• Question: Can bacteria grow on soap? ......... i am not sure ??

    Asked by nicenadia to Alessandro, Angela, Claudia, Marina, Phil on 9 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Alessandro Guazzi

      Alessandro Guazzi answered on 9 Mar 2013:

      Hello! The fast answer is that yes, bacteria can grow on soap – soap is not especially toxic to bacteria so there is no real reason bacteria could not grow on it! Cleaning your hands with soap works because of the physical action of actually removing the layers of oils and dirt to which the bacteria are attached, and soap helps get rid of these layers, rather than kill the bacteria.
      That said, it depends on the type of soap – some soaps nowadays contain alcohol or other chemicals that kill bacteria, so it might be harder to grow bacteria on these ones!

    • Photo: Marina De Vos

      Marina De Vos answered on 11 Mar 2013:

      Bacteria can grow on everything and everywhere, even in the most inhospitable places.
      But not all bacteria are bad. Humans rely on some of them to remain healthy while others cause sever illnesses.

Comments