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We have all heard the horror stories about

rock or pop stars that ‘trash’ their hotel room or guests that commit crimes and leave the hotel staff to clean it up. More often than not, journalists and forensic science colleges are so caught up in the damage and carnage that they forget to remind society that there are people who have to clean these messes up.

Take Keith Moon, now deceased and former band member of The Who. He was celebrating his 21st birthday back in 1967 when he threw a 5-tier birthday cake into a group of friends. Then one guest decided to empty five fire extinguishers onto the floor of the hotel room. It was Moon himself who told reporters later that the hotel damages amounted to $24,000.

More recently, Johnny Depp and former girlfriend were found sitting among a huge pile of rubble in a hotel Presidential Suite. Depp blamed an armadillo for the mess, but strangely enough, no one could find the creature. Depp was charged over $9700. Along those same lines, Lindsay Lohan and an ex-boyfriend completely trashed a hotel room for three day that ‘stank of cigarette smoke’ and was full of trash everywhere including a syringe. The room was called a ‘pigpen,’ and some considered it a sign of what was to come in Lohan’s life.

So, that should make us all feel better about the messes we leave behind on vacation, there are still plenty of less obvious (and less expensive) ways to cause your housekeeper’s chagrin.

1. Throw your towels all over the bathroom floor or on the carpeting or bed. It’s even worse if they’re wet.

2. When you check out, be sure to leave all the lights turned on, as well as the heat or air conditioner. Full power is preferred.

3. Steal everything: glassware, towels, bathrobes, and other items disappear from hotel rooms. If you think something may be sacred, burn it, or throw it out the window (this may cause fiscal penalties – beware!)

4. Don’t bother with using the “Occupied” sign.

5. Party the night away and leave without attempting any cleanup. Rock on!

6. Eat yummy snacks and leave remains on the floor, tables, and under beds. Sticky, cheesy foods are preferred.

7. No matter what you do, under no circumstances leave a tip, especially if staying for an extended length of time and plan on being a bad guest.

Any one of these things might be OK, so be sure to cover your bases by committing at least three or four of the above-mentioned suggestions. These would have proven particularly useful to know 2007, when a Spanish hotel chain asked 30 people to trash their rooms. One would think they made-do.