Self-cleaning airplane bathroom makes flying less germy - CNET

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Ah, flying. There's nothing quite so enjoyable as squeezing into a metal canister with wings, snuggling up close to a stranger in a cramped seat and sharing a bathroom with a couple hundred other passengers. You might not get any help with your seating arrangements, but at least airplane manufacturer Boeing wants to make your restroom experience more enjoyable.

Boeing announced a self-cleaning lavatory for planes on Thursday. It has touchless features, including a hands-free faucet, trash can, toilet lid, soap dispenser and hand dryer. The real star of the show is ultraviolet light. According to Boeing, bathing the bathroom in FAR UV light kills 99.99 percent of germs. "FAR ultraviolet" describes a wavelength that's different than UVA or UVB, the kind of UV light you get from tanning beds.

"We're trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight," Jeanne Yu, Boeing Commercial Airplanes director of environmental performance, said in a statement. Yu notes that the sanitizing light "even helps eliminate odors."