Soap does not kill germs on our hands, it removes them.

Germs follow the oils and grease on our hands (sounds loathly, however it’s very normal). Water alone will not take away abundant of the germs on our hands as a result of water and oil don’t love one another, so that they will not combine. however soap likes each water and oil. that is as a result of soap molecules area unit a sort of chemical agent, which implies they need one finish that is water taken with, or deliquescent, and one finish that is oil taken with, or hydrophobic.

When you wash your hands with soap, the soap molecules act as a go-between between the water and oil molecules, and bind with each of them at constant time. Then once you rinse everything off, the soap carries away the germs with the water.

For the foremost effective hand laundry, you want to use soap and you want to be thorough. workout a lather as a result of the friction helps raise dirt and oils from your skin, in keeping with the Centers for illness management and interference (CDC). however long you must scrub depends on however dirty your hands area unit, however most health authorities suggest a minimum of twenty seconds, or as long because it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” double. and do not forget to scrape beneath your fingernails. That space is prime assets for germs.

Once you’ve got washed, take care to dry or towel-dry. there isn’t any agreed-upon best apply for drying, however wet hands area unit a lot of probably to unfold germs than dry ones, the authority says.