Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: Kim on 06/07/2008 16:16:44

Title: Is soap self-cleaning?
Post by: Kim on 06/07/2008 16:16:44

Kim asked the Naked Scientists:

If I have very dirty hands (oily or greasy) and I wash them with a bar of soap, the dirt gets stuck on the soap. Should I try and clean my soap off this dirt?

Is my soap now infested with germs?

Thank you! I'm in Melbourne, Australia, and I listen to your podcast (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/) at work. It's always fascinating!

What do you think?

Title: Is soap self-cleaning?
Post by: Madidus_Scientia on 07/07/2008 08:25:41

I wouldn't worry about it. A soap molecule works by attaching one end of itself to an oil particle, and the other end to a water molecule. This helps the water to lift oil/fat/grease off things, and will also tear apart most bacteria, since their cell membrane is made up of fatty lipids.