gfunkdave

180 is good enough to kill bacteria...150 for 10 minutes or so will do it too.

l etoile

From the EPA:

This is the latest on the issue from the EPA with a Q&A section. Also explains what's required when the water is tested and E. coli is present.
http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/airlinewater/basic.html

pb3

OK, OK - Can someone help out a clueless Flyertalker and explain why hand sanitizer is a scam?

It's supposed to kill 99.9% of all known germs - surely that's a good thing?

Not scientific I know - but I certainly appear to have caught less colds since I started using it regularly.

N965VJ

From the NY Times article I linked to upthread:

Dr. Ruebush, the “Why Dirt Is Good” author, does not suggest a return to filth, either. But she correctly points out that bacteria are everywhere: on us, in us and all around us. Most of these micro-organisms cause no problem, and many, like the ones that normally live in the digestive tract and produce life-sustaining nutrients, are essential to good health.

“The typical human probably harbors some 90 trillion microbes,” she wrote. “The very fact that you have so many microbes of so many different kinds is what keeps you healthy most of the time.”

Dr. Ruebush deplores the current fetish for the hundreds of antibacterial products that convey a false sense of security and may actually foster the development of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria. Plain soap and water are all that are needed to become clean, she noted.

Mr. Elliott

Who has access to a sink all the time, that’s why I always carry with me a little bottle of hand sanitizer to use when I can’t wash my hands.

I have read that the hand sanitizer kills only bacteria, but not viruses like the flu and cold viruses, a bleach solution is needed for this.

When I travel and stay at a hotel, I always carry with me some Clorox wipes, and I wipe down the sink faucet handles, door knobs, TV remote, bathroom countertop and the toilet seat plus the toilet flushing handle.

Not everyone washes their hands after going to the bathroom and the housekeeping staff are always in a hurry so I don’t believe they make a great effort to sanitize the bathrooms.

Also when I use a public Men’s room, after washing my hands I will use a paper towel or some toilet paper to open the door if it opens inward, many men who use the urinal don’t wash their hands after peeing and grab the door knob with their dirty hands..

To me it’s just a little extra precaution.

Mr. Elliott

starlanet

I use the sink water to rinse out my mouth after brushing my teeth on the plane too, but on international flights only, otherwise I can wait.

But can someone explain why water from faucets in airplane lavatories is white?

After like 60 seconds the water looks clean and clear again. But why does the color of water change? I have noticed this on AA and UA airplanes, 777 and 767's. Unfortunately you can't bring in you own water, otherwise I'd use bottled water to rinse out my mouth. And sometimes, after lunch service on a full plane, FAs have told me that they have run out of bottled water

dcutcher

be wise about NOT requesting ice in your beverages---for approximately the same reason: general sanitary conditions affecting its creation, storage and dispensing.
I'm still good with water served me in a sealed bottle, and yes, I am a bit "liberal" with the alcohol swabs. I find the small sealed packets intended to sterilize injection sites are worth it. They hold a TON of alcohol, are relatively inexpensive.
(Dis)Claimer: Yes, I make and sell them, and want you to buy thousands so I can get rich.
oh, r-i-i-i-i-i-g-g-h-h-h-h-t-t-t

nerd

Little tiny air bubbles.

deniah

its just aeration

my POV is biased from having grown up in a developing country, but i sense there is an excessive germophobism in the modern western world

starlanet

It depends on where you live. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the tap water is perfectly safe and drinkable. It is potable water as it is in Vancouver. ^

When visiting the US though, first thing I do is go to the nearest CVS pharmacy store and buy some gallons of bottled water. During my first visit to LA, I drank water from the faucet at the hotel (the Andaz Weho in 2009) and it tasted weird . I don't know about hotels' sanitation system. I am not really a germophobe, never use a napkin to open any door, I don't wipe down the sink faucet handles nor the TV remote.

SFflyer123

I always brush my teeth after every meal. I use airplane bathroom water all the time. Never had a problem. I fly United. Maybe they have better sanitation. But it is simply not an issue. There are some planes which clearly state that the water is not potable, and in those cases I don't use that water.

The only time I have not used the water to brush my teeth is when the United plane took off from Shanghai to SFO. I knew that tank was loaded with water from China. I know that water is not safe to drink. But if you take off from a country that you know has potable tap water, no problem.

In fact, in some lavatories, they have little dixie cups for you, implying that you can use those cups to drink the bathroom water or brush your teeth.

l etoile

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way. The bacteria from water in China can remain in the tank long after it was filled there. So your 747 that went to China, may still have all that bacteria on its flight between SFO and ORD.

In the tests where bacteria was so prevalent (along with insect eggs among other things) most of the flights were on domestic US routings at the time.

N965VJ

Where are you seeing cup dispensers?

SFflyer123

Gross! I bet it must be the water filters, as other posters have commented upon. I fly 20-30 times per year, and brush my teeth almost every single flight. Not once have I gotten sick (and I am not an exotic 3rd-world traveler/explorer type person). I fly essentially only on United. United must have great water filters! ^

If you look where the paper towels are, you will see the cup dispensers. They're the "mini" dixie cups. They're usually blue. You will see them near the paper towels/tissues.

starlanet

I've seen those and used them to brush my teeth, not to drink from them: American Airlines 777 and 767's: JFK-EZE, MIA-SCL, DFW-EZE and viceversa.