In case you missed it, there’s a new article out that details (yet again) how gross public travel can be.  I’ll post it here just in case you want a good (gross) read (via Yahoo.com)

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/the-gross-truth-about-germs-and-airplanes-119520487522.html

It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a germaphobe.

My love of disinfectant wipes.

I pack cleaning supplies even if we’re just going away for a weekend.  On the road, in our hotel room, I sanitize doorknobs, all surfaces (tables and dressers), drawers, the bathroom, the tub, the phones and so on.  People think I’m nuts because I’m supposed to be on “vacation” but for me, in order to really relax and enjoy my ‘home way from home’, I need to be confident that I’ve cleaned what I can and that my toddler is safe to explore.

This image…

…is of an area that makes me cringe.  And, unfortunately, in doing what I do, it’s a big part of my life.

So, I do what I can to cope (read more on how to keep germs at bay on the road by clicking here).

I sanitize my family’s seats (on planes, trains, buses) so that we can relax and not worry as much about touching our faces or eyes on the road/in the sky.   It takes all of 10 minutes to really give an airplane seat a good wipe down (don’t forget the table tray, TV screen, buttons, seat back pouch, head rest, seat belt, wall/window space etc).  But once you’re done, you’re done.

I wipe down all of our library books before use and all of my son’s toys after playdates.

Then there’s your luggage.  This quote in the Yahoo article reaffirms my freak outs over bags or baggage touching certain surfaces.

This (dirty, germ-infested luggage) is largely to do with the number of people and places it comes into contact with on its journey — an average of two baggage handlers, a member of the airline crew, two cabdrivers, etc. The hands of each person could carry approximately 10 million bacteria at any one time.

 When my husband returns from trips, his first instinct is to roll the suitcase through the house (ugh) and then lay it open on the bed (seriously?!?!).  He puts his carry-on bags (backpacks and satchels) right on our duvet, in our bedroom, after nearly every trip.

And, I’m forced to say something.  Of course I do!  It’s not that I’m a clean-freak…it’s simply that my mind replays all of the places he sets the bags down (washrooms, stuffed under the seat in front of you, on the floor in the airport, in lines, on the cab floor and so on) and then people bring them home and traipse them through their homes like their clean towels.

Over the years, I’ve devised some great, quick ways to help keep germs at bay in the friendly sky (read more here) and I can proudly say that very few people who travel with me ever end up getting sick.

Now that I’ve succeeded in making myself out to be “that” obsessive, clean-freak…I shall sign off.

xx