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Real soap kills COVID-19

2K views 23 replies 13 participants last post by  Mukhang pera 
#1 ·
Are there any chemists among us? Can someone help me understand this?

It turns out that real "soap" is, chemically, a very specific thing which breaks apart oil and fat. Real soap actually kills the virus. Other things, like Dove bars, are not real soap.

The COVID-19 virus, like most viruses, is coated in fat / oil. Real soap is designed to grab onto the fats and break them apart, so it destroys the virus. A bit of scrubbing and you not only destroy the virus, but also wash it away.


Here's my question: when buying a product, like a liquid hand soap, or dishwashing detergent ... how can I evaluate whether it is a REAL soap? I obviously want the substances which can kill this virus.

I've been hand washing my cloth masks using Ivory dishwashing liquid. Is this a real soap? Will it kill the virus?

The above article says that sodium laureth sulfate is a common soap, and I see this in my liquid hand soaps. But my dishwashing liquid doesn't show ingredients. Does anyone know if dishwashing liquid, and laundry detergent, are real soaps?
 
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#3 ·
The one I have is "Ivory Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid" and I can't find an exact match for that product name at Proctor & Gamble's web site. I'm surprised it's so hard to find its ingredients, and even after googling around for a while, I can't find an ingredient list.

So no... I don't know what's in my dishwashing liquid. I might phone the number listed on the bottle to inquire. Various articles on the internet say that Ivory dishwashing liquid does contain sodium laureth sulfate, but these are unreliable sources like message forums.

The dish soap does tackle grease, which is the whole point of the diswashing liquid. Does that mean it's guaranteed to have the chemical properties which kill the virus?

Or if anyone knows, please share. What kind of soap or detergent should be used when cleaning masks, so that the viruses are killed by the chemical process described in the linked article?
 
#10 ·
All soap products work with the same principle as described on OP article: you have a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail with the particles interacting with the virus covering, disrupting it and exposing the interior to the environment. So, I'm not sure what you mean by "real" soap. They may use different chemicals, but the mechanism is the same.
 
#11 ·
Good news if they all do that. There are some chemical classifications, such as soap and detergent, and I don't know much about chemistry which is why I'm asking.

Regarding "kills" the virus. I want to emphasize again that this is not just a matter of breaking up dirt and grime and washing it off the hands (which is what I previously thought as well). Proper soap -- the stuff that breaks up fat/oil -- does appear to actually kill the virus by destroying the exterior. As @bgc_fan says.

Does laundry detergent do the same thing as well?
 
#13 ·
Ah, I didn't catch that was the difference that you were asking. My bad.

So there is a difference between soap and detergent: Simple Science | Difference Between Soap and Detergent

Detergent is what @Money172375 and @Beaver101 were referring to when talking about simply washing away dirt and grime. All detergent does is make the dirt easier to remove from surfaces, not necessarily treat it.

CDC has some guidelines on washing: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Personally, in absence of bleach, I would consider hand soap to be usable.

When it comes to laundry disinfection, I suspect it is the high heat rather than the detergent that is killing the virus.
 
#14 ·
The first line of defense against the virus is to get rid of the masks. Your immune system kills the virus. Though if your deprived of oxygen from wearing a mask your immune system does not work properly. Plus the virus accumulates on the inside of the mask making matters worse.
 
#15 ·
I am not a chemist. But my understanding is that hand washing will get rid of the viral particles. Whether they are inactivated or not is probably less important, since they would end up going down the drain with the soap and water. The soap will not sit on your hands once you rinse it, so there is likely minimal residual antiviral benefit. For the same reason antibacterial soaps are not superior to regular ones. If you would like to have an extra layer of protection, then applying alcohol or alcohol-based hand sanitizer after washing may do it. But good old hand washing still rules the day.
 
#16 ·
I am not a chemist, also. Thanks for mentioning "sodium laureth sulfate" - interesting. I can try to remember as many chemical names as I can. It is a common soap. Hopefully store clerks can know which soaps actually kill the virus. Thanks. I will try to look up more chemistry.

Good luck to people that failed chemistry class. It is really one of the hardest classes.
 
#19 ·
There's an academic paper from June 1, here which explores the virus-killing properties of various solutions of liquids that are pretty easy to make at home
Synergistic effects of anionic surfactants on coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) virucidal efficiency of sanitizing fluids to fight COVID-19

The scientists prepared various solutions of liquids, generally a mix of alcohol plus common hand soap or dish soap. They used SARS-CoV-2 viruses (COVID-19) for the tests and looked at how much virus was killed. The most effective cleaning solutions turned out to be:
  • 70% isopropyl alcohol, 3% liquid hand soap, 27% water
  • 70% ethanol, 3% dish soap, 27% water
  • 35% ethanol, 35% isopropyl, 3% dish soap, 3% glycerin (most awkward to make)
The above were more effective than just the alcohol on their own, which is interesting. The one highlighted in bold was the most effective at killing the virus and is very easy to make.

Basically it seems that adding a dab of liquid soap or dish soap to a standard alcohol results in a highly effective cleaner. The alcohol on its own is pretty good too, but it becomes even more effective with a little bit of soap.
 
#20 ·
The chemical concept of why soap helps one clean better then pure water is based on the idea that there are really two types of matter Organic and inorganic. Organic is your oils, gas, fats, etc., and inorganic is your water based materials like water, alcohol and salty stuff etc. As a rule organic dissolves organic and inorganic dissolves inorganic. The benefit of soap is it tends to dissolve both. Hence whatever you get on your hands and body, the soap is likely to dissolve and allow it to be removed by the rinsing water. That is why it works so well with dirt and grime and I suppose is why it works so well with a virus as well.

I have no idea what "unreal soap" is made of. I would have assumed it would have the ability to do the same thing with organic and inorganic scum but how it all works for a virus I would have no idea.
 
#21 ·
I have no idea what "unreal soap" is made of. I would have assumed it would have the ability to do the same thing with organic and inorganic scum but how it all works for a virus I would have no idea.
I admit I also have no idea what "unreal" soap is, but there are some things (like Dove bars) which apparently are not soap. Maybe that part doesn't matter.

In any case, one thing I've learned during this pandemic is that soap is a more magical chemical than I thought at first. There is something special about soap. It breaks down oily materials, dirt, grime, and helps wash it away (with water). The other part of the story which was totally new to me (and most people I think) is that soap actually weakens the protective layer surrounding a virus, resulting in destruction of the virus.

Apparently this power of soap extends to most viruses. What an amazing substance.

When soap comes in contact with the virus itself, it loosens the physical structure of the virus, and helps destroy it.
 
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