Can You Take Disinfectant Spray On A Plane? Dettol, Lysol To Go, Clorox

Last Updated on February 20, 2022

Planes have always been bad places to pick up viruses and lots of people report getting sick after flying.

But it’s not the recirculated cabin air that is the likely cause of catching the flu, the common cold, coronavirus, or any other viral infection when flying.

The problem is the surfaces that passengers come into contact with both on the plane and at the airport. Passengers touch surfaces infected with bacteria, germs, and viruses, and then they touch their mouths and this is how disease spreads.

Smart travelers have long known this and take precautions to avoid getting sick why they fly.

The way to do this is to clean the tray table, armrests, window blinds that you come into contact with. That combined with frequent thorough hand washing is the best way to protect yourself. Forget surgical masks they don’t do very much to help you!

So you might be wondering if you can take the disinfectant spray with you on a plane? What can you use to clean your seat and the surrounding area?

Also, what can you take with you to clean your hotel room when you arrive?

This post has got you covered let’s get into it. The best product to bring is right near the end of the post so make sure you keep reading until you discover it!

TSA Disinfectant Spray Rules

The rules regarding taking disinfectant sprays on to planes are set by the FAA and enforced by the TSA.

Hang in there, this is going to get complicated for a minute. Here are the bullet points to understand:

  • The only aerosols you can take in hand luggage are medicinal or toiletries. Aerosols that don’t get sprayed on your body are not permitted.
  • Pump spray bottles are not aerosols.
  • But you can’t bring flammable liquids in any form on to the plane even in small quantities.
  • All liquids in hand luggage much be contained in smaller than 3.4 oz bottles

These are the rules and they impact disinfectant sprays. It’s not impossible to bring a disinfectant spray onto a plane but you need to apply these rules. This may involve filling your own bottle.

Can You Take Lysol To Go On A Plane?

You might have already realized this but the ever-popular travel-size Lysol To Go is an aerosol. It’s a pressurized container and since it’s not medicine or a body toiletry like hair spray, shaving cream, or deodorant then you can’t bring Lysol with you in your hand luggage.

You can’t bring any aerosol in hand luggage other than medicinal aerosols or toiletries.

So that rules out any aerosol disinfectant spray.

You also can’t pack aerosol products in your checked baggage that are not toiletries. So cleaning products like Lysol can’t even go in your checked bag to help you clean your hotel room!

Can You Bring A Pump Bottle Disinfectant Spray On A Plane?

Most liquid disinfectant sprays come in bottles larger than 3.4 oz. This means that they are too large to take in your hand luggage because liquids need to go in your liquids bag.

Image result for dettol spray
Example Liquid Pump Spray – I don’t know if this Dettol is flammable or not

If you wanted to bring this type of cleaning liquid spray onto a plane in your hand luggage you’d need to fill your own travel-size pump bottle.

You need to be careful with 2 points if you were to do this:

  • The liquid that you use must not be flammable
  • Make sure you don’t spray anything on the seats that will damage the fabric

So don’t go spraying bleach on your airplane seat!

I can’t cover all the cleaning products that are out there, read the back label when you are choosing something. Make sure you choose a spray that is mild and can’t burn.

Liquid bleach is not permitted in carry-on or checked luggage.

It seems like rubbing alcohol is permitted by the TSA in small quantities. You might need to dilute the rubbing alcohol with water so it can’t burn.

It’s possible to pack non-aerosol cleaning products in your checked bag in larger quantities so long as they are not flammable. So if you want to take something to fully clean and disinfect your hotel room look for a non-flammable liquid cleaner.

Disinfectant Wipes – The Best Disinfectant To Bring On A Plane!

Filling your own bottles or finding non-flammable liquid cleaning products is one way to try to disinfect your plane seat…

But it’s not the best way! This is the top tip you’ve been waiting for.

There is a simple solution to cleaning your seat, your hands, and keeping yourself safe when flying.

Antibacterial disinfectant wipes!

Although wet wipes are wet they don’t count as a liquid and you can pack them in your carry on bag or your checked bag in unlimited quantities.

Clorox wet wipes are one of the most popular. I recommend forgetting about disinfectant sprays and packing disinfectant wipes instead.

You can use wipes like these to clean everywhere. Airport restaurant tables, airplane seats, hotel rooms, and of course most importantly grubby fingers.

The Verdict

I understand the appeal of bringing disinfectant spray on a plane, but as you’ve seen it’s more complicated and you might run into trouble with the transportation security administration.

It’s also hard to control sprays and you might annoy the flight attendant if you were to spray the whole cabin with some unidentified mist.

The best way to clean your seat and the surrounding area is to use disinfectant wipes.

Ultimately, it’s your hands that you really need to keep clean. A little bottle of hand sanitizer is handy to pack too!

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