This post walks through My Plane Cleaning Routine: 8 Spots to Wipe the exact areas I quickly sanitize before settling into my seat so I can travel with peace of mind. This site contains affiliate links, for all the details view the disclosure here.
Cleaning your home is one thing. We all expect it. Cleaning while travelling? I bet you most people don’t ever think about it – but I certainly do.
Social media is like a looking glass into how people actually live, and I have seen enough reaction videos to be traumatized. You’ve seen them too—passengers taking off their shoes, putting bare feet on the armrests, or sick people touching everything in sight.
It made me realize that plane cleanliness is about compounding germs.
Unlike a hotel room that gets cleaned between guests, a plane seat might see three or four different people in a single day with zero deep cleaning in between. That armrest has layers of history I don’t want to be part of.
So, call me extra, but I have a routine. Here is exactly how I reset my seat before I get comfortable.
The Setup
Before I sit down, I pull out my kit. I put on my Safeskin Pop & Go Gloves first. This ensures I’m not getting the grime on my hands while I clean.
The 8 Spots I Always Sanitize
I use Clorox or Lysol Wipes (proven to kill viruses) and I am thorough.
- The Entire Seat Leather: I wipe down the headrest (where hair and oil sit), the seat back, and the actual bottom cushion.
- The Armrests: This is a high-traffic zone for hands and feet. Wipe the top and the underside.
- The Window Zone: Since I usually sit by the window, I wipe the wall, the actual window, and crucially, the shade handle. Everyone touches that handle.
- The Seatbelt Buckle: Think about how many people have clicked that metal buckle.
- The Technology: If there is a touchscreen or a remote in the seatback, give it a good wipe.
- The Overhead Controls: The air vent nozzle and the call button.
- The Tray Table: I wipe the latch and the entire surface (top and bottom).
- The Seat Pocket: I never put my phone in there (it’s a trash can for used tissues), but I wipe the top edge just in case I brush against it.
The “Slipper Hack” (Why I Never Wear Socks)
One of the best tips I saw was using “rejected” face products on your hands. Instead of letting them collect dust, use them on your body.
My Texture Hack:
Here is a rule I live by: Never, ever walk on a plane in your socks or bare feet.
I see people do this constantly, and I cringe. You have to remember that the liquid on the bathroom floor is likely not water. It is urine. If you walk in there in your socks, you are absorbing that into the fabric, and then putting those dirty socks back into your shoes or curling up on your seat.
My Hack:
Whenever I stay at a hotel that provides those lightweight, disposable slippers, I save them. I bring them in my carry-on specifically for the flight.
- I wear them to walk down the aisle or use the restroom.
- At the end of the flight, I toss them in the trash.
- It keeps my actual shoes clean and my socks germ-free.
