by Katie Mcgreal

Created on: July 07, 2010

There are many myths and theories about the use of bars of soap. Many believe that because we use it to clean our hands and bodies it is self-cleaning and therefore does not have any bacteria on it. This is not true. Soap is not self-cleaning, in any form! But don’t worry there is very little clinical evidence against what could effectively could be called ‘dirty soap’. According to a number of tests done in the 1980s it is true that soap can become contaminated with micro-organisms but there are no clear studies to prove that this bacteria can be transferred via use.

The most famous studies done on this was done in 1965, and then again in 1988. It is unclear however if the results may have been tainted due to conflicts of interests. In both cases the researchers covered bars of soap with e-coli bacteria which were then given to the test subjects for use in the bathroom. Both results came back negative to transfer of bacteria. No transfer was recorded. However, as mentioned above, these results may have been altered due to the fact that one test was done by Procter and Gamble who, according to Wikipedia are producers of Aerial, the laundry detergent, Lenor, the fabric softener, Pantene, the haircare product brand and other such products like toothpaste and razors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procter_%26_Gamble). The other test was then done by the Dial Corp, who are also known as Henkel. According to their website they are producers of Detergents, household cleaners as well as air fresheners and beauty products (http://www.henkelna.com/dial-6702.htm). BUT there is no evidence against these studies (http://www.slate.com/id/2156843 ) and furthermore no further tests have been done on soap and it’s cleanliness.

Any bacteria that is on a bar of soap when you pick it up to wash your hands would be washed off as you wash your hands. This means that the use of liquid soap in a public bathroom has the same effect as the use of a bar of soap. As with the bar of soap any bacteria already in the liquid soap will be washed away with the water as you rinse your hands. The container in which the soap is stored is also covered in bacteria, but this also is not a problem as you will simply wash it away with the bacteria from your hands and the soap.

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