Bar soap hygiene – prejudice and truth.
Many people are asking right now: Is the bar of soap less hygienic than liquid soap?
Bar soap has experienced a real comeback in recent years. Why? It is about sustainability, waste avoidance and reducing plastic. Bar soaps are available in many variations and sizes—vegan, hand-cut, fragrance-free or pleasantly scented with lavender or roses. The advantages of bar soap are clear: it is economical and, compared with liquid soap, saves plastic packaging. Many bar soaps are sold in cardboard boxes, unpackaged or minimally wrapped in a paper band. At the moment many people wonder: Is the bar of soap as hygienic as liquid soap from a pump dispenser? After all, in a private household a bar of soap is handled by several dirty hands every day and its moist surface provides space for microbes.
Reassurance comes from the German Beratungszentrum für Hygiene (BZH) in Freiburg. The bar of soap is not more unhygienic in private households than a soap dispenser, reports Mr Ernst Tabori, director of the BZH. Here is the explanation. Indeed, microbes are present on the moist surface of the bar, but because the environment there is unfavorable, they do not survive long. What many do not know: microbes can accumulate in the pump mechanism of soap dispensers. With both types of soap—bar soap or liquid soap—we simply get rid of them by thoroughly rubbing the hands after lathering and rinsing under running water. For this reason, both bar soaps and soap dispensers are well suited for use in private households. Note: In public restrooms, the use of closed soap dispensers is recommended.
Bar soap hygiene Thus, in summary: It is not the type or form of soap that matters, but the correct application.
It is important that the hands are really thoroughly lathered and rinsed under running water. It is recommended to wash the hands for at least 20 seconds and then dry them well with a clean towel.