Can You Bring Wet Wipes (Baby Wipes) On A Plane? TSA Rules Examined

Last Updated on April 15, 2020

Wet wipes are really handy things to have around. So it would be great if you are allowed to take wet wipes through airport security in your hand luggage.

But liquids are restricted and wet wipes are… well… wet wipes are wet.

So do wet wipes have to go in your liquids bag? Are they even allowed in your carry on luggage and into the cabin?

Let’s find out.

TSA Wet Wipes – The Rules For Baby Wipes, Makeup Wipes, and Disinfecting Wipes

I checked the TSA website to see what they had to say about all types of wipes.

Firstly, even although they are wet, wet wipes are not considered a liquid by the TSA. They are simply not wet enough to be treated as liquids.

This means that wet wipes, baby wipes, disinfecting wipes, or makeup wipes don’t need to go in your liquids bag.

You can take face wipes, baby wipes, antibacterial wipes, disinfectant wipes, clorox wipes, lysol wipes, or makeup remover wipes on a plane in either your hand luggage or your checked luggage.

You can also bring isopropyl alcohol wipes, cell phone or laptop cleaning wipes.

You can pack all types of wet wipes in your carry on or your check-in bag. They don’t even need to be in their original packaging you can just take some wipes and put them in a ziplock bag if you want.

Wipes can even help you save space in your liquids bag. For example instead of packing hand-sanitizer which is a liquid and restricted to bottles smaller than 3.4 oz you can pack hand-sanitizer wipes instead.

Unlike a bottle of gel, the hand sanitizer wipes won’t be considered as a liquid thus freeing up space in your liquids bag.

And disinfectant aerosols are not even an option for hand luggage.

Sanitizing Wet Wipes And Airline Hygiene

Not only can you take wet wipes onto a plane. If you are concerned about hygiene you really should take some sanitizing wipes with you when you fly.

Some of the images you will see below might be disturbing.

Blood all over your tray table… yuck!

Ewww I don’t even know what that is covering that seat.

If you are concerned about how clean your seat is you might want to take sanitizing wipes with you to give things a clean before you sit down.

This would be especially important if you are flying with someone who has a compromised immune system. The air the cabin is filtered and you should not catch any viruses simply from breathing recycled air. But you might catch something from your dirty seat tray or seatbelt.

How To Pack Wipes In Your Carry On

While you are permitted to pack as many wipes in your carry on as you want, it’s a good idea to pack them near the top of your bag so you have easy access.

Firstly, you might want to use your wet wipes. Lots of people use antibacterial wipes to clean their fold-down tray, armrest and seatbelt.

Also, a damp face wipe can be a good way to freshen up after a long flight.

Secondly, your wet wipes might cause airport security to search your carry-on baggage.

Wet wipes can block the view of the airport scanners and the TSA might ask for a closer inspection of your bag.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to pack your wet wipes near the top of your baggage so you can remove them and show the TSA officer that it was only wet wipes that were blocking the view on their xray machines.

You may wish to remove your wipes and place them in a bin next to your laptop when going through the xray scanner because of this, this might prevent a bag search, but you don’t need to put the wipes inside your 1 quart liquid bag.

Your Airline & Flying With Wipes

The TSA rules on flying with all types of wipes are clear.

But I thought I would also check Twitter to see if there are any other tips regarding flying with wet wipes. Here were some examples of what’s going on.

American Airlines

Keep in mind that you might be forced to check your carry-on bag if there is no room in the overhead bins. You might want to pack your wipes in your handbag or personal item bag so that you’ll have something handy to clean up any mess.

Delta Airlines

People can be very disgusting and ignorant like this lazy Delta passenger. It might be a good idea to take antibacterial wipes in your hand luggage to clean down any surfaces you will be touching.

I see this is @delta again. This also occurred on my Delta flight last week, but it was a woman with her bare feet all over the walls. No one said anything to her. This is why I carry Clorox wipes for everything. https://t.co/cC0daHZRwL
— Evie ????????‍????✨ (@sisternoles) July 16, 2019

Southwest Airlines

Southwest was doing a bit of customer service and confirming that wipes are okay to bring on in checked or carryon luggage.

United Airlines

When someone puts their dirty feet all over the touchscreen…

Better to wipe it down before you use your fingers to put your flight movie on.

Alaska Airlines

Someone wasn’t happy about how clean their headrest was but they had brought wipes with them to clean it.

JetBlue

Makeup wipes should be allowed through airport security. But this JetBlue customer had problems.

Even if something is generally allowed on flights the final decision is always taken by the TSA officer that inspects your luggage.

Spirit Airlines

This Spirit customer was disgusted by the mess on the armrest and tray. Susan thinks that by cleaning with Clorox wipes she has managed to avoid getting sick after flying.

The Verdict

You can bring wet wipes in your carry-on. You will have no problems taking them through airport security as they are not against the rules.

In fact, antibacterial wipes really should be provided by airlines after you see the gross things that some passengers get up to on flights. Since they don’t always provide customers with wipes it’s a good idea to bring your own wipes with you when you fly. It might just help you to avoid catching a cold, or something worse, on your next flight.

Did This Page Help You?

YES