26 October 2023 , 13:57
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A flight attendant has explained why she never uses the toilets on planes.
No one likes having to plod to the lavatory while flying. Not only are the toilets small and difficult to move around in, often you have to stand waiting at the toilet for one to become free, doggedly avoiding making eye contact with passengers in the front row.
One 33-year-old airline worker, who goes by sassy_chick01 on Reddit, explained why she avoids having to go through the ritual at all costs. One commenter on the website asked her: "Real talk: How dirty are the planes? What about the bathroom?"
In response the cabin crew member admitted: "Planes are filthy. They don't disinfect them. Bathrooms are basically just wiped down quickly between flights." When asked if flight attendants have to use the same toilets as regular passengers, she added: "Yep we do. Most of us try to avoid going in there if possible."
Germaphobes may want to avoid the button (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Given how many plane toilet uses are a little groggy after an early airport start and battling against occasionally turbulence within the confines of the aircraft bathroom, it is not surprising that they're not the cleanest places you're likely to ever visit.
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A 2015 study found that the average plane bathroom flush button had 265 bacteria colony forming units (CFU) per square inch. If you are worried about coming down with anything or generally like avoiding little hubs of microscopic, invisible bugs, then you may want to deploy an elbow to hit the button. Perhaps surprisingly, there are a couple of places on a plane that are dirtier than the flush button.
Germophobes may be distressed to know that the trays on the back of seats are the dirtiest place on the aircraft. They have 2,155 CFU per square inch, a figure eight times higher than the flush operator. The reason why is that not only are the trays in regular use and come into contact with a great variety of different times, staff rarely have time to cleanse them properly, unless performing a deep clean of the aircraft.
Overhead air vents are also mucky, with a 285 CFU per square inch rating. They are one of the most consistently touched parts of the aircraft, as most passengers like to change the amount of air conditioning they're treated to. Flight attendant Barbie, 29, from Argentina, works for La Azafata and regularly goes viral for sharing travel tips and secrets on her TikTok channel. She recently revealed what she believes to be the three dirtiest places on a plane.
"If I had to choose the top three dirtiest places in the plane, I will put in first place the toilet floor. A lot of people go in there without shoes, I can’t believe it. In second place are the seat pockets, I’ve seen passengers putting disgusting things in there and the cleanliness of this place is never great," she said.
"And in third place is the bins. When the cleaning team enters the aeroplanes, they never clean the bins, so imagine what you can find in there."