Objective To evaluate the washing quality of towels and bed sheets in 200 hotels located in four cities of Jilin, China using pH value as an indicator, and to provide a scientific basis for strengthening the hygienic supervision of hotels and formulating health supervision policy of hotels.

Methods The pH values were measured for 1 768 towel samples and 600 bed sheet samples from 200 hotels in four cities of Jilin during 2016—2021. The pH values and qualified rates of towels and bed sheets were analyzed using the rank sum test and χ² test.

Results During 2016—2021, the overall qualified rate of towels and bed sheets in these hotels was 80.49% and 49.33%, respectively. The median pH value was 7.8 and 8.5, respectively. There was an overall increase in the qualified rate of towels during these years (χ_trend²=836.15, P < 0.001). Hotels ranking below three stars showed the lowest qualified rates of towels (72.65%). Hotels that did not do the washing by third party cleaning companies and those that changed the towels between guests during a day showed relatively high qualified rates of towels (85.16% and 99.86%, respectively). Moreover, hotels that did not do the washing by third party cleaning companies, changed the bed sheets between guests, and quantitatively classified of public areas showed relatively high qualified rates of bed sheets (62.22%, 50.79%, and 52.28%, respectively).

Conclusion The pH of most towels and bed sheets in these hotels is slightly alkaline. The washing quality of towels is relatively high, while the washing quality of bed sheets needs to be improved. We recommend to strengthen the sanitary monitoring and supervision of towels and bed sheets in hotels and to regulate the washing industry.