Do We Overuse Antibacterial Products?

@lighth0se33 - You need a soap formulated to moisturize your hands. Sometimes, cleaning with regular soap is just as good as using an antibacterial one. Plus, you know that you are not helping the bacteria build up a resistance.

I use a liquid soap with a dispenser, which I push with the palm of my hand. The soap contains honey, a natural moisturizer. It is very gooey without being sticky, and my hands feel better after I have used it.

What also would help you is putting lotion on your hands after each time you wash them. This will keep your skin from cracking, and you won’t have to worry about bacteria entering through open wounds.

I want to try to stop using antibacterial soap. It’s like a mental addiction for me, but during the winter, it dries out my hands so much that they crack and bleed.

I wash my hands a lot because I spend lots of time cooking meat. Once I have touched raw chicken, I feel like I need to sanitize my hands. After reading this article, I now know that I can’t possibly wash my hands in hot enough water for long enough to remove all the bacteria.

I need advice. My hands hurt so bad from the cracking! What is a good kind of soap to use that will clean my hands without overdrying them?

I am guilty of using antibacterial soap. I don’t just use it at home, though. I carry it in my purse, along with a bottle of water to lather it and rinse it off with.

I keep this with me because I often have to go on long trips, and the bathrooms I stop at along the way sometimes don’t have soap available. Then, there are those that have soap, but the faucets aren’t automatic, so you have to touch the handles after you wash and get your hands dirty again. Also, some doors aren’t near the garbage can, so I can’t hold the door open with a paper towel and dispose of it while propping the door open with my foot.

I know that I have issues, but I just really hate touching germy places like bathroom doors and sink handles where people have just potentially touched feces and urine and then touched these surfaces. I will probably always carry the antibacterial soap with me, even if people say it’s counterproductive.

I used to use antibacterial products religiously. Then, a dog gave birth to ten puppies at my house, and they left dozens of piles of poop and pee all over my carport. I knew that no matter how well I thought I had cleaned the area, I would still end up tracking trace amounts of it into the house.

This experience helped me to come to grips with the fact that we are surrounded by bacteria every day, some good and some bad. We will never be able to fully rid ourselves of it, and sometimes, we will get sick from it, no matter how hard we try to avoid this.

@popcorn - Once you are an adult, your immune system is already developed. It is fine to take precautions to protect yourself. *But* if you feel like the products you use in your home are making you sick, why not try switching to natural cleaners like plain vinegar and water? It might be the chemicals that are making you sick.

@cupcake15 - Antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizers actually don't usually contain triclosan. The most common ingredient in hand sanitizer is rubbing alcohol, which fortunately is not a factor in antibiotic resistance. Use as much as you want! Just remember that most surfaces have to be left visibly wet and then given time to dry for these products to be effective.

It's also worth making the point that keeping an eye on bacteria is only one part of the game at preventing illness. Many common illnesses like cold and flu are actually caused by viruses, and it's not clear how effective hand sanitizers, etc. are against viruses (they do seem to help). Good handwashing and other basic hygiene practices are still your best bet there.

@Sneakers41 - Ever since I got on the antibacterial bandwagon I have notice a sharp decline in the amount of times my kids get sick. It was only until a few years ago that their school required bottles of sanitizer and antibacterial wipes which really reduced the amount of bacteria at the school.

I am hooked too, but I was watching a television program that talked about this very topic and the doctor said that you really have to be careful when you use a public phone or even the remote control in someone’s home because these are items that get frequent use and no one ever thinks of cleaning them with any antibacterial cleansers.

So I think that it is a good idea to wipe down surfaces that we use all of the time because if not who knows what illness we could get.

@Popcorn – I think that it is going to be hard to get people to reduce the amount of antibacterial soaps that they use. It gives people a sense of security that they did not have before which is why it will be hard to use less of it.

I always have to have an antibacterial bottle in my purse at all times. I have two small children and I feel better carrying around the antibacterial soap with me. I actually feel uncomfortable if I don’t have it.

I also buy a lot of household cleaning products that have the antibacterial label on them. I think that anything with the word antibacterial is going to get more attention from the average consumer which is why these products are more popular.

I have heard that overuse of these products is also harmful, but I think that it will be almost impossible for me to change my habits with respect to antibacterial soap.

@popcorn – You know, there is a good chance that you already have some of the best cleaning products that are completely natural in your home. Vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda have all been proven to clean well when used in the right concentrations.

Another one is household bleach, which while not natural per se , is actually considered to be one of the cheapest and best disinfectants out there.

For myself I use vinegar and baking soda for my kitchen and places that need a real scrubbing. The lemon juice with water is fantastic for getting glass clean. It also works really well on bathroom shower doors as it removes soap scum.

I've been worried that I have been over using antibacterial cleaning products because it seems like I keep getting sick. I am seriously wondering if I am making the problem worse instead of better. I always thought killing all the germs made for a better environment, but I guess that isn't entirely true.

Does anyone know of an natural antibacterial products or organic cleaning products that I could use to clean my home?

I am still a bit of a neat freak, but I don't want to start farming super bugs in my home. I just want to get things clean and genuinely stop the spread of bacteria.