Washing your hands is at the top of the list when it comes to effective prevention of contagious illnesses and infections, but many still make the mistake of assuming you have to use antibacterial soap to get the job done right.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned triclosan from soap products in 2016 due to suspected health risks, but it's still found in many toothpastes, mouthwashes and hand sanitizers.
Even the FDA admits "There isn't enough science to show that over-the-counter antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water."7.
Keep in mind that, like antibiotics, antibacterial soap only affects bacteria, so antibacterial soaps cannot protect you against viruses.
Even for bacteria, research has demonstrated that antibacterial soap provides no additional benefit over nonantibacterial soap.
The alkalinity of soap also creates an electric charge that makes the soap hydrophilic.
"When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. The hydrophobic tails of the free-floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge themselves into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses, prying them apart. 'They act like crowbars and destabilize the whole system,' said Prof. Pall Thordarson, acting head of chemistry at the University of New South Wales. Essential proteins spill from the ruptured membranes into the surrounding water, killing the bacteria and rendering the viruses useless."
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