Washing underwear in hotel coffee maker slammed as 'disgusting' as influencer faces backlash

A TikTok influencer is responding to outrage online after seemingly recommending that her followers use a hotel coffee maker to wash their underwear while on the road. 

Influencer Tara Woodcox, who has over 700,000 followers on the platform, incurred wrath after her November 2025 video showed travelers how to clean their underwear using a coffee machine.

In the clip, Woodcox suggested placing the garment in the coffee filter compartment and running the brew cycle - so that hot water could flow over it.

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"You close it, you press brew, and it puts scorching hot water through it," she said.

After the TikTok video gained traction, she clarified that she never actually washed underwear herself in a coffee maker.

In the new social media post, she claims the idea was something she had heard about years earlier - but had not personally tried.

"I've never actually done that - but this is really funny, you guys," she said.

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Woodcox also noted that she typically avoids using hotel coffee makers altogether because of concerns about cleanliness.

Still, the original video has continued circulating across social media, with many users expressing shock over the idea of using a shared hotel appliance in the way she supposedly suggested.

"So every hotel will now be adding a 'do not use appliances for anything other than their designed purpose,'" one commenter wrote on Instagram.

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Others said the clip made them reconsider which items they use in a hotel room.

"I will never use a hotel room coffee maker again!" a person chimed in.

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"This is why we only drink at [the] breakfast table at [a] hotel restaurant and not in [the] room. We don't use it," a commenter wrote on Instagram.

Many users questioned how the suggestion could ever be considered acceptable.

"How could she think this was OK? It's revolting," another person said. 

Whether or not she's ever washed underwear in a coffee maker, Woodcox included a step-by-step guide for her followers in the original video.

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The influencer also said people could use the hotel's blowdryer to dry the garment.

"You got yourself a cleaner pair of underwear to wear," Woodcox said in the original video.

She added she was surprised by how many people were already familiar with the hack.

She said in the original video, "I learned it years ago from a friend who was a flight attendant, and it's brilliant."

Fox News Digital reached out to the influencer for comment, but did not immediately hear back. 

On Instagram, her bio notes that she's a fitness and nutrition coach, and also a mom of three. She also posts videos on YouTube.