A PIECE of safety gear on board planes could actually be the dirtiest part of the cabin, according to flight attendants.
While its primary role is to keep the people on board the aircraft from coming to any harm, it could be guilty of spreading germs from person to person more than anything else on the plane.
AlamyThe safety cards in the back of the seats are the dirtiest part of the cabin[/caption]
A lot of people assume the toilets or maybe even the tray tables are the grimiest part of an aeroplane, but apparently it’s safety instruction card that we should all steer clear of.
According to cabin crew members, the cards get cleaned far less frequently than other parts of the cabin, making them a hotbed for germs.
One such flight attendant was Josephine Remo, who blogs as well as providing people with drinks and safety demonstrations on flights.
She told Travel + Leisure exactly why the safety card should be avoided if possible.
She said: “The dirtiest spot on a plane is the safety instruction card in the seat pocket.”
She added that while the tray tables “do usually get wiped down, the instruction cards do not.
“So, once you’re done reading the safety instructions, make sure to put on a little hand sanitiser — or better yet, wipe down the instruction card with a wet wipe to save you and future passengers from any germs.”
They aren’t the only flight attendant to have recommended doing a little spring cleaning on board planes either, with Sun Online Travel’s resident cabin crew member and blogger advising the same.
Although they claimed that the floor was always the dirtiest part of any aircraft, they said that it was better not to take any chances around your seat either.
They said: “There’s absolutely no hard in doing a little cleaning before you sit down.
“I’ve seen parents using the tray tables to change their kids’ nappies before and it’s never a pretty site, so I’d say you can never clean this area too much.
“We do our best, as do our cleaning crews between flights, but we can’t always be as thorough as we’d like, so it’s best to make sure.
“Either with some sanitiser or a wet wipe, give it a clean and give yourself peace of mind.”
The airport is another place where people should be sanitising their hands, particularly after coming into contact with certain objects.
That includes the trays in the security area, with researchers in Finland saying it’s “almost inevitable” that every passenger will have to touch one of them on their way to their plane.
Meanwhile, this video shows how germs spread throughout plane cabins.
And this flight attendant exposed all the dirty parts of a plane cabin.
AlamyPassengers have been advised to clean their seating area before sitting down[/caption]