A St. Louis woman posted a disgusting and unsanitary life hack that has people questioning every cup of coffee they have ever had in a hotel room.
Tara Woodcox, a TikTok content creator with over 714,000 followers, posted a notorious clip in November 2025 that’s since garnered over 400,000 views. In it, she recommended that hotel guests who forget to bring enough clean underwear “clean” their garments inside a hotel coffee maker. According to her, the boiling water makes the underwear cleaner.
But, she seemingly forgot that putting dirty underwear inside a coffee maker makes said device dirtier.
Other TikTokers found the video, posting videos shaming the creator for her odd choice to clean her underwear there instead of just buying new pairs or even cleaning them in the bathtub or sink. “I’m disgusted,” TikTok content creator Brittani Lizabeth (@brittani.lizabeth) added. “Do NOT go to her page because we do NOT give women like this views. This is beyond not OK.”
Why would Woodcox even do this?
Wood Cox claims that a “flight attendant friend” showed her the “cool trick” to clean underwear in a hotel room. Supposedly, the hot water in the coffee maker disinfects the underwear. Then, dry heat from a blow dryer assists in making the garments cleaner. But, commenters quickly pointed out that it wouldn’t clean anything. Instead, it created a huge liability for Woodcox and anyone else who willingly engages in the “life hack.”
For one, hot water pouring out from a coffee maker may not be strong enough to actually fully disinfect a small article of clothing. While a coffee maker typically heats to 195°F to 205°F, that’s still not hot enough to kill certain pathogens, which usually die at water’s boiling point (212°F). Hot water alone also can’t fully get rid of yeast, fecal bacteria, vaginal discharge, or odor-causing microbes. So, those will all stay in the coffee maker.
Coffee makers in hotels can also contain their own bacteria and mold, which could ultimately lead to the underwear itself getting infected with new pathogens. That “newly clean underwear” could actually harbor bacteria that can cause illness.
Wait, is this product tampering?
A coffee maker is designed to fulfill its purpose—to make coffee. Coffee makers don’t make machines as clothing sanitizers. In fact, it could be extremely damaging for people who drink coffee from them. That’s led many people to wonder whether or not Woodcox’s advice borders on illegal. Technically, it could be considered product tampering.
“This isn’t a ‘hack,’” one commenter said. “It’s product tampering. In the U.S., intentionally contaminating anything used for food/drink can fall under 18 U.S.C. § 1365 (Consumer Product Tampering), plus state health code violations and property damage/misuse. In hotels/Airbnbs that’s also a breach of sanitation and safety regulations and can create civil liability if someone gets sick. Running water through it doesn’t sanitize it. This is gross, unsafe, and legally risky.”
Has Woodcox used this ‘hack’ for years?
Strangely enough, Woodcox made a post two full years prior to her incredibly poorly received “hotel life hack,” which included the same information. In that video, she mentioned how she heard that other women use hotel coffee makers to clean their underwear, citing it as a reason she never drinks hotel coffee. But, in that video, she stated she had never used the ‘life hack’ before in her life.
In the April 2023 video, she said, “Here’s the deal. I was told years ago that that’s how women clean their underwear… they put them in there and disinfect it with hot water… So i’ve never made a brewed coffee in my hotel room.”
For some reason, she posted about the ‘life hack’ she had heard years ago again in 2025, this time recommending it to other women.
Commenters seeing the 2023 video for the first time found the switch-up particularly unappealing.
“YOU’RE THE ONE TELLING PEOPLE TO DO THIS,” a commenter pointed out.
Another added, “I’m not being dramatic. I think that that should be a crime.”
TikTokers add their thoughts
TikTokers like Brittani Lizabeth and Doctor Sizzle weighed in on Woodcox’s video with adamant disgust.
Bittani Lizbeth specifically recommended that TikTokers stray away from Woodcox’s original content to avoid giving her additional attention and views for her behavior, which, as many commenters pointed out, borders on illegal. Hundreds of commenters mentioned that Woodcox should be banned from staying in hotels as a direct result of her “confession.” Ultimately, Woodcox has made little to no statements since addressing her video.
In recent posts, commenters recommended that viewers “pause” so she doesn’t get paid for increased viewership. “Please pause the video while you read the comments so she doesn’t get paid views,” one viewer said. Others simply shamed her for her horrifying content.
How often do housekeeping clean hotel coffee makers?
Many commenters wondered whether hotels ever clean the coffee makers inside rooms. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like many hotel chains have any particular way of cleaning the machines when they’re used. In fact, many hotels don’t clean them at all, at least according to some commenters on discussion posts and online blogs.
When one Reddit user asked the very same question in r/mariott, a commenter said, “They don’t [clean the coffee makers] – don’t use them.
Another added that you should “never ask how the sausage is made and never use the in-room coffee makers.”
Other commenters added that hotels generally just replace the coffee makers when they get “too gunked up” or unclean to use anymore. Before that point, they leave them as is.
That means that for those who are germaphobes or want an assured, clean experience when drinking their morning coffee, they should turn away from the coffee pot in their room. Lest someone who used the coffee pot for nefarious purposes stayed there previously.
@brittani.lizabeth I’m disgusted. Do NOT go to her page because we do NOT give women like this views. This is beyond not okay. #travelhacks #disgusted #tiktoktrends #tarawoodcox #viraltiktoks ♬ original sound – WBsongs
The Mary Sue reached out to Woodcox and Brittani Lizbeth for comment via email.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
Rachel Thomas
Source link