Wondering if you’re falling for a company’s marketing ploy? Here are some extra tips Marketplace uncovered when we took a closer look at anti-bacterial soap.
• Regular soap cleans just as well as anti-bacterial soap. When washing hands scrub the front and back and inbetween fingers for 15-20 seconds to make sure they are really clean.
• Experts recommended avoiding antibacterial products because they kill good bacteria that fight bad germs, and because of concerns over bacterial resistance.
• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective to clean hands. These sanitizers must be at least 60 percent alcohol to effectively fight germs.
• There are three major chemicals used in antibacterial products — triclosan (often found in liquid soap), triclocarban (often found in bar soaps) and quaternary ammonium compounds. However, products with these chemicals aren’t always required to list ingredients, and triclosan can sometimes be referred to by a brand name, such as, Microban.
