Traveling is an integral part of our daily life. Planes are considered to be the most germ-filled transportation, and that’s even without taking the plane bathroom into account. When you put your thought around these things, the idea of bringing disinfectant wipes on the plane should cross your mind.
But if you’re not sure if you can bring disinfectant wipes on a plane, this article will help you learn about the rules regarding disinfectant wipes and other types of wipes on a plane.
So, here are some insights on the topic that can keep you acknowledged and healthy during your trip on a plane.
Are Disinfectant Wipes Considered as Liquid?
The main concern with bringing disinfectant wipes on a plane is their inherent wetness. But they need to be wet to perform their primary job. So, the question here is, are wet wipes considered a liquid by TSA?
TSA has different rules regarding liquid medicine or sanitizers. But fortunately, they don’t consider disinfectant wipes like liquids, which means you don’t have to carry them in your liquid bag. Rather you’ll get to carry as much disinfectant wipe as you can because there’s no limit as well.
The same rule works for all types of wipes, whether face wipes, makeup removal wipes, baby wipes, antibacterial wipes, standard wet wipes, or disinfectant wipes. All of them are permitted to carry on a plane.
Things to Follow While Boarding Planes
With Covid-19 around, boarding in planes safely has gotten challenging. So here’s a list of a few tips and tricks while boarding planes in the pandemic—
1. Maintain A Proper Distance
The most important step while traveling in this pandemic or anytime is to keep your distance. You should stay at least 6 feet apart from people and wear a face mask. Try to avoid crowded areas, and try to go outside less often.
2. Get A Hand Sanitizer
You won’t always have access to water and soap while traveling, so it’s highly recommended to keep a hand sanitizer in your pockets or bags while traveling. Always sanitize your hands after touching a public area or sneezing.
3. Stay at the End of the Line
While boarding a plane, always stay at the end of the line. This way, fewer people will be around you, and you can easily maintain social distance. Staying at the end of the line allows you to avoid bacteria from sneezes or coughs of other people.
Can You Bring Disinfectant Wipes on A Plane?
Yes, you can bring disinfectant wipes on an airplane. You can carry disinfectant wipes on carry-on bags and checked bags too. TSA (Transportation Security Administration) didn’t impose any restrictions regarding carrying disinfectant wipes on a plane and the amount limitation.
Nowadays, it has become essential that you take extra care about the cleanliness of a plane due to pandemics. So, carrying and using disinfectant wipes can be a life-saver for you.
What are the Places to Clean with Disinfectant Wipes?
No matter which class you’re in, an airplane might have an unclean surface, seat, toilet flush, tray table, etc. So, it’s wise to clean them up and then sit. Well, disinfectant wipes can clean them all easily.
1. Tray Table
The tray table is the dirtiest place on a plane because every passenger eats there, and foods often fall off their mouth. Though they clean them regularly, the traces still remain there, which is very unhygienic for anyone.
2. Seat Pockets
Even the back seat pockets that are filled with safety measurements and magazines and room for your Kindle or bottle are also a gross spot. People put all the dirty things such as used tissue, dirty diapers, and even nail clippings.
3. Plane Toilet
A plane bathroom is a dirty place that doesn’t even need to mention. When you take a look at the cleanliness of a plane bathroom, you’ll get nothing but dirt and disappointment. Everything needs a disinfectant wipe to become usable from its sink to the flush button.
4. Seat Belt
Even your seat belt is a spot where you won’t think of any dirt. But sorry to say, as everyone touches and wears this thing, it also requires a swipe of a disinfectant wipe. It isn’t something that often gets wiped or cleaned.
5. Different Portions of Your Seat
Last but not least are the headrest place, the top part of your seat, even the wall near the window part, the buttons, and the armrests. Everything remains dirty most of the time.
As flights are scheduled rigidly, and a plane has to haul several flights one day, the crew doesn’t get enough time to clean the plane properly.
After getting into your plane, take out the disinfectant wipes first and clean everything we’ve mentioned above. These are the places where you’ll get your hands, and if you can clean them properly, no germs or diseases can reach you.
How to Disinfect the Area Around You on Planes
To disinfect your space on an airplane, you can follow these steps—
1. Wipe Down Surfaces Around You
The first thing you should do is to wipe down all hard areas around you, including tables, tv screens, bins, knobs, armrests, etc. It will ensure you don’t get any germs on your body from the plane.
2. Bring Plastic Bags
You should always bring small plastic bags to throw away your disinfecting wipes after wiping surfaces around you. You should bring two plastic bags: one for sanitized items and one for dirty items.
3. Turn On Air Vents
After you’re done disinfecting, open the air vents above your seat, this will minimize the amount of dust and particles floating around you, minimizing the risk of getting a virus.
How to Disinfect Plane Seats
To disinfect airplane seats, you should follow these steps—
1. Wipe Down Surfaces of The Seat
Always wipe down the seat buckles, armrests, and armrest controls. If you find yourself touching other parts of the seat, wipe them down too.
2. Wipe Down Seat
If your seat is made with nonporous materials such as vinyl or synthetic leather, wipe it down with disinfecting wipes. Clean the entire seat thoroughly, including the headrests.
3. Use A Seat Cover
If your seats aren’t made of a nonporous material, you can put a washable seat cover over the seat. It will ensure you don’t damage the airplane seat and keep yourself safe.
How to Stay Clean on an Airplane
Staying clean on an airplane isn’t too challenging, and there are only a few steps you should follow. These steps are—
1. Bring A Blanket & Pillow
If you’re traveling on a plane, you should bring your own blankets and pillows. Planes often get cold, and long flights will be uncomfortable without a pillow. Don’t take any blankets from the planes themselves, as they might be dirty.
2. Bring Clean Drinking Water
Even though planes do give bottles of water to everyone, you should bring your own water bottles and stay hydrated. Even though you shouldn’t open your mask often, still make sure to be fully hydrated.
3. Try To Avoid Snacking
You can eat if you’re hungry, but try to avoid snacking unnecessarily. If you open your mask and eat food, it’s likely your food will already attract some germs, and they will go into your mouth. So try to avoid eating as much as you can on planes.
You can also wear your face mask in the flight [do you have to wear a mask on an international flight] to avoid unnecessary interaction or snacking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can take antibacterial wipes on a plane. Apart from hand sanitizer and disinfectant spray, TSA didn’t impose any regulations or guidelines on any types of wipes.
If the alcohol remains in the wipes alone, then there’s no problem in bringing alcohol wipes on a plane. But if the TSA finds out that you are carrying extra alcohol and want to dip the wipes in it, they won’t allow that.
You can bring wet wipes on a plane. There is no guideline from TSA for wet wipes. So, wet wipes can be brought in any quantity on a plane without any hassle.
Final Thought
If you’re worried about germs and viruses, you need to calm your worries for a moment now.
Once you start following the wipes mentioned above and the procedures to use them while traveling on a plane, then you’ll be able to keep yourself from germs and viruses while traveling on a plane. If you went through the article properly, you shouldn’t have any confusion about can you bring disinfectant wipes on a plane.