Charlie Sawyer, a lifestyle reporter, never leaves home without a nail file. After countless gel manicures, her nails are brittle and prone to snapping. While she would never clip nails or use a pumice stone on public transport, she never considered that filing her nails could offend fellow passengers. However, after sharing this habit on social media, she was quickly corrected.
Public Reaction to Nail Filing on the Tube
Londoner Ahmed Abdallah, 32, called the practice 'vile,' comparing it to trimming nose hair on the Tube and spreading 'nail dandruff.' Another commenter ranked nail filing as 'easily one of the top five things they hate most in life.' A Metro poll asks readers whether they find nail filing on public transport gross, with options for 'absolutely,' 'no,' or 'not fussed.'
A Reddit thread on the topic showed divided opinions. Some deemed it 'gross' and 'impolite,' while others were unbothered. Many concluded it wasn't 'ideal' but came with the territory of public transport. Research shows up to 95 different bacterial strains can be found across the Tube network, as user @max_power_332 noted: 'If you think a bit of fingernail dust is the worst thing on a train, then I don't know what to tell you.'
Nail Filing as Part of Beauty Routines
Online trends like #girlhood and #womeninstem feature videos of 'doing my nails on the train' or 'the commute glow up.' Unlike clipping nails, which is generally viewed as a private act, filing or painting nails falls under personal beautification, similar to applying lipstick on the Tube. However, people may not realize how much they affect others nearby.
Is Nail Filing Unhygienic?
Filing nails shaves off tiny keratin particles, which mix with leftover polish, gels, and dead skin cells to create thin white dust. While generally harmless, not everyone wants to sit in a cloud of someone else's dead skin cells, especially in a poorly ventilated space.
Misophonia: A Deeper Issue
For some, aversion to nail filing goes beyond disgust. Dr Tom Graham, a Counselling Psychologist specializing in misophonia, explains that 18.4% of the UK population have significant symptoms of misophonia, a decreased tolerance to specific sounds. Trigger sounds like chewing, crunching, lip-smacking, and 'rough sounds' like nail filing can cause intense emotional reactions, including anger, panic, and disgust.
In a 2023 study Dr Graham worked on, 85% of the population reported irritation at loud eating sounds, but among those with misophonia, 99% reported panic and anger. The distress can begin before the sound is heard, as anticipation creates anxiety. Dr Graham compares it to seeing someone about to dash cold water on you: 'You'd think, "I need to move away from this, it's about to be pretty torturous."'
While not classified as a mental health condition, Dr Graham uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help patients manage reactions. This might involve playing a game centered on a trigger sound or creating a backstory for the person making the noise. So, a commute manicure could be the most distressing part of a journey for someone with misophonia.
