Tara Woodcox: Influencer shunned after washing underwear in hotel coffee maker
She shared a disturbing washing hack online and now social media is in a fit of rage.
An influencer has sparked global online outrage after she shared an underwear washing hack many wish they could unsee.
Tara Woodcox, who has more than 700,000 followers on TikTok, and hundreds of thousands of followers across other platforms, posted a controversial video late in 2025, which has had a resurgence this month.
Filming in a hotel room, Woodcox starts the video by saying she is going to show her Instagram followers one of the “coolest tricks ever”.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Say you’re travelling and you didn’t pack enough underwear and you’re just like, ‘oh my gosh what am I going to wear tomorrow’,” she began.
“Every room has a coffee pot thing in it.
“All you have to do, put your underwear where you would put the coffee grounds. You close it, you press brew and it puts scorching hot water through it.
“Then the hair dryer in the bathroom, you blow dry those bad boys, and you got yourself a cleaner pair of underwear to wear.”
The uproar from disgusted social media users was fierce.
“JAILLLL,” one user commented.
“I’m shocked this video hasn’t been deleted, this surely has to be evidence for hotels to take action,” another user wrote.
“This is so unsettling, I’m so concerned for anyone who has caught anything from you or anyone listening to this advice. It’s not ok, this is not ok. Please delete this video,” they continued.
Many vowed to never user a hotel coffee machine ever again.
“I’ll never use a hotel room coffee maker again,” one person wrote.
Others offered more sanitary alternatives.
“Or wash them in the sink with hot water AND soap,” one Instagram user wrote.
Woodcox has not taken down the video, despite many users calling for her to do so. They are concerned that people who didn’t previously know about this “hack” will start doing it at the expense of other hotel guests.
“You’re going to influence someone the wrong way with this,” one user wrote.
At the end of her video, Woodcox said she didn’t realise how many people already knew about her “hack”.
“I learned it years ago from a friend that was a flight attendant and it’s brilliant.”
