A flight attendant has shared an important message about the potential hygiene pitfalls of washing hands on an aircraft, suggesting it might do more harm than good. Cher, with five years of flying under her belt, took to social media to expose the “filthiest parts” of a plane as holidaymakers embark on their summer getaways.
Operating under the TikTok handle @cherdallas, she cautioned: “I’ve seen people vomit inside the bathroom sinks numerous times so if you drop sometimes in there, I would consider it a loss.
“Never ever have I seen the sinks get cleaned out. The sink water that you wash your hands with is also filthy. You’re not allowed to drink it because it has too much bacteria in it so washing your hands with it is probably not great.
“I don’t know what’s in it but it constantly degrades my nails and makes them extremely brittle whether I have paint on them, gel or dip, it completely degrades the outside of it.”
Moreover, she revealed that window shades are seldom cleaned, and she has only witnessed a toilet seat being cleaned once.
Cher advises passengers to keep their shoes on throughout the flight, as the carpet is riddled with germs and lacks proper cleaning between journeys.
In her video caption, she apologised: “Sorry in advance if this grosses you out the next time you fly but everyone should have the facts.”
One viewer responded to her revelations by saying: “I just realised that no matter how much I sanitise and clean everything around me on a plane, it’s still awful.”
Another user chimed in: “I mean, if they wouldn’t clean the sink and toilet seats when landing in a destination I am quite sure you couldn’t even use them anymore. Normally when landing cleaners come to clean them – flight attendant.”
A third user commented: “Seat pockets are filthy too. I’ve seen the cleaning crew wipe stuff down real quick, but in general airplanes are dirty. I was sick for months when I first started as a flight attendant, no wonder.”
Yet another user remarked: “One of the reasons I take Dramamine so I can sleep throughout the flight. Also no to skincare on flights! You just need a face oil if your skin feels dry and SPF.”
Someone else added: “I carry alcohol wipes and clean all surfaces around me. I also carry hand sanitiser and rub it before eating or rubbing my face.”
And a final user shared: “As a former airline pilot, I won’t wash my hands in lav. Hand sanitiser from my bag and then wash we land in the airport.”