Why your suitcase needs cleaning as much as your travel clothes

When people return from a trip, most rush to wash their dirty clothes and put their belongings back in order. One important step, however, is frequently overlooked — cleaning the suitcase itself.

Luggage touches countless surfaces

During travel, a suitcase comes into contact with a huge number of different surfaces — airport floors, baggage carousels, car trunks, hotel room floors, and public transport luggage compartments. Each contact leaves behind dust, dirt and microorganisms that accumulate unnoticed, since the suitcase can still look clean from the outside.

An overlooked but important step

Most travelers, once home, focus on what's inside the suitcase — washing the clothes, sorting clean from dirty items, and putting things away. The suitcase's own surfaces, both outside and inside, rarely get a thorough cleaning, even though they can serve as a breeding ground for microbes throughout the entire trip.

Making suitcase cleaning part of a regular post-travel routine can help reduce the risk of microbes being carried from the luggage into the home or onto other items the suitcase touches after returning.