Writing for the Reader's Digest, Sharon Feiereisen has come up with a list of "The 11 Dirtiest Spots in Every Hotel Room."

Some of these named spots seem pretty intuitive for most travelers while some are kind of surprising, and definitely disturbing.

"Paying more [for a room] doesn't exempt you" from nasty micro-organisms. Sometimes, in fact, upscale hotels "can have many more" dirty elements in a room. This opinion of Jennifer Stagg, MD, a naturopathic physician, was indeed a little surprising.

Where things get really fun is in the bathroom, on the bathroom counter and faucet. Feiereisen informs the reader that sometimes these areas are "cleaned" with the "same cloth used to clean the toilet." Yikes! She adds that these cloths are even recycled and used in other rooms.

The TV remote control seemed a predictable culprit; E. coli is the main problem here. She includes the room's ice bucket in this section of her article.

Somewhat surprising was the listing of the work desk as an offender for "respiratory viruses lingering . . . for up to four days."

Of course, the hotel room phone as a repository for dirt was a no-brainer. Feiereisen does add though that "you might be surprised at how bad it is."

Other areas suggested to watch out for include the coffee maker, the comforter (no surprise), pillows (surprise?), room keys (definitely no surprise), sofas/chairs and air vents.

Of special note were the carpets which are "breeding grounds for bacteria and germs." She advises travelers to "never let your kids sit, lay [sic] down, or play on the carpet, and always wear socks or slippers."

So if you travel and stay in lodging, be safe, and happy journeys.