The filthiness of hotel electric kettles is already well-known to many, but now a foreign influencer last year posted a video teaching netizens to use a hotel coffee machine to wash their underwear, then dry them with a hairdryer. The video was recently resurfaced and went viral, further fueling discussions about hotel room hygiene. Although the influencer has since clarified the situation, the incident has quickly become a hot topic on social media platforms.
The influencer, named Tara Woodcox, has 700,000 followers on TikTok and 390,000 on Instagram. She regularly uploads videos sharing life hacks, and as early as November 2025, she posted a video suggesting that if you don't have enough underwear during your travels, you can put your used underwear into the hotel room's coffee machine—placing them in the spot usually reserved for the filter paper, then activating the brew function to have hot water rinse the underwear for a makeshift cleaning, and finally using the hotel's hairdryer to dry them. She described this method as a “creative emergency solution for travelers.”
The video was recently dug up and quickly went viral, drawing nearly 6,000 comments on TikTok alone. Many netizens expressed disgust and concern over the practice, criticizing it as extremely unhygienic and disrespectful to future guests who would use the same coffee machine to brew coffee. One comment bluntly stated, “This is why I never use hotel coffee machines.” As the negative feedback continued to mount, Tara Woodcox later came forward to clarify that this was merely a story she heard from a flight attendant friend, not her own experience.
The incident has also brought renewed attention from the travel industry regarding the cleanliness of hotel rooms. Many travelers say they thoroughly clean items such as the hotel room's coffee machine, kettle, and glassware before using them; some even bring their own disposable cups or travel kettles to reduce concerns over hygiene.
The video was recently dug up and quickly went viral, drawing nearly 6,000 comments on TikTok alone. Many netizens expressed disgust and concern over the practice, criticizing it as extremely unhygienic and disrespectful to future guests who would use the same coffee machine to brew coffee. One comment bluntly stated, “This is why I never use hotel coffee machines.” As the negative feedback continued to mount, Tara Woodcox later came forward to clarify that this was merely a story she heard from a flight attendant friend, not her own experience.
The incident has also brought renewed attention from the travel industry regarding the cleanliness of hotel rooms. Many travelers say they thoroughly clean items such as the hotel room's coffee machine, kettle, and glassware before using them; some even bring their own disposable cups or travel kettles to reduce concerns over hygiene.