Thursday, April 2, 2009

A word about airplane bathrooms....


I am inspired by A Reader's Respite's recent post about drunk airline passengers on spring break and their antics while on the aircraft. I feel compelled to post a public heath announcement about those airplane bathrooms.

I have worked on commercial airplanes for twenty years. In all of that time I have never (no, not one time) seen a bathroom being truly cleaned. Folks, it does not happen. The counter might get wiped down, the floor might get swept. It does not get disinfected on a regular basis. Next time you are on a plane, check it out. Look in the cracks. You will see that it is DIRTY!

So, you will understand why one of my pet peeves is when otherwise intelligent, normal people feel that it is fine to walk into an airplane bathroom like this:

I'm sure that they would never, in a million years, walk into any other public restroom without their shoes on. But for some reason they feel that it is fine on a plane. Even with socks on, this is completely gross. And I won't start on how many people let their babies crawl on the floor in there. You wouldn't think that it would happen but it does, all the time.

Do me a favor. Wear your shoes. It is NOT clean in there. As for those people who think it would be exciting to join the mile high club, let me just say eeeewwwww. Just imagine what goes on in there: people get airsick, flights are bumpy and people have poor aim. If the floor is wet, it is generally not water. I try ridiculously hard not to let one square inch of my skin touch any surface.

There, I feel better. That's been bugging me for decades. Next time maybe I'll talk about how annoying it is when people take their reading material into the airplane bathroom. (Three bathrooms for 180 people, do they really think it is okay to settle in?)

17 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Oh my gosh! I laughed really hard when I read that people take reading material into airline bathrooms. I don't think I've ever gone in one without my shoes, but I know I never will in the future!

Nicole (Linus's Blanket) said...

So disgusting. But then I am pretty much a stickler for having my shoes on in public places. If I want to be barefoot, I stay at home

Ladytink_534 said...

Lol. I have a thing about public restrooms anyway so I'm so glad I can honestly say I've never used an airplace bathroom!

Meghan said...

Oh, gross! I'll keep that in mind when I fly on Sunday.

Anonymous said...

Yikes!! I can't imagine all the disgusting bacteria and viruses that must be growing and multiplying in those bathrooms...it makes my skin crawl, just to think about it!! This is a great post though, thanks. :-)

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Teddy Rose said...

I always figured that was the case! I hate any public bathroom as it is, but especially on airplanes. I don't dare touch anything in there with my bare hands or bottom. I always use kleenex or papertowel to handle stuff. I always carry a bottle of that antibactial stuff and use it after!

Lenore Appelhans said...

Never cleaned? Ugh! That's just gross. I am wearing a bio-hazard suit on my next trip ;)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Yuck!
Then again, I approach any and all public bathrooms with caution...

L. Diane Wolfe
www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net

Beth F said...

Between you and Michele it'll be a wonder if I ever board a plane again without first donning a HazMat suit.

The Tome Traveller said...

I'm so sorry to bring up such an icky subject! But you should see me trying to keep the "oh, that is disgusting" look off of my face as people traipse into the lav with no shoes on.

British airline Ryan Air just starting CHARGING people to use the lav! Bet it's still not that clean, though...

caite said...

I try never to use an airplane restroom unless it is a long flight. Go just before you board and then hope you can wait until you land...uuuugh.

Moira said...

OMG! And my family wonders why I don't enjoy flying or public restrooms. oh and trying to get your five year old to maintain his aim in the cramped little bathrooms... well you get the picture I am sure.

Literary Feline said...

I don't know whether to laugh or feel terribly disgusted. :-) It's not really surprising though, is it? I try to avoid using the toilet on a flight, but it's impossible on those long ones. And I always wear my shoes. It's never crossed my mind to take them off while on a plane, period.

Chrisbookarama said...

That's one of those things I never needed to know. Thanks. (lol)

Michele said...

Ha! And what is it with people who board the aircraft and immediately head for the lav when there are hundreds of perfectly good bathrooms in the terminal???

I think next time you should address the potable water tank....people will never order coffee or hot tea ever again!

The Tome Traveller said...

Yeah Michele, I have never understood why people don't go potty while they are WAITING to board the plane. Airport bathrooms are wwwwaaaayyy cleaner.

For pete's sake, don't tell them about the water, we never have enough bottled as it is! :P

Lisa Roe said...

Best post EVER! So icky, but so well put. :-)


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About Me

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New Hampshire, United States
Bibliophile, Anglophile, Traveller... I have been an avid reader all of my life, since I took the Dr. Seuss Dictionary away from my Mom when I was less than a year old because I wanted to read it myself. In college, where I earned my degree in English Literature, I was often asked "What are you going to do with it?" Now I finally have the answer to that question!!! Being employed as a Flight Attendant for twenty years has given me a lot of life experience and, better still, a lot of time to read. I love to travel for fun, too.