Yoel Darwish, a social media creator known online as “the national toilet critic,” has taken his trademark restroom reviews to new heights — 30,000 feet, to be exact.
Darwish has built a following on TikTok and Instagram with humorous yet meticulous hygiene reviews of public restrooms across Israel. His clips often introduce playful terms such as “kitor,” his word for covering a toilet seat with paper for hygiene, and “gozhonim,” his personal rating scale.
This week, he posted his first in-flight review, documenting the lavatories on an El Al flight from Austria to Israel.
“I was exhausted, but I felt this was an important opportunity for the public,” Darwish told ynet. “When you come at things as a critic, you notice details other people don’t, and I felt my loyal followers deserved to come along.”
Darwish said he hurried through the review because airplane lavatories often feel scarce. He found a disposable toilet seat cover already in place — “ready for kitor,” he said — but it kept tearing when he tried to use it. After posting the video, viewers pointed out that he had used the cover backwards. “There were no instructions. The only sign said to clean the sink after use, which is a strange request,” he said.
As for cleanliness, Darwish called the lavatory “relatively clean,” with some water drops on the floor but nothing extreme. He also commented on a familiar in-flight moment: the roar of the vacuum flush. “It’s aggressive. You always wonder where everything is going,” he said, noting that headphones helped.
Despite the challenges, El Al received a positive score. “Overall, it was a good experience. I got home safely, so the rating is pretty high — three gozhonim, which is good compared with what you get on other airlines,” he said.
Darwish also reviewed restrooms in Austria, where he found public facilities noticeably cleaner. He described a standout feature at Vienna’s Albertina Museum: a dispenser that sprays disinfectant onto the toilet seat, eliminating the need for paper “kitor.” “It’s efficient and you feel they really invest in hygiene,” he said.
Although he admired Austrian standards and enjoyed the novelty of reviewing a jetliner lavatory, Darwish said he remains committed to improving conditions back home. “I was in great museums and restaurants in Vienna and on flights, but the best feeling is still using a restroom in Israel,” he said. “We have a long way to go. You can love this country and still want it to be cleaner, more orderly and more deserving.”