DISINFECT YOUR AIRPLANE SEAT

GERMS AND BACTERIA IN AIRPLANE SEATS

Imagine a petri dish squirming with bacteria, then add a recline function and limited legroom.
Now you’re accurately imagining the typical airline seat.

According to study after study, airplanes are filthy places—the average tray table, for instance, is exponentially germier than a home toilet seat. Other top spots for airplane germs include seatbelt buckles, seat-back pockets, and the tops of seats (especially aisle seats, since countless people touch them for balance as they walk by in flight each day).

But take heart, germaphobes—and anyone else who doesn’t want to spend their whole vacation hacking up a lung. There are small steps you can take that will make your assigned petri dish a little less squirmy. Here’s how to disinfect your airplane seat and boost your chances of an illness-free vacation.

DISINFECTING YOUR SEAT

With minimal supplies and just a moderate tolerance for weird looks from your fellow passengers, you too can have the cleanest seat on the plane. Here’s how to get there.

PACK DISINFECTION WIPES

You’re going to need to plan here a bit and score some disinfecting wipes before you get on the plane. You can opt for a familiar brand name like Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, which come in handy packs of nine or 15. Note that these have a pretty intense scent (the lemon is not what I’d call “good lemon,” and whatever the green package scent is smells a bit like a freshly cleaned public bathroom). You can also get medical-grade disinfecting wipes with a milder scent, or, in a pinch, you could use wipes primarily meant to disinfect hands rather than surfaces, such as Purell Individual Sanitizing Hand Wipes (which also come in travel packs).

GET THE WIPES OUT IMMEDIATELY

Packing wipes is only half the battle. Once you’ve boarded, you’ll need to overcome your aversion to creating a minor spectacle as you stow your gear, whip out your wipes, and get disinfecting. If it helps, you can pretend that those are stares of envy at your traveling prowess rather than garden-variety side eye.

There’s a right way to use disinfecting wipes, and many wrong ways. To do it correctly: Wipe down all hard, nonporous surfaces thoroughly. Make sure you read and follow the package instructions about how long the surface needs to stay visibly wet. This ranges from about 30 seconds to four minutes. This is when the germ-killing magic happens, so you can’t rush it. Note that this means you’re going to be provisional for a bit longer before you settle and make yourself comfortable. Kidding: Everyone knows you’re not going to be comfortable on the plane. But at least you can maybe emerge illness-free.

WHAT ABOUT UPHOLSTERED SUFACES

Don’t use disinfecting wipes on upholstered surfaces: It won’t work and it will make the fabric wet, which creates a whole separate problem. If you’re concerned about exposure to germs on fabric seats, you can pack a disposable airplane seat cover; or, if you want to minimize waste, get washable and reusable seat and tray table covers. There are also smaller disposable covers that cover just the airplane tray or the headrest.

Editorial thanks to SmarterTravel.