Reason Why Woman Always Wears Hoodie on a Plane Praised: ‘Genius’

A video of woman wearing a hoodie on a plane for hygiene reasons has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip was shared by @peytonreesenelson and has amassed over 814,000 views since it was posted on October 18. The footage shows a woman seated on a plane placing the hood of the sweatshirt she’s wearing over her head.

“Never not traveling in a hoodie,” the poster says in a caption shared with the post. A note overlaid on the clip reads: “Saw a TikTok once of a girl saying she always wears a hoodie on the plane so her hair doesn’t touch the seat & will never forget it.”

In a later comment, the poster explained: “I just feel like planes can be gross sometimes so wearing a hoodie means I don’t have to wash my hair when I land.”

The desire to try everything, such as wearing a hoodie all the time, to keep away from germs as much as possible during air travel is understandable as studies have shown planes are among some of the dirtiest public spaces.

In a 2015 study by the Travelmath website, a microbiologist was sent to collect 26 samples from five airports and four flights to estimate the total bacteria population in these spaces.

The study found that tray tables were the dirtiest, followed by the overhead air vents, the flush buttons in bathrooms and seatbelt buckles, based on the number of colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch.

Drinking fountain buttons, followed by bathroom stall locks, were found to the dirtiest areas at airports, based on CFU, according to the study.

Traveling by plane can come with serious health risks. According to a March 2018 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “over a dozen cases of inflight transmission of serious infections have been documented, and air travel can serve as a conduit for the rapid spread of newly emerging infections and pandemics.”

However, “the risks of transmission of respiratory viruses in an airplane cabin are unknown,” the study said.

The research, which observed 10 transcontinental U.S. flights, found that the “movements of passengers and crew may facilitate disease transmission,” but “there is low probability of direct transmission to passengers not seated in close proximity to an infectious passenger.”

‘Been Doing This for Years’

Viewers on TikTok praised the plane hack in the viral post, with several admitting they’ve done the same on their travels.

User danissanicole said: “Okay why is this genius,” and Pavoi wrote: “Stop, this makes so much sense.”

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 said: “Oh waittt will be doing this next time,” and angalieechaparro5 noted: “I do this everywhere!!”

User @4theluvofanita said: “i’ve been doing this for years. i always have it up as soon as i’m sat too.”

It’s.Leo.nator noted: “I can’t imagine someone NOT doing this,” and @user138269112 said: “Me on any public transportation.”

Mandy Riddell wrote: “Anywhere my hair will touch I do this. Planes, movie theatres, etc.”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video hasn’t been independently verified.

Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.