An expert has shared a reason why you shouldn’t wash your hands in an plane bathroom.
It sounds backwards, because washing your hands after using the toilet is one of the simplest hygiene rules there is. Most people wouldn’t dream of leaving a bathroom without doing it.
However, some aviation insiders say the situation is a bit different at 30,000 feet, and it comes down to what gets cleaned on board—and what often doesn’t.
While flying is a remarkable feat of engineering, the experience itself isn’t always comfortable. Cabins can feel tight, the air is recycled, and you’re surrounded by countless surfaces that have been touched by many other passengers.
Then there are the restrooms, which are small, busy, and used repeatedly throughout a flight.
The key issue isn’t that the toilets never get cleaned—it’s that certain high-touch areas can be missed in between services.
Flight attendant and travel blogger Josephine Remo wrote:
“The toilets are regularly cleaned, but the locks and door handles are not.”
That matters because those are exactly the parts you have to touch after washing your hands. So even if you do everything right at the sink, you may immediately re-contaminate your hands when you grab the latch or handle on the way out.
The obvious question is what you’re supposed to do instead, especially on a long flight when avoiding the restroom isn’t realistic.
Shanina Knighton is a research associate professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University.
She said:
“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.”
Knighton also noted she’s:
‘mindful of surfaces, especially the latch on the bathroom door, which everyone uses to open the door—even if they haven’t washed their hands’.
Another travel-health tip comes from Charles Platkin, executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center, who told T+L:
“I don’t wash my hands either. I have wipes that I use.”
And he recommended one more precaution based on his findings:
“My takeaway from doing the research was to not drink the coffee and the tea. At all.”