A travel 'hack' shared by Canadian influencerTara Woodcox in late 2025 resurfaced months later and quickly became one of social media's most talked-about hygiene controversies.
The 43-second TikTok clip showed Woodcox describing a method of washing underwear in a hotel room coffee maker using the brew cycle's hot water, followed by blow-drying the garment with the bathroom hairdryer.
By February 2026, the video had gone viral again after being reposted on social media, immediately creating backlash from all over the world. Many viewers called the idea unsanitary and inconsiderate, while rumours began circulating online that hotels were replacing machines or even pursuing legal action.
But has Tara reacted to the backlash?
Woodcox originally posted the video in November last year, under her TikTok handle @tarawoodcox11. In the clip, she enthusiastically described the method as a 'cool trick' for travellers who run out of clean underwear. She said she learned it from a flight attendant years earlier and claimed many people already knew the hack.
The process she described involved placing underwear in the coffee filter compartment, running a brew cycle for hot water, and then drying the garment with a hairdryer.
Months later, the video resurfaced on social media feed with captions like 'Needless to say I don't drink hotel room coffee anymore 🤢🤢,' paired with the hashtag #gross.
In comment replies, people expressed disgust, suggesting that they now avoid hotel coffee because of practices like this.
There is no public apology from Woodcox on her video yet. Also, she has not deleted the original video, nor has she issued a follow-up statement addressing the backlash.
A post shared by Tara Woodcox (@tarawoodcox11)
Source: International Business Times UK
