Objective To investigate the cleaning efficiency of towels in hotels in China (using the pH value of towels as an evaluation index) and analyze its related influencing factors.
Methods A total of 19436 towel samples from 2134 hotels in China were collected by random sampling method in 2019 for pH detection. The Chi-square test and Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the factors influencing the qualified pH value of towels.
Results The pH value of towel samples ranged from 3.2 to 13.9, and the overall qualified rate was 68.38%. The towel samples with a pH value of below 6.5 accounted for 5.31%, and those with a pH value of above 8.5 accounted for 26.31%. The qualified rates of pH value of towels in hotels in eastern and western regions were 70.93% and 68.67%, respectively. The qualified rate of pH value of towel samples was the highest in hotels graded at the three-star level or above (69.55%), and was the lowest in express hotels (67.12%). The result of Logistic regression analysis showed that a lack of quantitative grading of hygienic supervision in hotels (odds ratioOR = 1.21, 95% confidence intervalCI: 1.12~1.31) and towel cleaning and disinfection by other units (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.18) might reduce the qualified rate of the pH value of towel samples.
Conclusion The qualified rate of the pH value of towels in hotels needs to be further improved. A lack of quantitative grading of hygienic supervision in regions and hotels, and towel cleaning and disinfection by other units are influencing factors for the qualified rate of pH value. It is recommended to strengthen the hygienic supervision, detection of hotel towels, and the management of washing companies.
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