Looking for health + wellness advice?

Trying To Avoid Germs? Regular Soap and Water Will Get the Job Done

Ordinary soap and water or an alcohol-based sanitizer can do the job

We wash our hands a lot.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

Actually, that might be an understatement after a year of hand soap shortages.

With the constant reminders to wash and sanitize your hands, you’ve probably been stocking up on antibacterial soap because the name suggests that it offers extra protection against germs. However, you might be surprised to find out that this kind of soap doesn’t truly offer additional protection against germs. What’s worse it that some of the ingredients in antibacterial soaps can actually do more harm than good.

In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule regarding the sale of soaps that contain certain antibacterial chemicals. Since manufacturers had failed to prove that the ingredients in these soaps were safe to use long-term or more effective than soap and water, over-the-counter (OTC) consumer antiseptic wash products containing certain active ingredients could no longer be marketed.

The FDA’s action involved 19 chemicals that are ingredients in about 40 percent of soaps, including liquid hand soap and bar soap. The most common of these chemicals are triclosan, which is used mostly in liquid soap, and triclocarban, an ingredient  in bar soaps.

This rule did not affect consumer hand sanitizers, wipes or antibacterial products used in healthcare settings.