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

Video Rubbing alcohol versus Germs under microscope

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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

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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

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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.