Why Washing Hands on Planes Isn't Always Safe, Flight Attendants Reveal

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -  Planes have become the choice for many people travelling both domestically and internationally. However, cleanliness is a key concern, as the high volume of passengers from various regions increases the risk of exposure to dirt and germs.

According to several flight attendants, certain parts of the plane are particularly unhygienic. Tray tables, overhead bins, and safety instruction cards are often overlooked during cleaning. But the dirtiest spot of all is the lavatory.

"The toilets are regularly cleaned, but the locks and door handles are not," said Josephine Remo, a flight attendant and travel blogger, as quoted by Travel+Leisure.

Rather than using the water in the lavatory, it's best to avoid it entirely—not just for drinking, but even for washing your hands. Remo instead suggests bringing hand sanitizer as a safer alternative.

In a peer-reviewed study in 2017 published in the Annals of Microbiology, researchers took 60 ice samples from household and industry facilities that make ice for planes, and found that the ice contained more than 50 different types of bacteria.

"A consistent percentage of the microorganisms identified from ice are known agents of human infections, and their presence indicates an environmental contamination," said the researchers.

Charles Platkin, the study's author and executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, said based on this study, he suggests not drinking coffee and tea "I don't wash my hands either. I have wipes that I use," he said as written by his team in the findings.

A similar sentiment was also expressed by Shanina Knighton, an associate research professor at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. When using the lavatory, she pays attention to surfaces, especially the lavatory door latch, which is used by everyone to open the door, even if they haven't washed their hands.

"I try to avoid the restroom if possible, but on longer flights, it’s sometimes unavoidable, and those little hygiene habits help me stay protected," she said.

Knighton said there are many studies showing that water from the plane's tap can carry bacteria, as the water tanks inside the plane are not cleaned as often as possible.

These contaminants, Knighton noted, can wreck your vacation before you even arrive. "I wouldn’t want to start a vacation with a stomach bug because of unsafe water exposure." she said.

Editor’s Choice: Flight Attendants and Pilots Reveal Why They Avoid Coffee on Flights

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