Guide
Shower caps, dental kits and the dry amenities guests use
Dry amenities are small, cheap and easy to ignore until a guest needs one at ten at night. Here is a way to decide which belong in the room and which belong at the desk.
Wet and dry amenities
Wet amenities are the shampoo, conditioner, body wash and soap. Dry amenities are everything else in the bathroom kit: dental kit, shower cap, comb, vanity set, sewing kit, shaving kit and sanitary bags. They tend to be sold individually and boxed together in an amenity kit.
Because each piece is low cost, hotels often include all of them by habit. A more useful question is which ones are used often enough to deserve a place in every room.
The core items
- Dental kit: a toothbrush and a small tube of paste is the most requested dry amenity. Check the bristle quality and handle length, since a flimsy brush reflects badly on the room.
- Shower cap: small, cheap and used by many guests. Make sure it is large enough and the elastic is fitted well.
- Vanity set: cotton buds and cotton pads. Check that they are individually sealed or in a small dispenser box.
- Comb: useful but often unused, so a wide range of hotels now offer it on request.
If your guests include families, consider a child-size toothbrush on request. It costs little and is remembered. Likewise, a small pack of sanitary items kept at the desk handles the occasional embarrassing request without adding to every room's cost.
Items better kept at the desk
Shaving kits, sewing kits, sanitary items and combs can sit at the front desk or in the housekeeping store. Offering them on request saves cost and cuts clutter on the vanity. The key is to make the offer visible, perhaps with a card in the bathroom that lists what is available and how to ask.
For example, a hotel that stocks six dry items in every room of a 60-room property uses 360 individual pieces per daily restock cycle. Cutting two low-use items to on-request status trims that number by a third without any guest noticing.
Quality checks that are easy to miss
For a dental kit, test the toothbrush bristles for stiffness, check that the paste cap seals, and read the flavour. Strong flavours can disappoint. For a shower cap, stretch the elastic and look at the seam. For a vanity set, open a sample to check that the cotton is clean and loose fibre is minimal.
Check packaging for any print that might bleed or smudge in humidity. Sealed film or paper wrappers are more hygienic than loose items in a tray.
Ask about material safety too. Plastic items should be free from strong odours on opening, and any packaging that touches a product should be clean and intact. If a pack smells of chemicals, reject the lot and ask the supplier for an explanation.
Presentation and storage
A neat single box or tray makes a bathroom look curated and reduces the time housekeepers spend placing six loose items. Boxes also help control waste, since a guest who needs one item does not open all of them. Consider whether a kit with a small number of well-chosen items is better than one that includes everything.
In a humid climate, store dry amenities in sealed cartons and off the floor. Paper and cardboard absorb moisture quickly and can go soft or smell musty.
Think about restocking time. Housekeepers on a tight schedule do not want to open and close several containers. A single tray or box with a defined slot for each item takes seconds to check and refill, which also makes inspection easier for supervisors.
Choosing between loose items and a kit
Loose items allow flexibility, as you can add or remove one without reprinting a box. A kit looks neat and is quick to place, but changes need a new run. Many hotels start with loose items, learn which are used and then move to a kit once the list is stable. See the amenity kits to compare the two, and request samples to test them in a few rooms.
Track consumption for a month, count how many of each item are replaced, and adjust. Your own numbers are the best guide.
Questions on this topic
Which dry amenities do guests use most?
Dental kits and shower caps are usually among the most used. Your own consumption count will show which ones matter in your hotel.
Is a comb necessary in every room?
Not necessarily. Many hotels offer combs on request, which reduces cost and clutter.
Should dry amenities be boxed?
A box saves time and looks tidy, but it commits you to a fixed list. Start loose, then move to a kit when you know what is used.
Keep reading
- How to choose hotel slippers: materials, sizes and cost
- Terry or waffle slippers: which suits your hotel?
- Disposable or reusable slippers for hotels
- A buying guide to hotel robes
- How to stock an Airbnb bathroom
- Hospital and clinic bathroom amenities: what to consider
- Gym locker room amenities: a practical checklist
Looking for supply? See Hotels & resorts, browse the product range or request samples.