AIBU not to trust hotel kettles? (Related to travelling with a bottle fed baby)

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Hello all

We have a few 3-4 day trips planned in the country I live in - an Asian country where locals don’t drink the tap water (and non locals certainly don’t). It’s OK boiled for adults.

DS is two months old and primarily formula fed. Normally I boil water - usually filtered water - to make his bottles. But I’ve heard horror stories about people using hotel and B and B kettles to boil their pants and do other grimballs things that mean I wouldn’t usually have a hotel room cup of tea - and make me wary for DS’ food too!

Am I being unreasonable? What are the alternatives? Do people use hotel kettles to boil their pants?

While we’re at it, how does one sterilise bottles while on a trip without a microwave?!

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A friend of mine takes her own travel kettle to hotels etc as she believes people pee in the kettles already there!can't say I've ever noticed anything grim myself.

Ready made formula? Or buy a travel kettle to take with you?

We checked the kettle looked clean. You boil it so it's sterile. We took our electric steam steriliser with us.

Oh god everyone.

I have some knowledge in this area and kettles aren't just magically sterile once boiled.

Water needs to stay boiling for at least 5 minutes but ideally 10 minutes or longer (without stopping) in order to kill the majority of bacteria present - AND this is also only true when the inside surface of the kettle and/or anything inside it is free of organic material - e.g. dirt, faecal particles (left behind from somebody's underpants!!) etc

Plus - yes - some people are grim - even in 5 star hotels. There is no way I would trust a hotel kettle to be 'sterile' as stated by pp.

Thank you @Alfxn! So many people were saying that boiling a kettle was enough that I started to doubt!
I don't think people boil their underpants/tights but heat the water and throw them in (with some soap?) to wash them. I agree, why wouldn't they use the sink? Who knows?

Interesting article. As some one who travels in many hotels I always take my own. I have seen a lot of disgusting kettles in rooms.

Here’s the science of the matter, as explained by Dr Hendrickson.
"Boiling kills most, but not all microorganisms."

www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/08/experts-say-boiling-underwear-in-a-hotel-kettle-is-super-super-super-super-gross-so-maybe-dont-do-it-k-thnx/

The fact there’s even an article about it confirms my suspicions that this is indeed something that happens! Along with your testaments above, for which thanks all. Yes, food is another one - instant noodles in kettles is definitely a thing here.

I won’t be using the hotel room kettle then…have ordered some Milton tablets and a travel kettle, as suggested by all here. Steribottles aren’t available locally but I’ll look for alternatives - great recommendation, thank you.

Thanks everyone!

Also…weeing in kettles? WHY? Boiling underwear at least has a purpose of getting it clean, but why would you wee in a kettle?!

Boil their pants? What the actual what?!

Also…weeing in kettles? WHY? Boiling underwear at least has a purpose of getting it clean, but why would you wee in a kettle?!

Usually men (obviously) when the bathroom is occupied by someone else!