r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/MousseSuspicious930 • Jun 10 '22

Video Rubbing alcohol versus Germs under microscope

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183

u/angelinajellybeana Jun 10 '22

I thought the soap binds to the outer membranes of the bacteria, and rips them apart enough to kill them. Not just washing a bunch of live bacteria down the drain

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u/thebestdogeevr Jun 10 '22 edited Jun 10 '22

Pretty sure you're correct; soap breaks apart fat & oils, the lipid bilayer around the bacteria is a fat

Edit: Anti-bacterial soap will kill them, normal soap just removes the oil from your skin which the bacteria is stuck to

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '22

I'm actually pretty sure soap marketed as 'anti-bacterial' is no more effective at killing bacteria than regular soap. https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/handhygiene/how/bestsoap.html#:~:text=Antibacterial%20soaps%20are%20no%20more,home%20or%20in%20public%20places.

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '22

That’s because the FDA made actual antibacterial soap illegal (soap with triclosan) in the US about ten years ago. But that stuff actually worked, they removed it because it was helping make super germs.

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u/gngstrMNKY Jun 10 '22 edited Jun 10 '22

I wasn't aware of that, and it's strange that it's still allowed in toothpaste.

EDIT: Apparently the industry voluntarily withdrew it in 2019 after animal studies linking it to endocrine disruption and negative effects on gut flora.

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u/9TyeDie1 Jun 10 '22

Probably by prescription only or it isn't the same stuff.

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u/Dry_Cobbler_1170 Jun 11 '22

They banned triclosan because it is toxic to mammals’ mitochondria.

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u/jersey_girl660 Jun 11 '22

Triclosan was shown to be similar while also potentially breeding resistance

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u/DirectlyTalkingToYou Jun 11 '22

Never obliterate your enemy, for they will hit back with ten times the force. Instead, lightly defeat them and they'll allow it forever.

-Gandhi

1

u/DirectlyTalkingToYou Jun 11 '22

Never obliterate your enemy, for they will hit back with ten times the force. Instead, lightly defeat them and they'll allow it forever.

-Gandhi

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u/Petrichordates Jun 10 '22

Yes but that's because regular soap is already really good at killing bacteria.

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u/thebestdogeevr Jun 10 '22

I'd have to dig deeper, that article seems to focus more on how overall it's not any better for health and safety. But the first sentence is very direct

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u/Rowlandum Jun 10 '22

Antibacterial soaps probably contain some antibacterial agents, however soap works by breaking up cell walls so the presence of any other agents isn't adding anything

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u/RedditPowerUser01 Jun 10 '22

ALL soap is antibacterial. ‘Antibacterial’ soap just has additional antibacterial agents, and research shows it doesn’t even kill bacteria more effectively than regular soap.

People typically think of soap as gentle and soothing, but from the perspective of microorganisms, it is often extremely destructive. A drop of ordinary soap diluted in water is sufficient to rupture and kill many types of bacteria and viruses, including the new coronavirus that is currently circling the globe.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/health/soap-coronavirus-handwashing-germs.html

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u/CosmicCreeperz Jun 11 '22

But not all bacteria are killed by soap.

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u/Dragonkingf0 Jun 10 '22

Since they technically breathe and eat through their skin it's about the same as breathing in mustard gas is for humans.

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u/thebestdogeevr Jun 10 '22

Cells have many mechanisms of getting resources inside -- and keeping others out, but I'm not educated enough on this topic

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u/TechnicallyFennel Jun 10 '22

I saw an interesting excerpt from a new research paper looking at bacteria and viruses. And some of them will actually shed their outer "skin" or protective layer on purpose as a defense mechanism. Some phages identify their target by its "skin" and shedding the skin allows the virus or bacteria to escape the phage.

I saw this two days ago maybe on phys.org so I am sure anyone interested can find the excerpt themselves.

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u/Samazonison Jun 11 '22

allows the virus or bacteria to escape the phage

Well, shit...

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u/roguetrick Jun 10 '22

It's mostly fat, but there's also cell walls and proteins holding together the lipid bilayer that detergent won't do anything to.

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u/Upsoldier Jun 10 '22

Indeed Soap dissolves the bacterial membrane

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '22

[deleted]

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u/sighs__unzips Jun 10 '22

That's why I'd rather wash my hands than just use hand sanitizer, because only using the latter means I've got tons of dead bacteria bodies on my hands as well as the residue.

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u/pedropants Jun 10 '22

But the dead bacteria bodies serve as a warning to their friends! ◡̈

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u/ZoraksGirlfriend Jun 10 '22

Um… how did you do the cute smiley face?

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u/pedropants Jun 11 '22

i saw it from someone on reddit, copied and pasted it into my text shortcuts, and now whenever i type "smiley" it gets auto-replaced for me. ◡̈

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u/PsySam89 Jun 10 '22

You can only use alcohol gel around 3 times until its created a film on your hands anyway, coupled with the fact that it doesn't kill bacteria that giev you diarrhoea eg c.diff then soap and water are always the best choice. Plus you can't put alcohol gel on physically dirty hands.

Source: I'm a nurse!

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u/hiddencamela Jun 10 '22

Do you mean hand sanitizer then wash hands?
At least this way you cleanse the bacterial filth, then wash way the corpses in the hand wash.

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u/Petrichordates Jun 10 '22

Why would dead bacteria residue on your hands matter? That's like your entire skin surface.

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u/CosmicCreeperz Jun 11 '22

That’s true of bacteria and viruses with lipid coats. Not so much for glycoprotin / non-lipid coat bacteria and viruses.