Hotel rooms are filled with little extras that can make a stay feel more comfortable. There are the tiny bottles by the sink, coffee packets beside the machine, slippers near the bed, and sometimes even snacks waiting on the counter.

But not everything in the room is meant to go home with you. Some items are complimentary and routinely replaced between guests, while others belong to the hotel and can result in a charge if they disappear.

Knowing the difference can save you from an awkward conversation with the front desk or an unexpected charge after your trip. Here are some hotel room items you can usually take with you.

1. Travel-Size Toiletries

Small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash are usually provided for guests to use. If you don’t finish them during your stay, you can generally pack them in your suitcase when you leave.

Hotels replace these products between guests, so taking an unused or partially used bottle is usually fine. They can also come in handy for your next trip, gym bag, or overnight stay.

Some properties stock nicer brands or locally made toiletries, making these little bottles a fun reminder of the trip.

2. Complimentary Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

Forgot your toothbrush? Many hotels can provide a small dental kit, either in the bathroom or from the front desk. These kits are meant for individual guest use and can be taken with you.

An extra toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste can be useful to keep in a travel bag, desk drawer, or car. If the items were provided as complimentary amenities, there is no need to leave them behind.

3. Coffee, Tea, and Sugar Packets

The individual coffee packets, tea bags, sugar, and sweeteners supplied with the in-room coffee station are usually complimentary.

If you didn’t use everything during your stay, you can pack the unopened packets for later. They take up almost no room and can be useful during another trip or an early morning when you don’t have time to stop for coffee.

Just check the setup first if anything appears to be part of a paid minibar service.

4. Disposable Slippers

Those thin slippers placed beside the bed are usually intended for guests to use and keep. Since disposable slippers generally aren’t reused between guests, hotels have little reason to collect them after checkout.

They can be useful around the house, during another hotel stay, or when traveling somewhere where you don’t want to walk around barefoot.

5. Sewing Kits

A tiny sewing kit can be easy to overlook, but it can save you from a wardrobe emergency. Hotels often provide these kits for guests who lose a button, need to repair a loose hem, or have a small tear in their clothing.

Since they’re inexpensive, individually packaged guest amenities, they’re generally yours to take. Tossing one into your suitcase can save you a trip to a store the next time something comes loose while you’re away from home.

6. Pens and Notepads

Hotel pens and small notepads are classic freebies. Many properties actually expect guests to take them, since the hotel name and contact information are often printed right on the items.

The hotel gets a little advertising when that pen ends up in your desk drawer or purse, while you get something useful for grocery lists, reminders, travel notes, or journaling.

Just make sure you’re taking the basic branded pen or notepad, not a nicer writing set or decorative item that happens to be sitting on the desk.

7. Complimentary Bottled Water

If your room includes bottled water and the bottles are clearly marked as complimentary, you can usually take them with you.

This is especially common at hotels that provide water as part of their standard guest amenities. An unopened bottle can be handy for the trip home or tucked into your bag for later.

The minibar is where things get tricky. Bottled water placed inside a minibar may carry a price, and some hotels use sensors that automatically record when an item is removed. Check before grabbing anything.

8. Shower Caps and Vanity Kits

Small bathroom kits containing shower caps, cotton swabs, cotton pads, nail files, and similar items are usually meant for guests to use.

Since these are individual hygiene products, hotels replace them between stays. If you didn’t need them during your visit, there’s usually no problem putting the unopened items in your toiletry bag.

A spare shower cap can also be surprisingly useful for protecting shoes or other small items inside a suitcase.

9. Complimentary Snacks

Some hotels provide free snacks as part of the room rate or as a welcome amenity. If something is clearly marked complimentary, it’s yours to eat during the stay or take with you.

Granola bars, cookies, trail mix, and other individually packaged snacks are common examples.

The key is checking the label. A snack sitting beside a minibar isn’t automatically free. Some hotels charge considerably more for those items than you would pay at a grocery store, so don’t assume everything on the counter is included.

10. Postcards, Maps, and Local Guides

Maps, postcards, brochures, and local visitor guides are usually placed in hotel rooms for guests to use or keep. They’re often provided to help guests find nearby restaurants, attractions, transportation, and other places.

They’re also easy souvenirs to bring home because they take almost no luggage space. A postcard or paper map can be a nice reminder of a trip long after the hotel stay is over.

A Quick Rule Before Packing

If you’re unsure whether something is free, ask the front desk. That’s much easier than finding a charge on your credit card later.

Items that are consumed, individually packaged, or clearly marked as complimentary are usually safe to take. Towels, robes, hair dryers, electronics, decorative pieces, glassware, and other reusable hotel property are a different story.

A five-second question can save you from turning a harmless souvenir into an unexpected hotel bill.