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'Is it bugged?': Airbnb guest's surprise find in bedding

Some people stumble across unpleasant surprises when checking into their Airbnbs, so one guest was automatically suspicious of an unusual find in the bed linen.

The concerned Airbnb guest was confused when they realised there was a small chip sewn into the pillowslip, worried their room had been bugged.

The user — who posted in a Brisbane thread — posted a photo of the strange find to Reddit asking other users if they'd ever come across it before.

Thankfully for them, the finding wasn't as sinister as they originally thought it could be.

The user was confused by the small chip sewn into the pillowcase at the AirBnB, although users assured him it wasn't sinister.
The user was confused by the small chip sewn into the pillowcase. Source: Reddit

Some companies use the chips to track linen

According to most Reddit users, the chip is a method commercial linen services sometimes use to track them and charge companies.

"I've never seen it in bedding but commercial washed uniforms and such have used this for a long time," a Reddit user responded.

"I've done some work for a commercial laundry that does a lot of the Gold Coast hotels and this makes complete sense."

"The wire bit is the RFID antenna that via induction powers the chip to read and write the info," a user explained.

"It's so they can track wash cycles and billing and when the item is meant to be returned."

RFID-equipped chips are used by many hotels in the USA, originally designed to help hotels keep track of their linen as they to and from off-site laundry facilities according to a report from USA Today.

"Hotels can lose an estimated 20 per cent of their linens each month through various mishaps, most involving cleaning issues," the publication said, adding that some have begun using the technology to track people stealing linen from hotel rooms.

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