Self-Check-in Screen Is the Most Bacteria-Infected Part of the Airport
After a particularly hard battle with some kind of illness, which I called the flu, but was probably an epic cold, I became pretty obsessed with watching what I touch in public. I also carry antibacterial wipes with me every time I fly (a habit I’ve had for years) and immediately wipe down the table, seat belt and armrest as soon as I get on a plane. As it turns out, I should probably pay more attention to what I touch in a real airport before getting on the plane.
Insurance Quotes recently looked into where the germs actually reside at the airport and followed up on what they found in the airport germ report they shared with us here at Lifehacker . They specifically checked this during the holiday season when we were in the midst of the cold / flu season (that’s when I got picked up) and when more people were traveling than usual.
They conducted 18 tests on six different surfaces at three major airports.
Dirtiest place? That self-check-in display that we all touch at once when we get to the airport, without even thinking (or maybe it’s just me). I never once thought of wiping the display with my antibacterial wipes before check-in, and definitely would not think that I need to wash my hands afterwards before grabbing a bite to eat at the airport coffee shop. Now I have even more reasons to use mobile boarding passes on every flight.
In second place was another place that I would never have thought of cleaning: the armrest on the benches where you sit while waiting to board. The third is to blame, which I thought of: the fountain button, although significantly less dirty than the registration screen.
On an airplane, the biggest bacteria are exactly what you think. Most bacteria were found on the toilet flush button (wash your hands after touching this thing!), Then on the tray table and then on the seat belt buckle.
You can read the full study here .
Bottom line: airports are a dirty place. Wash your hands after checking and before grabbing a snack, and wipe the tray and seatbelt as you board. You might look like a hermaphobic nerd when you pull out a pack of napkins at check-in, but you’ll be happy you did.