You might have already known that flight attendants don’t just greet you onto the flight to be friendly ― they have a secret hidden agenda.
And according to some flight attendants, certain crew members have a code to announce who they fancy on board.
Well, in further behind-the-scenes goss, flight attendant Tommy Cinato shared a TikTok explaining why you should tough the flush button in an airplane ― and the reasons are pretty grim.
What are they?
“Do not ever touch the flush button or lever with your bare hands,” the flight attendant shared.
The reason is pretty simple ― “it’s honestly just super unsanitary and it’s pretty gross,” he said.
He advised us to use the loo roll in the plane toilet to cover our hands when touching it.
If it sounds dramatic, well, that’s because the germs can be too. Some scientists think norovirus cases have been transmitted via aeroplane loos, for instance.
Additionally, “All public toilets really get contaminated to some degree just because of the flushing action of the toilet,” Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, told the New York Times.
That’s partly down to the “plume” effect we’ve written about before at HuffPost UK ― basically, flushing your loo causes an invisible cloud of its contents to form around the toilet.
That ends up covering a much larger surface area than you’d think. And “high-touch” areas, like the flush, are more likely to get gross than other, less-contacted spots.
Oh!
Yep! Though more important than what you might touch during your loo visit is how you wash your hands afterwards, Dr. Erica Donner, a professor of environmental science at the University of South Australia,told the New York Times in the same article.
The NHS says a good hand wash lasts at least 20 seconds. You should rub your hands together as you clean them, ensuring you get to every nook and cranny.
That includes your nails, between your fingers, your thumbs, your wrists, and the back of your hands. Then, rinse them and dry them thoroughly.
“The best option is to wash your hands, and then use a hand sanitiser on the way out,” Dr. Gerber added.