Why is soap the best thing for killing coronavirus?

By Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd|2020-03-14T13:10:04-04:00March 14th, 2020|Coronavirus, Infectious Diseases|

‪Why does soap kill (inactivate) coronavirus. The weak point of the viral nanoparticle is the lipid bilayer. Soap is a detergent that dissolves the fatty membrane.

Hand sanitizer is fine – but good old soap and water works best. You need at least 60% alcohol in hand sanitizer to accomplish the same thing as just a little bit of soap. Plus – soap is cheaper and less likely to run out.

References

Thordarson. The science of soap – here’s how it kills the coronavirus. The Guardian, 2020.

About the Author: Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd

Brad Sobolewski, MD, MEd is a Professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and an Associate Director for the Pediatric Residency Training Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. He is on Twitter/X @PEMTweets, on Instagram @BradSobolewski, authors the Pediatric Emergency Medicine site PEMBlog and is the host and creator of PEM Currents: The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Podcast. All views are strictly my own and not official medical advice.