We have all been advised during the coronavirus outbreak to wash our hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water.” Why does soap work so well on the new coronavirus and most other viruses? Marcus Kaul, an associate professor of biomedical sciences at the School of Medicine at the University of California,...

If you've been following the news (or just visited a grocery store in the U.S.), you're probably aware that with the coronavirus outbreak, hand sanitizer has gotten very hard to find. However, soap still seems to be in good supply. Yet, to keep yourself safe from this virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends hand-washing first – and using hand sanitizer only as a backup if you can't wash your hands. "Proper hand-washing is the safest, most efficacious, least expensive and readily available method...

Scientists are rushing to find effective treatments and vaccines for the COVID-19 infections sweeping the globe. Meanwhile, social distancing and hygiene are the best defense. Emory University chemist Bill Wuest — who researches disinfectants — recently appeared on The Weather Channel to explain how washing your hands with plain soap and water can destroy the coronavirus that causes the infections, to help minimize its spread. “There are so many unknowns about this pandemic that are driving fear and leading to irrational actions,...

As the threat from the coronavirus grows, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health officials are stressing the importance of hand-washing. Prevention becomes essential to stopping the spread of the virusbecause there is no vaccine to prevent it and no anti-virals to treat it. How can such a simple, low-tech solution make a difference? Remember—coronavirus spreads easily by droplets from breathing, coughing and sneezing. As our hands touch many surfaces, they can pick up microbes, including viruses. Then by touching...

Scientists say that even with the best and most expensive research available, a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is at least a year away. Scientists also say that the worst enemy of the virus is that cheap soap by your sink.  That’s because of simple chemistry. In soap lather, a combination of molecules assemble into bubble-like structures called micelles that trap viral matter and other biomaterials—grease, oil, dirt—and rinse them down the drain. The soaps we use contain a...