Airplane Bathrooms Could Be Getting A Big Upgrade

No one likes using public bathrooms if they can help it, and airplane restrooms are no exception. But one company has recently come up with a solution that could help ease the fears of all the germophobes out there: a Boeing self-cleaning bathroom.

According to Engadget, the engineers over at Boeing have designed a technology that allows a bathroom to clean itself after every visitor, simply by using far UV light. The far UV light — which is different than the kind used in tanning beds and isn't harmful to skin — kills 99.99 percent of the microbes and germs in the bathroom, preventing the stinky disaster you've come to expect from public restrooms.

So how exactly does it work? As you exit the bathroom and close the door behind you, the lights activate, zapping all the germs left behind. The toilet cover even pops up automatically to ensure that the seat gets thoroughly cleaned. The whole process only takes three seconds and leaves the room much cleaner than when you left it.

If you're thinking three seconds can't possibly be long enough for a thorough cleaning, don't worry. In order to make up for any potentially lingering germs left behind, designers also made basically every element of the bathroom hands-free. To lift the toilet cover and seat or activate the faucet, soap dispenser or hand dry, all you have to do is wave your hand over their sensors. Even the trash can has its own sensor, so that you don't have to physically come into contact with it at any point.

Unfortunately, the door handle still needs to be touched to get out, but the designers are working on changing that. And considering that everything else is basically germ-free by that point, you're still much better off than you ever would be in a regular bathroom.

Boeing is still testing the technology but hopes to install the innovative design in the near future. I think we can all agree that the sooner that happens, the better. Not only could self-cleaning bathrooms be a practical investment for airlines in the long run, they also may inspire the germ-fearing travelers out there to hop on a plane and go somewhere new.