Imagine checking into a hotel, only to discover that the bed sheets you’re about to sleep on were soaked in the same hot tub you were planning to relax in. Sounds like a nightmare, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened at a North Dakota hotel, and it’s sparking outrage and a full-blown health investigation.
In a bizarre incident that has left guests horrified, a worker at Expressway Suites in Fargo was caught red-handed using the hotel’s hot tub as an improvised washing machine for stained bed sheets. Guests lounging poolside watched in disbelief as the employee dumped the sheets into the chlorinated water, stirring them with a broomstick as if it were perfectly normal. But here’s where it gets controversial: the hotel claims this was a last-ditch effort to remove stains, insisting that guest sheets are traditionally laundered and only the stained ones end up in the hot tub. Really? Guests aren’t buying it.
One guest, Alex Kenmille, shared their shock with KVLY, saying, ‘At first, I thought maybe the hot tub was broken, but then he started adding more sheets, and I was like, what is going on? That’s disgusting. Are we sleeping on those sheets?’ (https://www.valleynewslive.com/2025/11/06/fargo-hotel-under-investigation-after-worker-seen-soaking-bed-sheets-guest-hot-tub/). Another guest, Amy Vandal, pointed out the obvious health risks: ‘Just sitting in a hot tub, with the heat, your skin will literally just come off… you’re like deshedding.’
The hotel’s management tried to defend the practice, claiming it’s only done after pool hours and that the hot tub is thoroughly cleaned afterward. But health experts are sounding the alarm. Even heavily chlorinated, hot tubs are breeding grounds for bacteria, thanks to the high concentration of bodily fluids they accumulate. The Centers for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-swimming/toolkit/operating-public-pools-hot-tubs-and-splash-pads.html) warns that poorly maintained hot tubs can spread diseases like respiratory illnesses, Legionnaires’ disease, and even ‘hot tub rash.’ And this is the part most people miss: no amount of chlorine can fully sanitize sheets meant for sleeping, especially when they’ve been soaked in a communal tub.
Guests like Vandal and Kenmille have reported the incident to local health officials, who are now investigating the hotel’s operations. But the question remains: is this an isolated incident, or are other hotels cutting corners in ways we’d never suspect? What do you think? Is this a harmless hack or a gross oversight? Let us know in the comments—this is one debate that’s sure to heat up.
