How often are roomette/bedroom toilets cleaned?

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Sandra Wihan of Austria

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How often are Amtrak clean or sanitize bedrooms/roometts?

Will ride on train first time in the States.

I am of train traveller very frequently, almost every week on long duration trains(both regional and high-speed) here in the Europe all my life of 47 years, but never in the States. Not a germ scarer but don't prefer sitting it Amtrak bedroom for 2 days if not cleaned after the previous occupant departs train.

Early thanks for your kind replies.

(sorry for not good English because had to use Translate Google to ask query here)
 
If they do things right and you are in a Bedroom, the toilet, sink and shower should have been cleaned with all new, clean towels, washcloths and linens. I travel long distance trains frequently in the USA and almost all of the time this has been cleaned properly. If not, your car attendant's responsibility is to make it right.
 
Unlike coach where the bathrooms are cleaned monthly whether they need it or not ( :) ), the bedrooms are supposed to be cleaned between users. In one case, the toilet was not cleaned but we told the SCA and she cleaned it although she didn't seem happy about it. Every other time, it appeared to have been cleaned before our use of the room.
 
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Wo fährst du in den USA? (different trains in different parts of the country)
 
riding Ametrak on these segmens.... all in bedrooms and roomettes. (except for the short duration of train to Montreal with no rooms)

New York City to Chicago

Chicago to Los Angeles

then flying from Los Angeles to Seattle.

Ametrak again from Seattle to Chicago

then flying from Chicago to New York City

Ametrak from New York City to Montreal of Canada

Ametrek Montreal return to New York City

flying exit from the US on Lufthansa New York City to Munich then back to Salzburg(followed by train ride to my home house)
 
As others have said, you should not have any problems with dirty bathrooms in the sleeper cars. Coach cars can get pretty bad on LD trips sometimes, but you won't need to use them (except on the Montreal train, but that isnt a very long ride, shouldn't get too bad).
 
When are the floors, walls, ceiling(?), cushions, luggage cubby, common shower room (its floor, walls, seat, etc), etc, cleaned?

IMHO, such might not have been clean since the day the railcar rolled out of the factory. :D

We already have a thread dedicated to the window cleaning.
 
riding Ametrak on these segmens.... all in bedrooms and roomettes. (except for the short duration of train to Montreal with no rooms)

New York City to Chicago

Chicago to Los Angeles

then flying from Los Angeles to Seattle.

Ametrak again from Seattle to Chicago

then flying from Chicago to New York City

Ametrak from New York City to Montreal of Canada

Ametrek Montreal return to New York City

flying exit from the US on Lufthansa New York City to Munich then back to Salzburg(followed by train ride to my home house)
All of your LD trains are on Superliner so you should be fine. The problem would be if you were in one of the Viewliner roomettes with the toilet inside the room. Might be pee pee on the seat.
 
I can tell you that every washroom is cleaned and sanitized before any train leaves the 14th St yard in Chicago. All of the area is also cleaned and sanitized including walls, mirrors, sink and doors (both sides).
 
What about general cleaning? My cousin was astonished when she saw where someone had drawn with their finger on the hallway wall and when she ran her hand over the room ceiling vent, her fingers were black. Other than the washrooms, how often is there a cleaning and sanitizing of the entire car?

That trip was about 18 months ago and I since then I have been wondering what Amtrak's housekeeping schedule is.
 
I'm not sure how you can fully clean and sanitize a bunch of permanently affixed carpet. Seeing all those stains and crusty stuff bothers me sometimes.
 
I'm not sure how you can fully clean and sanitize a bunch of permanently affixed carpet. Seeing all those stains and crusty stuff bothers me sometimes.
Hire the Rug Doctor as a contractor? :D

I have to agree with you, and don't understand why Amtrak doesn't seem to ever bother doing a full top-to-bottom cleaning of these railcars. After 20+ years, those "stains and crusty stuff" really accumulate.
 
I can tell you that every washroom is cleaned and sanitized before any train leaves the 14th St yard in Chicago. All of the area is also cleaned and sanitized including walls, mirrors, sink and doors (both sides).
Hard to believe after looking at the rest room floor corners of every LD train I ever rode
 
Hi. If you are worried about cleanliness, I might suggest when you are here to stop by a drugstore and buy a small can of disinfectant spray (one brand is Lysol) or some disposable cleaning wipes (wetwipes is a brand.) I travel with these ALWAYS and I always wipe down all the surfaces in my sleeper. That way I know it is cleaner than I found it because I just cleaned it!!!

Plus, these things are nice to have on the LD trains when your room and bath area may not be cleaned for days because you are in it.

The disinfectant spray also helps for smells in the air that linger.

Hope that helps!

- Jackie
 
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Sandra, since you are running these responses through a translation program, please know that "LD train" means "long-distance train". I hope that helps.
 
When traveling in a Viewliner especially, may I recommend a product called "pooh pourri"? A few drops in the water before you do your business effectively neutralizes any odors. The toilet in the roomette, out in the open is convenient, but not always so pleasant! Overall though I have found the trains, particularly in the sleepers, to be pretty clean. I think the attendants work very hard for the most part and take pride in doing a good job.
 
On our Superliner trip from New York to Orlando last week, the roomette was very clean. You could tell the potty :) and the sink were cleaned prior to our arrival, as was the table and the area under the windows and ventilation. The car in general was tidy and the attendant was attentive and clearly concerned with service level. He was fastidious in his own appearance and articulate in his concern for our travel comfort and needs. He was available and accessible throughout the trip. On the route north home, (different car and attendant), while the potty and sink where clean, the roomette in general was not dust free or crisp and clean like the route south. The attendant was basically invisible and didn't extend the service level that the prior attendant did. The table was not cleaned from the prior occupants. I cleaned it with disinfectant wipes. The vents, the ledges and the roomette were not spick and span, like the southbound. So I wiped up and we had a fun trip anyway!
 
I often as not find small bits of old trash like disposable cups and even once a large Styrofoam takeout tray with food from non Amtrak source, under the roomette seats. The bedrooms tend to be cleaner. I have almost always found the viewliner roomette toilets/sink to be clean. The blankets and sheets have almost always looked clean.

I don't ever put my belongings under the roomette seats due to the dirtiness under the roomette seats.
 
In a number of instances, I've seen blankets and sheets stored in the transfer plastic from the laundry, so it's reasonably obvious that those are clean. I've also seen attendants put new garbage bags on the pre-made top bunks when it's suggested that I can put luggage on the upper bunk. I've never felt that either of those two items were unclean (at least not for very long).

The hard surfaces I always wipe down with Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, or similar. I have never used a wipe and not had it be dirty afterwards when doing so. (True when boarding at intermediate stops, as well as originating stations.) Roomette tables don't seem to get wiped down very often; I see beverage stains on the ones in my accommodations quite frequently. I usually use one of the hand towels to place on top of the table, both as a barrier and a cushion for my computer, phone, etc. It also helps if I have a drink nearby and there's a sudden jolt that causes a spill.

Someone on a thread once referred to the trains as being "grimy"; I think that's a fairly accurate assessment. Trains are a little different than hotel rooms, which stay in one place and which get refreshed every so often and cleaned almost every day. Still, I'm a little surprised when I stay in a nice hotel and see an obvious stain on upholstery or other furnishings that isn't fresh. If a place where there's staff to handle those things daily can't be bothered to deal with it, then it shouldn't be too surprising when there is a facility that only comes to a rolling stop once or twice a week which might have even more detrius lying on and about.

[Edited for typos.]
 
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Unlike coach where the bathrooms are cleaned monthly whether they need it or not ( :) )
I rode coach round trip ABQ-LAX at Christmas a couple years ago and was pleasantly surprised to find the rest rooms very clean and well stocked with supplies.

When I boarded in Albuquerque the train had come from Chicago and was delayed about 7 hours due to a snow storm.

OOOPS - sorry. I missed this being about roomettes/bedrooms
 
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The procedure is for every car to be thoroughly cleaned before departure from its point of origin. Of course some cleaners are more meticulous than others. But restrooms are cleaned, carpets are vacuumed, and non-carpeted floors are mopped. Toilets and washbasins are cleaned and disinfected. Carpets are shampooed or replaced during major maintenance, or when it becomes necessary. The car attendant has cleaning supplies available to deal with problems between terminals. If a passenger leaves the train at a midway point and a new passenger is then assigned to that space, the attendant is responsible for cleaning the room for the new passenger. However, this will not be an issue on your trip because each leg of your trip begins at the train's point of origin. The car should be thoroughly cleaned before you board.

If you do find a cleanliness problem, you should notify your car attendant as soon as possible so the problem can be addressed.

Tom
 
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