Why the three second rule never applies on the plane
THE three second rule has been used by clumsy people for years - simply put, if you drop and item of food and it's on the floor for less than three seconds then it's considered fine to eat.
While there is considerable doubt in the scientific community about how truth this theory is, there are some carpeted floors where it should never be applied.
The first is the aeroplane carpet. Not only have people been walking across it in their shoes all day, but they are walking in and out of the toilet, where urine often gets sprayed onto the floor.
Those who assume the area under their seat might be clean enough should also think again.
An ex-flight attendant who goes by the nickname Boopboopster said on Reddit: "People are generally disgusting on planes - I once found human faeces under a seat."
Another cabin crew member who goes by the nickname PeanutSlinger said: “A man had explosive diarrhoea which flooded the lavatory and soaked into the carpet down the aisle. Had to divert because of the stench.”
According to, plane carpets usually get vacuumed overnight but they don't actually get shampooed more than every 35-40 days, when aircraft get a more comprehensive clean.
In 2016, undercover footage on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight showed the door to one of its loos sealed with a wet towel after it began overflowing into the cabin - which was also covered with rubbish.
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The aisle running down the Airbus A380 was shown completely covered with food wrappers and other trash.
Last year, furious Easyjet passengers shared pictures of hair, crumbs and dirty tissues strewn on plane seats and carpet despite coronavirus cleanliness measures.
Travellers said that despite crew assuring them a deep clean had taken place prior to boarding, they found dirt and rubbish on planes.
An easyJet spokesperson later apologised for the state of the planes.
But the plane isn't the only place where the three second rule doesn't apply, hotel expert Jacob Tomsky previously revealed to Sun Online Travel that the carpets are the filthiest part of the room.
Jacob is the author of Heads In Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles and So-Called Hospitality, and worked in the hotel business for ten years.
He said: “The dirtiest part of a hotel room are the carpets.
“Yes, they are vacuumed but they will almost never get a shampoo and a deep clean as there are constantly people staying in the rooms.
“Carpets need properly cleaning more than they ever are.
“There’s a high chance of there fragments of smashed glass from where people have broken glasses too.”
