How does soap work?

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Does soap kill germs? Does soap fight bacteria? Why does every expert promote soap as the mother of all solutions to fight Covid-19? How does soap work? Well, we know that germs, all the bad and the good, cling to our body because of our natural oils. (see previous blog “What is dirty?”) They all have to go. (for now) so in order to remove these unwanted hand guests, we have to pull them away, along with the oil. Water alone doesn’t work. Water and Oil don’t like each other. Try to mix a cup of water with a cup of vegetable oil by shaking it and you’ll see what I mean. They firmly, determinedly, resolutely, stay separate. Like a sister and brother with only one cookie left in the jar there is no compromise, without some help. Enter Soap. When you think of soap you think of bubbles. All those long balloon-like soap molecules (see previous blog “What is Soap?”) combine to make them. The outer surface of the bubble is water-friendly (the heads) and is the midigating tool that allows soap to float in water (not separate to the bottom like oil). The inside of the bubble is oil-friendly (the tails) allowing oil, along with the dirt and germs, to happily hitch a ride. When soapy hands are rubbed together, the friction causes the bubbles to break up the oils that the germs are stuck to and be surrounded by the soap bubbles. When you apply water to the slurry of soap prisons, the germs are washed away and your hands are germ, virus, dirt, and bacteria free. So you see, soap doesn’t kill the bad guys but imprisons them and with the help of water, removes them from the scene of the crime. (I’ve been watching a lot of crime tv) Plain soap, nothing special but absolutely essential. So How do you make soap? Well lets find out next time on microBLOG.

Thanks for tuning into my little blog project. I really appreciate all of you.

If you are in need of some soap, please feel free to check out our selection of handmade, small batch soap products with hand blended fragrances:

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