Best BH soap for C19 & least mess at sink

[Saving$]

What is the best soap to wash your hands with, or does it matter? I've spent almost an hour googling without anything definitive.

1. Bar soap vs dispensed soap? Does it matter? Or does the actual soap matter? One post on this forum indicated washing hands with liquid dish washing soap may be best as it is formulated to cut grease, and we want to break down the fatty shell of the virus.

2. Anti bacterial soap vs other? I understood the general consensus before C19 to be that overuse of antibacterial soap could be a negative in that it encourages the growth of resistant bacteria, and had been purposely avoiding antibacterial soap because of that. However, I'm not sure some of these "natural" soaps really have the right stuff in them. Some of them hardly create suds. Is it good as long as it suds? Or should we be looking for a particular ingredient in the soap?

3. Dispensed liquid vs dispensed foam soap? The home dispensers that create foam generally indicate you should refill with 1 part liquid soap to 4 parts water, thereby diluting the soap. Is this then less effective? Or is it equally or more effective because there are more suds? IF this solution is effective, it seems the most appealing because:
a. most BH way since you use the least amount of soap - if #1 is accurate, I could buy inexpensive liquid dish soap refills and mix with water
b. It creates the least mess at the sink - so slimy soap dish from bar soap, no runny drops from dispensed liquid soap, etc.

4. ALSO - reading indicates it is better to wash down surfaces like handles & knobs with a soapy rag rather than cleaning wipes which are apparently alcohol based. I guess you keep a bowl of sudsy water next to the sink, wash things down with a rag dipped in the suds, then wipe it off with a clean wet rag? Suds created with dish washing soap?

Anyone know the science behind any of this? Right now am using Ivory bar soap at every sink, which seems like it should be effective but it is also messy and dries out the hands and going through bars like crazy...If there is a cleaner more efficient way to approach this that is equally effective I would be all in...

[latak215]

scientists that were quoted in corona news letters are saying corona virus is covered by fat membrane ,vulnerable to soap suds so whichever soap you like bot hand washing with soap is highly recommend to stop the viral spread

[carolinaman]

We are using Softsoap liquid because that is what we always have used. Articles I read just said to use soap and warm water for 20 seconds. We are washing our hands way more. My hands were drying out so I started putting some lotion on them at bedtime and problem was solved. I have always thought liquid soap was better than bars because there could be residue on the soap bar from previous use, but I may be wrong about that.

[Cubicle]

Purely guessing... but I would guess that bar soap is more BogleHead as liquid soap means you are paying (& having shipped around from manufacture to store to home) a certain percentage of water.

I don't correlate suds-ing to cleaning ability. Laundry soap for high efficiency washing machines is designed not to sud. ... Suds. Whatever the proper word is.

[Teague]

Agree that sudsiness does not correlate with effectiveness. For example NaOH, lye, does not foam, but boy does it cut thru grease. And thru skin and eyeballs and so on. In fact, the result of that reaction is soap. Just like Granny Clampett used to make.

Soaps and detergents generally contain surfactants. These surfactants can be thought of as a molecule that has two ends. One end mixes with fats and oils, the other end mixes with water. The end result without going into too much detail is that the fats and oils bind to the surfactant at one end, and the other end mixes with water, so water can be used to flush away the fats and oils.

Or you can believe what I was told as a child, that the bad germs get trapped inside the good bubbles and can't get out.

[dru808]

It really does not matter for the average person. I use whatever is cheap. If we run out, I’ll use my dial basics bar soap, no antibacterial specific ingredients but does the job just dandy.

[BrownEyedGirl_27]

Bar soap disappears quickly and bacteria stays on the soap itself after a person has used the soap. And you're right, it is a mess to clean up. One bar of soap only lasts us a couple weeks.

We like Mrs. Meyer's in the kitchen, and also use it on our hands, but it's mostly the scent I like. It does not suds up as much as Dawn dish washing liquid but it does fight grease nicely. So you have to use a little more to get the same result. Dawn is slightly more effective but it's also more expensive and not as green. I think they have a clean and clear version of Dawn but we prefer the all natural brand. Don't buy Ecos; it doesn't suds at all!

In the tub we like to use Philosophy 3-in-1 shower gel, raspberry sorbet scent. One regular bottle of that stuff lasts for 6 months (we don't have kids). It smells nice and is great for sensitive skin, a good family-friendly soap.

[lthenderson]

I use whatever soap is by the sink I'm washing my hands in.

[lindsayinsf]

The CDC says the type of soap does not matter. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html If using a pump soap, clean the outside of the bottle/top of pump every once in a while with...soap.

Scrub for 20 seconds and cover every section. Rinse with water and use a clean towel or air dry. For dry/tight skin, use lotion afterwards. I personally can not stand washing my hands without using lotion afterwards. I hate tight/dry skin!

The science: "Using soap to wash hands is more effective than using water alone because the surfactants in soap lift soil and microbes from skin, and people tend to scrub hands more thoroughly when using soap, which further removes germs." https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me ... shing.html

For disinfecting wipes to work the surface must remain visibly wet for a few minutes. Instructions on package should indicate for how long. Products typically state what type of bacteria, etc. they will work on.

[celia]

I shudder to think there is one ‘best’ soap as there could be a shortage as everyone runs out to buy it. Let’s just say that the best one is the one you already use BECAUSE you don’t have to risk getting sick to go out to buy it!

[livesoft]

The CDC says the type of soap does not matter. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html If using a pump soap, clean the outside of the bottle/top of pump every once in a while with...soap.

I would not be surprised to learn that the pump bottle has more bacteria on its outside than a used bar of soap does sitting by the sink.

[ddurrett896]

The CDC says the type of soap does not matter. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html If using a pump soap, clean the outside of the bottle/top of pump every once in a while with...soap.

For what? You wash your hands after touching it each time - right

[oldcomputerguy]

In our home, we're using plain old Dove soap at each sink for hand washing. Over the past few years, we had been using pump dispensers filled with liquid "anti-bacterial" soap. However, that was causing a large amount of chapping. Going from the liquid soap to the bar soap has helped that. I wash my hands using the bar soap with water as warm as I can tolerate. Yes, it makes a bit of a melted-soap mess in the soap dish, but it's not at all hard to clean the dish occasionally.

[livesoft]

I use the bathroom sink only for brushing teeth and washing hands. I just leave the bar of soap in the sink by the drain hole. No soap dish; no melted mess. The bar of soap just dries fine at the bottom of the sink.

[lindsayinsf]

The CDC says the type of soap does not matter. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html If using a pump soap, clean the outside of the bottle/top of pump every once in a while with...soap.

For what? You wash your hands after touching it each time - right

For general cleanliness and non-grossness. A friend of mine who works at the EPA suggested it a few years back and it just made sense to me. It's easy enough to do as part of my monthly cleaning routine and gets all the toothpaste splatter off too!

[crefwatch]

Bar soap is “self cleaning”, and does not spread disease. While it is true that Coronavirus is particularly vulnerable to soap, rinsing germs and viruses away is the main value of hand washing. Antibacterial soap is not generally necessary. Very hot water is not necessary. This subject has been well studied in the many years since indoor plumbing and city water were developed.

I might mention that expensive products like Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (house brands exist) are much gentler on the skin.

[livesoft]

... and gets all the toothpaste splatter off too!

Is anybody else wondering what toothpaste splatter is and how it might arise? Maybe someone has toddlers in the household?

[galawdawg]

We use the Walmart equivalent of Dawn: Great Value Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid, Original Scent, 75 fl oz, $4.78 per bottle and lasts for months. Just a tiny dab does a great job for hand washing.

[student]

I use bar soap as I found I waste too much when using liquid soap.

[goaties]

Is anybody else wondering what toothpaste splatter is and how it might arise? Maybe someone has toddlers in the household?

Oh this brought back memories. My mother was what I would call a "stand-up spitter". This did not have anything to do with stand-up comedy, believe me. Rather, after she brushed her teeth, she would spit into the sink from nearly full height. To be fair, she suffered from back pain all her life, so bending low over the sink to insure a tidy spit was not even possible for her. Such high-elevation spitting produced splatter on most nearby surfaces, such as mirror, soapdish, and so on. We all learned to keep our toothbrushes stored well away from the sink!

[cherijoh]

I shudder to think there is one ‘best’ soap as there could be a shortage as everyone runs out to buy it. Let’s just say that the best one is the one you already use BECAUSE you don’t have to risk getting sick to go out to buy it!

Celia,

I think you win the prize for the best answer! My habit of getting suckered into the $xx for 5 bottles at Bath & Body Works has finally paid off. I stocked up on hand soap in January when they were running their semi-annual sale.

I believe that your hand washing technique is far more important than the soap you use. But I agree with others that liquid soap is preferable to bar soap for hand washing due to the scummy residue left on the bar of soap.

[Dottie57]

I shudder to think there is one ‘best’ soap as there could be a shortage as everyone runs out to buy it. Let’s just say that the best one is the one you already use BECAUSE you don’t have to risk getting sick to go out to buy it!

+1.

[livesoft]

My mother was what I would call a "stand-up spitter".

Good story.

It is pretty easy to dribble out used toothpaste into a small cup like a sippy cup and then rinse that cup.

Remember the old days of those tiny paper cup dispensers stuck to the mirror with double-sided tape?

[Faith20879]

I think the best BH soap for any occasion is the kind that's free and I am the winner of this contest.

When I travel I always bring the half used hotel soap home. I now have a drawerful that'll last me a year or longer.

Of course I can only disclose this anonymously to an internet forum.

[stimulacra]

Any soap works. Lot of great videos about how literally any soap used for 20 seconds will destroy viral particles by tearing it apart on the molecular level.

Issues for me is that I'm washing my hands 20 times a day at least so dry hands, contact dermatitis, and eczema is a problem for me with constant hand washing. I look for something that's hypoallergenic and moisturizes.

Softsoft or in-store generics are fine for the most part but they're the first to be gone. Plenty of bar soap or liquid refiles.

[celia]

I think the best BH soap for any occasion is the kind that's free and I am the winner of this contest.

When I travel I always bring the half used hotel soap home. I now have a drawerful that'll last me a year or longer.

Anything you currently own is now ‘free’, in my opinion.

How about we both win (or everyone who currently owns soap wins)?

[rj49]

Articles I've read say that bar soap is best, because of the fats, which aren't present in dispenser soap (as I understand. I'm afraid that the current emphasis on masks has gotten people to believe it's mainly an airborne virus, so people have gotten away from frequent hand washing--I got back from the grocery store and the majority of people had masks on their face but nothing on their hands that were touching carts, groceries, and checkout machines. My Boglehead approach is to buy bar soap and shower body wash at the dollar store (surprisingly good selection of bar soap), and they usually have plenty of hydrogen peroxide, which is one of the approved disinfectants for cleaning surfaces against Covid, as well as face masks (also good for dissolving ear wax). A bidet hose and dollar store baby wipes also means I never need to worry about toilet paper.

[livesoft]

Articles I've read say that bar soap is best, because of the fats, which aren't present in dispenser soap (as I understand.

Totally ridiculous and incorrect articles from a scientific standpoint if you are narrating correctly what you read. Can you send me a link in a pm so that I can try to see what the articles wrote please?