Question

Please help! Microbiology question:

Will normal soap kill microbes? Why or why not? Will detergent kill microbe? Why or why not

Answer 1

• Yes normal soap kills microbes. Normal Soap destroys the integrity of cell membranes, which consist of a lipid bilayer of polarized molecules. Regular soap kills bacteria, fungi, protists (such as single-celled amoeba). Regular soap is not expected to kill viruses because a virus is not a cell with cell membrane instead, they are obligate intracellular parasites which must infect a host which is a cell, or has cells.

• Detergents aren't very toxic to microbes, they can mostly survive it. Detergents are primarily used to remove fats and oils from surfaces that would otherwise provide a growth medium for microbes. To kill microbes effectively using detergents people use hot water.