Anything better than baby wipes if no shower?
 

I didn't see this addressed in the Recommended Products thread:

I'm flying ORD-CDG next month and, since AA closed the Arrivals Lounge there, I won't be able to shower before leaving on a road trip to Provence (my friend is meeting me at CDG and we're taking off in a rental car directly from the airport).

I understand there are public showers at CDG but you need to bring your own towel and supplies and it seems the showers are not cleaned between uses so I'm not real keen on using them.

So it looks like I'm going to be doing the "sponge bath" thing. Does anyone have suggestions for products that help you freshen up other than the standard baby wipes?

When doing no-turn mileage runs a few years ago, I stumbled upon something that works for me.

I bought a pack of those inexpensive washcloths at a local store (I think you can get a dozen for like $3 or $4) and thoroughly wetted a couple of them with water and a small amount of my favorite shower gel. Packed them double sealed in ziploc bags (one inside the other) and then also packed a couple of clean ones to wash the soap off with.

Voila - instant disposable sink-bath. I don't cry over losing $1 or $2 worth of washclothes when I toss them... and if they start to dry out, you can easily rewet them in a bathroom sink.

Wow, that is such a great idea. ^

On overnite flites I use Clinique or Pond's facial wipes to clean off my makeup. The Pond's ones come in a little travel size of about 15.

I've tried all kinds of hand wipes, baby wipes, etc. for "commando showers." I think a good plan is --- combine using the pre-moistened wipes to "wash," then use the plain water washcloths to "rinse." (I don't like the way the baby wipes leave kind of a residue on my body.)

I have a Kamptowl for travel (usually use it to wrap clothing and remove excess water from clothes I've washed in the sink) that would be just right for drying off after such a bathing routine. Or you could use a couple of dry washcloths. The zip-loc bags in various sizes are perfect for carrying all this paraphernalia around.

Thanks for the tip on using multiple cheap washcloths, brilliant!

I bring my oldest and most worn-out wash cloths with me and do the same type of bathing at airports. I take a lot of overnight flights (Hawaii to DFW and ANC to DFW as well as European flights). I frequently report to work directly after landing at DFW; I try to get the most use possible out of my vacation and comp time.

I have even washed, dried, and styled my hair in airport restrooms, especially when flying home from Maui.

There is an old joke that I use about my quick baths at airports. I strip down to my underwear and while standing at the sink, I wash down as far as possible. Then I wash up as far as possible. Then I go to the stall and wash possible.

For my face, I use Stridex face pads. You can get them in individually wrapped packets, and they're large enough for your whole face. I never thought about the washcloths though. I'll definitely have to start using that!

Don't forget to bring along a pair of clean undies!

A clean shirt would be good, too, while you're at it.

Thanks for the suggestions. I really like the washcloth idea and I think I'll give that a try.

Great suggestion.

I like Summer's Eve Feminine Cleansing Cloths.

Hey, the "possible" story has been around since my great-grandmother. She used to say that and the rejoinder was, "but, did you wash possible?" I was just a kid but I remember it.

There's a product, and of course I cannot remember the name of it, readily available in drug stores, that is a kind of a "dry bath" for bedfast patients. I believe it comes in a fairly sizable towelette. Ask the pharmacist.

The best place to do all of this is in a handicapped accessible bathroom, where available. The kind where its a room all to itself. They have them almost everywhere. You get the whole large room to yourself, can take your clothes off and comfortably do a washcloth clean, and shampoo your hair too if you like.

Personally, I just take one washcloth and a couple travel minis of shampoo, shower gel.

Pleae Do Not Use The Handicap Accessible Bathroom!
 

This is a plea for you NOT to do this is the handicap accessible bathroom. There are a lot of stresses incurred by people with mobility impairments. Using the bathrooms on a flight is a real problem so having accessible bathrooms available is a necessity not a luxury after a long flight.

I have done transcontinental flights while wheelchair bound. I am thankfully mobile again but I will always see things from a different perspecive now.

Just imagine yourself unable to use the bathroom on the plane for 7 hours. Then you land and have to wait until everyone else has de-planed before you can get up out of your seat. And then you hope someone has called ahead and there is a wheelchair waiting for you (my observation is that the success rate on this is only 50%). So you have to wait some more. Eventually, you get off the plane and find the accessible bathroom. Now imagine that you find the accessible bathroom but it turns out to be occupied by some able bodied person. The further wait while they attend to their ablutions is horrendous !!!!!!!!!!!.

PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T BE SO SELFISH.

Rant over. Thanks.

I absolutely agree!
 

I have back problems and it is helpful to me to be able to have hand rails to use in public toilets. I only use such a stall if there are plenty. In the new terminal at DFW (D), there are plenty and they are big.

On this same subject. If you see an apparently able bodied person coming out of an accessible toilet room, that person may have problems you can't see.

After having foot surgery, and being on crutches for 6 weeks, I too agree with the handicap accessible stall plea. Remember that it normally takes a bit of extra time to get situated when you NEED the handicap accessible stall, so what may normally only take people a few seconds can take those who are in wheelchairs or on crutches a lot longer to accomplish.

That said, I will say that most of the other stalls are oftentimes extremely small, and can make things like cleaning and changing clothes very interesting.