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How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

pfizer.com

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Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#51

Post by autoexec »

mholt wrote: post #5

I'm a huge advocate for washing with soap and water, but this gave me pause: > washing your hands with soap and water is one of the most effective ways people can keep from getting sick, and from passing the [COVID-19] virus to others So not to doubt handwashing, but I thought we overwhelmingly determined that COVID-19 doesn't thrive on surfaces (very long) and its primary transmission vector is through the air, from…

> but I thought we overwhelmingly determined that COVID-19 doesn't thrive on surfaces (very long) and its primary transmission vector is through the air,

It can last from hours to days depending on what it lands on and the environmental conditions like light/heat/humidity. (for example see https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5...) Viral RNA can still be detected on surfaces for much much longer but that doesn't mean it's going to be getting anyone sick.

You're right that the primary transmission vector is through the air, and that the risk of getting it by other means is much lower but since people often cough and sneeze directly into their hands then wipe their wet (maybe virus filled) hands on things around them it's probably a good idea to keep washing your hands. In fact, it's probably a good idea to wash our hands more often even without Covid concerns. People are gross and spend a surprising amount of time rubbing their eyes or inserting fingers directly into their nostrils.

> “I want to be clear that nothing should change in terms of washing our hands and personal hygiene,”...In a piece for the Conversation, Vally said: “This isn’t to say surface transmission isn’t possible and that it doesn’t pose a risk in certain situations, or that we should disregard it completely. But, we should acknowledge the threat surface transmission poses is relatively small.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/28/clean...

Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#52

Post by nyanpasu64 »

NegativeLatency wrote: post #37
ProjectArcturis wrote: post #4

I understand soap molecules having polar and nonpolar ends, so that it can help nonpolar things dissolve in water. What I've never understood is, why doesn't soap clean off pine sap?

It does just not very well. Maybe the pine sap is more interested in being stuck to pine sap than soap? There are things that are much better at cleaning non polar molecules off of surfaces, alcohols, gasoline, lye, brake cleaner etc, but they’re not great at cleaning your hands because they strip the lipids that make up your skin off.

Ironically I've found that lotion is better at cleaning resins/flux off my hands than soap alone.

Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#53

Post by ska »

e12e wrote: post #33
sand500 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is great for when the contaminant is oil soluble but not water soluble.

Guessing inside (white side) of orange peel will work too (the oils are used to make various cleaning products).

IIRC This is why "goo gone" product is really good with many adhesives.

Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#54

Post by burnte »

ska wrote: post #53
e12e wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Guessing inside (white side) of orange peel will work too (the oils are used to make various cleaning products).

IIRC This is why "goo gone" product is really good with many adhesives.

That's my favorite adhesive remover. And it cleans up well afterwards with Dawn soap and water.

Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#55

Post by skeeter2020 »

redder23 wrote: post #35

Why post a article on how soap works from the fucking Pfizer website. Fucking disgusting. The are like 1000 different better sources that not advertise for big Pharma scams while explaining how soap works.

but tell us how you really feel...

Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#56

Post by washadjeffmad »

jawns wrote: post #10

This is probably the stupidest question many of you will encounter today, but: If soap has an extraordinary ability to destroy viruses on our skin ... can eating soap give us some of those benefits for viruses that are already in our bodies? I'm not seriously envisioning chowing down on bar soap or using liquid hand soap as a salad dressing. But are there ways to use the _properties_ of soap that make it good for kil…

I feel like the more important takeaway is that soap makes water a better solvent for washing and hygiene, not necessarily that soap destroys viruses. Also, water that cells can't keep in or out or that sticks to the wrong things can't be used!

Manually washing your hands with regular water eventually has the same degree of efficacy as with soapy water, it just takes a lot longer, so why don't more people conclude that they just need to drink more water to flush the viruses out when they're sick? Why should it be the soap plus the water that makes it magic?

By and large, you want to prevent the contamination that leads to viral infections by keeping the parts of you (or others) that interact with the environment away from the parts of you (or others) that viruses enter through. Because we can't do that all day, every day, we try to lower the odds of anything that might've gotten on us staying on us intact, and soapy water applied and rinsed at a sink is a pretty good way to do that.

Once the viruses are inside us, they're in the cells, and soapy water doesn't have the right properties that our cells and tissues need to maintain an environment that allows them function, largely for the same reasons it's good for cleaning. The biology of life relies on these properties universally, which is why we can't drink salt water or water that's "too pure" like deionized water; one takes water out of our cells, and other puts too much in.

Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#58

Post by [deleted] »

nyanpasu64 wrote: post #52
NegativeLatency wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does just not very well. Maybe the pine sap is more interested in being stuck to pine sap than soap? There are things that are much better at cleaning non polar molecules off of surfaces, alcohols, gasoline, lye, brake cleaner etc, but they’re not great at cleaning your hands because they strip the lipids that make up your skin off.

Ironically I've found that lotion is better at cleaning resins/flux off my hands than soap alone.

[deleted]

Re: How Soap Works: The Science Behind Handwashing

#59

Post by redder23 »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #55
redder23 wrote: post #35

Why post a article on how soap works from the fucking Pfizer website. Fucking disgusting. The are like 1000 different better sources that not advertise for big Pharma scams while explaining how soap works.

but tell us how you really feel...

Well you tell us how you took the 6th booster after you knew several people who died right after getting the vaxx, but I am sure it was Something Else TM.
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