So my friend Kathy Buckworth is writing an article for her Travel blog on Sympatico about Gross Passenger Grooming stories and I mentioned that I could tell her a few things with being an Ex-Flight Attendant. Here is what I told her…watch for the article soon. I will post the link when the article is published 
Here are a few “things”:
~Where ever you be..let your wind go free: I love my comfort like anyone else but please try to save your “wind release” for AFTER you get off the plane! Being stuck on a metal tube flying through the air with 200+ people isn’t fun when the cabin stinks
~ NEVER use the lavatory barefoot: The gross water & dirty mop they use to clean it would turn your stomach..seriously I don’t think they EVER changed the water.
~Attempt dental hygiene: MANY times I found dental floss / toothpicks (we didn’t supply) in drink cups or on their meal trays. Simply nasty!
~Take the “refresh towel” too far: I once witnessed a man use the hot cloths passed around to refresh hands & faces as an underarm rag
~ NEVER use the blankets or pillows on board! – They are NOT cleaned as often as you seem to think! On turnaround flights they are just refolded and thrown in the overhead bins. Anything & Everything could be on them…TAKE YOUR OWN!
~ Turn their seat into a changing table: “Watched many people change their babies dirty diapers on the seats WITHOUT putting a change pad down( even though the toilets were equipped with change tables that came down from the wall)..THEN “attempt” to hand to me while doing a food tray/garbage pickup.”
~Picking toes/Biting toenails – ya full on toe in mouth *barf*
~ Nail polish application/removal – Not totally nasty but the smell does permeate all through the cabin with no where to go!
Worst story had to be when I was working back galley (preparing meals for service) when a sweet looking elderly woman asked me if I had a safety pin or needle. I thought nothing of it as people’s buttons pop or hems come loose so I gave her a safety pin from my “galley bag” WELL..what she did next I will NEVER forget…Turns out that her colostomy bag was filling with gas and she needed to release the pressure before the bag burst. She released it all right IN my galley & the most horrific stench filled not only my galley but the ENTIRE plane. Everyone thought it was coming from me…as she happily went back to her seat afterwards!
Basically we couldn’t really do much but to talk to the passenger to stop whatever they were doing. They don’t really “train” you for situations like these 
