Flight attendant exposes dirtiest places on a plane in revealing TikTok video

If COVID-19 has made you paranoid about germs, this story probably isn't for you - but it is a great reminder of the bugs that lurk onboard an aircraft even in a world without the pandemic.

US flight attendant Kat Kamalani has used social media platform TikTok to share with viewers some of the "nastiest parts on an airplane," and they aren't all where you'd think.

"If you're going to use your meal tray, please make sure you sanitise it - I've seen so many parents use it as a changing table to change their child's diaper, then they put it in the backseat," Kamalani says. 

Grossed out yet? There's more.

"Those air vents, they've seen thousands of hands. Wipe them down before you touch them," she says.

Then comes the seat belt buckle - and Kamalani's advice for this item is as brief as it is emphasised.

"Yeah just wipe it," she says.

Paying attention to hygiene when visiting the toilet should be standard practice anyway, but apparently that's not the case according to Kamalani.

"When using the toilet, use a tissue to lock the door."

It might be worth taking that advice even further and using tissues when touching anything inside the toilet.

Kamalani has one last piece of advice, although it's unclear if it's still relevant given changes to aircraft cleaning processes since COVID-19.

"Do not touch the backseat pocket. They clean them out between flights, but they don't sanitise them. Think about all the dirty tissues, barf bags and trash that has been in there," Kamalani says.

However, numerous comments below the video say that this is no longer the case as aircraft undergo extra cleaning due to the pandemic.

"I'm a flight attendant and right now everything is being sanitised," one comment said. 

The fellow flight attendant said it's unlikely the video was made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do you have any cleaning routines or tips for places to clean while flying? Share them in our Newshub Travel Facebook group.