggage—especially before eating at the airport.
• Wipe your suitcase post-trip. A disinfectant wipe or mild soap cloth on the wheels and base can halve bacteria levels.
• Deep clean regularly. Detach wheels for a soapy rinse, vacuum fabric cases, and sprinkle with baking soda to absorb moisture and mold.

Pointer’s final piece of advice? “The next time you’re tempted to toss your suitcase on a hotel duvet, just remember what might be lurking underneath.”

Want the full report (and some terrifying close-up bacteria images)? Click here.

Because travel should come with memories—not microbes. —Vita Daily