Amtrak Blankets to be Sealed for your Protection

[rickycourtney]

Amtrak Operations Service Advisory 15-03

Starting January 20, 2015, Amtrak will begin a Pilot program to provide each Sleeping Car passenger with a fresh wrapped blanket for the following services.

• Lake Shore Limited
• Capitol Limited
• Cardinal
• SW Chief

The test pilot program will run for 90 days at which point it will be evaluated for national implementation.
During the test period, each Sleeping Car passenger will receive a fresh blanket wrapped in plastic for the duration of his or her trip.

Beds should be made using ONLY the sheets to cover the mattress and the blanket is to remaining in the plastic wrap.

When setting up the room for day use, Sleeping Car Attendants should refer to the photo on page 6-87 of the “Service Standards Manual for Train Service and On-Board Service Employees”. (The photo does not include the wrapped blanket)

When getting the bed ready (turning down the bed) for the passenger: If the blanket is still in the wrapper, place the plastic wrapped blanket on top of the sheets. If the blanket has been removed from the plastic wrap, fold the blanket and place on top of the sheets.

If the room is being readied for a late night passenger arrival, turn down the bed and place both the wrapped blanket and coat hangers on the sheets. (Refer to photos)

After each passenger has departed, the Sleeping Car Attendant will strip all linens, separating the used blankets from the used linens into separate red linen bags.

At the turn around point for the respective train, the Sleeping Car Attendant will off load soiled linens in the red linen bags, insuring that blankets are in a separate red linen bag from the rest of soiled linens.

Ensure that ample supplies of wrapped blankets are available for the return portion of the trip. Sleeping Car Attendants must consider passenger counts and current onboard inventory levels of clean blankets when placing back orders.

Fun and gross fact: Amtrak's blue blankets in the sleeping cars aren't washed after every trip. As a matter of fact, I believe that Amtrak only requires that blankets be replaced when they are soiled or when the car is stripped of all linens when it is sent into the shop for inspection (2-3 times a year). In other words it may have been months since the blanket you slept under was cleaned. Thats why beds are supposed to be made with a "sheet over the head of the blanket is to prevent a passenger from making contact with the blanket."

The upside of this program is that your blanket is guaranteed to be clean.

The downside of this program is that passengers will now need to finish making their beds and it makes the sleeping car attendant appear lazy (even if they normally aren't).



Note: phone numbers have been redacted from the attached document.

 

[SteveSFL]

Hmmm. I'm leaving on a long distance trip tomorrow and I guess I never really thought about the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of the blankets. I wish I hadn't seen this until I got home. My trip does not include the pilot program trains.

 

[Everydaymatters]

I have thought about this every time I have been in a room. Using dirty blankets is absolutely gross and disgusting. As much as I have tried to not touch the blanket, it is really impossible.

This needs to be a policy on every train. And hotel room.

 

[George K]

This needs to be a policy on every train. And hotel room.

I had a friend who was in the hotel business. He once said that "Hotels don't care about being clean; hotels care about looking clean."

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

I'd prefer to have a clean blanket and need to 'finish' making my bed.

 

[tonys96]

IMHO, much ado about very little.

 

[AKA]

I hope this becomes SOP on all trains.

 

[Paulus]

Well that was a horrifying fact to learn.

 

[SarahZ]

Well that was a horrifying fact to learn.

Yup, and most hotels only wash their bedspreads once per month.

 

[SarahZ]

Side benefit to this: if a passenger is cold, they can use their blanket right away. It will also be nice for taking naps.

 

[TVRM610]

Welcome aboard Amtrak Sleeping Car service... here is your plastic wrapped blanket. ha.

It seems to me that simply washing the blankets as a practice would work fine... the plastic coating is a little much.

 

[SubwayNut]

The airlines always plastic wrap there blankets. I think it's standard in all classes.

 

[Orangesaint]

Well that was a horrifying fact to learn.

Yup, and most hotels only wash their bedspreads once per month.

Since this is an article about blankets and so there's no confusion, Sarah (presumably) references the bed cover, not an actual blanket on the hotel bed. Many hotels are going away from bed covers anyway for just this very reason. Although any bed cover that is seen to be unusually dirty will indeed be washed right away. Another similar item in this category is your shower curtain.

If Sarah is referencing an actual blanket, I suggest she look into another hotel.

 

[Ryan]

IMHO, much ado about very little.

Agreed. I've never had an issue.

 

[SarahZ]

Well that was a horrifying fact to learn.

Yup, and most hotels only wash their bedspreads once per month.

Since this is an article about blankets and so there's no confusion, Sarah (presumably) references the bed cover, not an actual blanket on the hotel bed. Many hotels are going away from bed covers anyway for just this very reason. Although any bed cover that is seen to be unusually dirty will indeed be washed right away. Another similar item in this category is your shower curtain.

If Sarah is referencing an actual blanket, I suggest she look into another hotel.

No, I would have said "blanket".

I meant the bedspread/comforter/duvet/quilt/bed cover/thing-that-lays-on-top-of-the-sheets-and-blanket.

 

[Everydaymatters]

Why would anyone want to sleep on a bed with blankets that have been used multiple times by who knows how many people?

Maybe I have higher standards for cleanliness. I honestly thought that no one would want to stay in a room with dirty blankets.

 

[Todd]

My god... something new to whine/worry about. You'll live through the occasionally-washed blanket. Or pillow. Or seldom-scrubbed hotel room.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Wonder if this is as a result of a health and safety inspection like the ice policy? And what the bean counter brigade @60 Mass think about the cost involved?

This topic brings to mind the TV Reality Show " Hotel Impossible". Imagine what that bald headed old task master would think if he did his show aboard an Amtrak Hotel, ie a LD Train??!!!

I have had no problem with the Blue Blankets currently used in the Sleepers ( but do think they are too thin and worn and I miss the old Pullman style blankets from the old days)

Most hotels are now placing notices in the rooms to the effect of "In order to save water if you do not want your towels, linens etc. exchanged daily please hang this notice on your door" etc. I've always known the duvet/bedspread/comforter was not changed out between guests and also that the Amtrak Blankets weren't exchanged too often!

People are different, some change their bath towels/wash rags daily, some even change their bed linens daily!

Personally I don't fancy the idea of "hot sheeting" where the sheets/pillow cases and towels aren't exchanged between guests like in hot bed joints and I think SCAs should exchange All linens when preparing rooms for the next psssenger ! YMMV

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

This will make the Attendant's job easier and that is fine with me as I know a fresh blanket is there ready to go. Have you tried getting into the military fashion bunks the way they are made up now; you end up having to rip the blanket off to get under the sheets.

If you look in the Service Standards Manual, Attendants are currently instructed to deploy the blanket far enough back from the top sheet so it does not make direct contact with the occupant when he or she is in the bunk. Scary.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Personally I don't fancy the idea of "hot sheeting" where the sheets/pillow cases and towels aren't exchanged between guests like in hot bed joints and I think SCAs should exchange All linens when preparing rooms for the next psssenger ! YMMV

Have you been running around on Harry Hines in Dallas? :lol:

 

[Bob Dylan]

Personally I don't fancy the idea of "hot sheeting" where the sheets/pillow cases and towels aren't exchanged between guests like in hot bed joints and I think SCAs should exchange All linens when preparing rooms for the next psssenger ! YMMV

Have you been running around on Harry Hines in Dallas? :lol:

 

[Railroad Bill]

We just returned on #29 and there was a sealed blanket on the bed in our bedroom. Was not sure why until now. I thought perhaps the attendants did not have time to finish making the beds Glad they are doing this. Nice to know the blanket has not been "used" by another previous guest. :blink:

We usually stay at Hampton Inns for their great beds and the fact they change the duvets after each stay. A big plus in our opinion.

 

[boxcarsyix]

Having fresh blankets is great but, I would prefer to have the SCA open it and make the bed. Especially true when I get on the Starlight at mindignt 1:00 in SAC.

 

[jis]

Well that was a horrifying fact to learn.

Yup, and most hotels only wash their bedspreads once per month.

All the hotels that I stay at actually do change the duvet covers and bedspreads between guests. Many major chains do so. So the term "most" is probably an exaggeration. But yes, there are many hotels, specially low end ones, that do as little as they can get away with.

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

People are different, some change their bath towels/wash rags daily, some even change their bed linens daily!

I once worked with a woman who ssid she only used a towel one time before tossing it into the laundry hamper, so she always had loads of towels to wash.