# antibacterial soap vs regular soap



## luc_h (Jun 6, 2007)

Personally I discourage anybody from using antibacterial soap.

here is an interesting article:
Plain Soap as Good as Antibacterial

Luc H


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

I don't use antibacterial soap. Saw some studies and decided it was just no worth it.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

I prefer the regular soap too. It works fine if you just use it regularly!

Pity more people don't just _wash their hands_- it's the best deterrant to colds and flu. We all have horror stories to share about people not washing their hands.

When I taught middle school I didn't trust the kids to follow good sanitation methods so I kept a huge bottle of Purell in my classroom. I insisted they sanitize after sneezing, coughing or bathroom use. I used antibacterial wipes on the tables in my classroom.


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## jigz369 (Apr 20, 2007)

Okay, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't soap antibacterial by it's very definition?
The issue I have with antibacterial soaps is they help to create stronger, more evolved bacteria that become immune to the antibacterial effect. And let's face it, the last thing we need is more super-bugs!
Just my opinion though.....


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

Pretty good opinion in my book. Let me add one other thing. Balance. IMHPO, The one big problem with anti-bacterials is they indescriminently kill all bacteria. Not just the bad ones. Face it. We're made up almost entirely of one form of bacteria or another. Regardless of what the talking heads say in their investigative reports or the commercials tell us we need to be doing to combat the microscopic organisms, we are killing ourselves one drop/wipe at a time. If people just used a little common sense and took the time to pay attention to what they were doing, especially in the kitchen there would be no real issue. Personally, do I want to get sick from a foodborne illness or some other virus? Nope! But it is helpful to the immune system to get some exercise every now and then. The body can't fight what it doesn't know. Plus like jigz mentions about the super-bugs. They are created because there is no counter balance in good bacteria.

Been in a ton of these discussions in the past. There are definitely some pretty distinct lines drawn in the sand by the different schools of thought behind this one.


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## luc_h (Jun 6, 2007)

I teach food hygiene and handling for commercial food handlers here (pretty soon training will be dictated by a law). I also dedicate some time to explaining microbes in my cooking courses.

Here are a couple of interesting facts I share in classes:
If every cell of our body were invisible, anybody would see you just by how much bacteria live on your skin.
Bacteria out number our cells 100 to 1.
90% of all bacteria on us reside in our gut.
Very few microbes are pathogenic compared to the types that are benign (even beneficial).
Soap works by washing away a layer of oil on our skin being cleaned. Skin oil is where microbes reside because there cell membranes are composed of fat.
In ideal conditions, bacteria double there population every 15 minutes.
Our immune system is our last natural line of defense against invading microbes. The bacterial layer on our skin protect their turf like street gangs, our stomach acids protect our guts then the microflora.
A bacteria's worst nightmare is a virus called bacteriophage not antibiotics.
Bacteria do not have sex but can share genetic information by <embracing> and apparently even across species (?!?).
Tooth decay, bad breath, arterial plaque, stomach ulcers, body odours have been linked to bacteria and can be <called infections>. 
Many hormonal function in our body can be linked to our microflora in our gut (i.e. insulin response, mood, growth).

Sorry to swamp you with details.... but I like to share....

Luc H


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

And we couldn't live very well without E Coli.

It is only mutant strains that are a danger.


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## lady dewinters (Jul 26, 2007)

I always use Antibacterial soap as I used to believe that it cleans your hands better and kills more bacteria then regular soap. This whole discussion has made me re-evaluate my position. Thanks for bringing this matter to everyone's attention.


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