Over the past year and a half people have had a compelling reason to get a better understanding of how to get clean and eliminate germs. And what most people leaned was surprising. Most soap does not kill germs and most sanitizers do not clean.
The idea of “soap vs hand sanitizer” can best be summarized as “dirt remover vs germ killer.” That’s all there is to it. Soap lifts and attracts dirt so water can wash it away. Hand sanitizer uses a chemical or biochemical substance to kill germs. This is usually alcohol based.
Cleaning and Sanitizing Combos
There are also combination products such as antibacterial soaps and foaming sanitizing gels that combine properties of each – but each task is still performed by its core component. Soap only removes dirt while sanitizing agents simply kill germs and bacteria.
How Does Soap Clean?
Soap works in simple way. You rub the soap on your skin to build a lather. The lather gets beneath the dirt pushing it to the surface so clean water can wash the dirt and lather away without the dirt simply redepositing on a new area of your skin.
Big Bubbles Do Not Equal Clean
There is a serious misconception about bubbles and how they aid in getting you clean. We are used to ads telling us the wonder of “scrubbing bubbles” to clean sinks and tubs. Most of us also associate childhood bubble baths with getting clean. But the truth is, it’s the lather that digs into pores and gets out the dirt.
Lather itself is a huge gathering of miniscule bubbles, so technically bubbles are still doing the work. But not BIG bubbles. Lather is formed naturally from glycerin. Glycerin is an organic output of true soap (i.e./ real; soap – not the chemical “bath and beauty bars” that use detergents).
Big bubbles are made from artificial chemical detergents. They use a special bonding agent to allow the bubble to expand larger while maintaining surface tension of the fluid comprising the bubble. This allows more air to enter, which results in bigger bubbles.
How do Sanitizers Disinfect?
Hand sanitizers disinfect by killing the germs and bacteria that were deposited on your body along with any dirt or organic byproducts such as the juices from uncooked or undercooked meat and poultry. Sanitizers do not necessarily remove the dead gems and bacteria; they just kill or neutralize it. That said, even if you use a sanitizing agent, you should still get clean using good old soap to remove the dead germs.
Clean vs Sanitized
When something has been sanitized it is not necessarily clean. This is a disgusting thought but you can spray sanitizer on a surface such as a countertop and kill the germs without removing a spec of the whatever nasty stuff is on there. All the dirt, grime and (now dead) bacteria will still get transferred from the disinfected surface onto whatever you place on it, such as your hand. It might not be covered in living germs, but it’s still nasty stuff being deposited onto your skin.
To be safe, it’s best to clean AND sanitize when possible. This is especially true for areas where food is prepared and of course for your hands before eating. If you choose to use a combination product for this, you should understand that you are now getting away form soap and into pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
About Cleaning and Sanitizing
Because of skin sensitivities I do not use combination products. I only use real soap. The way I personally choose to clean and sanitize is to keep isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle and gently spray it on my skin where needed (typically the hands). Then I rub it around to make sue it gets all areas. Finally, I use my own homemade soap to wash up after, for a deep clean. Because alcohol dries the skin, I choose to use some oils and butters with moisturizing properties in my soap recipes.
Soap, Cosmetics and Drugs
We won’t spend a lot of time here. I can just summarize by saying always read the label of any cleaning product before you apply it to your skin.
You see, “soap” as most of us grew up knowing it – is usually not really soap as the US Federal Government classifies it. Once a bar, liquid, gel, lotion, etc. cleaner makes claims of killing germs – it is a pharmaceutical. If it makes contains detergent, it is a cosmetic. I realize it’s confusing. This video from labeling expert Marie Gale should help.
Best Cleaning Soap
The type of soap you use really comes down to personal preference. When I entered my mid-thirties, I started having mild skin irritations from the so-called soap I usually bought when grocery shopping. It was a “bath and beauty bar” that contained chemical detergents. I had used it for ten years and never even read the label. Now I only use “true soap.”
True soap is not a brand, but rather a type of soap that fits a certain definition according to the United States Food and Drug Administration. You can see the complete definition on the FDAs website, and here is a quick summary of what makes a soap “true.”
True soap, as defined by the FDA, has to meet three criteria:
- It has to be primarily made of “alkali salts of fatty acids.” It sounds technical but is simple. This just means it has to be made mostly of the stuff you get when combining oils/fats with an alkali like lye.
- The above-mentioned “alkali salts of fatty acids” have to be the only component that actually cleans. If it uses synthetic detergents to clean, it is a cosmetic. Cosmetics are NOT true soap.
- And finally, it cannot make any claims other than being soap in its advertising or labeling. Do not mention moisturizing, deodorizing or any other properties that can be interpreted as cosmetic or health related.
Soap and Cosmetic Labeling
You also might be interested in how true soap varies from cosmetics including beauty bars containing perfumes and detergents. A new document was just released a few days ago that can be found here at the Electronics Code of Federal Regulations website. It deals specifically with US Federal labeling requirements for cosmetics.
Now That You Know It Cleans – Lather Up!
If you are interested in learning more about how to make your own handmade soap lather, give this article a read. It is on this website and will help you get the best cleaning lather possible in minutes! These are the simple inside tips that can help make any soap more luxurious.