I’ll admit it. For certain spots around the house, I like using bar soap. I know, liquid hand soaps and body washes are more popular: They’re easier and less messy to use and I often recommend them in my Good Housekeeping columns as a quick way to keep kitchen and bathroom areas clean. But at our kitchen sink and in the shower, it’s bar soap for me and my hubby. We just prefer it.  Because Yours Truly seems to be the only one in...

I’ll admit it. For certain spots around the house, I like using bar soap. I know, liquid hand soaps and body washes are more popular: They’re easier and less messy to use and I often recommend them in my Good Housekeeping columns as a quick way to keep kitchen and bathroom areas clean. But at our kitchen sink and in the shower, it’s bar soap for me and my hubby. We just prefer it.  Because Yours Truly seems to be the only one in...

At the molecular level, soap breaks things apart. At the level of society, it helps hold everything together. It probably began with an accident thousands of years ago. According to one legend, rain washed the fat and ash from frequent animal sacrifices into a nearby river, where they formed a lather with a remarkable ability to clean skin and clothes. Perhaps the inspiration had a vegetal origin in the frothy solutions produced by boiling or mashing certain plants. However it...

We’re all living by the same set of rules right now: Stay home. Don’t touch your face. And perhaps most importantly, wash your hands. While I recommend using any soap you can get your hands on, I also have to say I’m a recent convert to bar soap and would like to tout its efficacy and long-lasting-ness. I’d also like to reassure you that studies have found bar soap, even when shared, is unlikely to transmit infection (see this NY Times piece)....

PSA (Public Squatch Announcement) Washing your hands with soap and water (for at least 20 seconds) has consistently been proven to be the best preventative measure for avoiding illnesses caused by viruses such as the common cold (Rhinovirus), the flu (Influenza), and COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Everyone knows that you should wash your hands with soap, but most people don’t know exactly how soap works or what to use for the best germ protection soap.  It’s time to get informed, people – so...