Thread: Bar Soap and Germs

The title is for bar soaps but I read PUCKs.

The article basically says if you are in good health you have nothing to fear. But, to be on the safe side, rinsing your puck before lathering would not hurt.

Does Bar Soap Really Hold Onto Germs?

I keep mine in a Pyrex after it has dried about 5 hours later.

John
Do you mean a sealed Pyrex dish or an open top Pyrex dish like a mug?

This brings up a good question. I salvage unused lather and put it back in the bowl, container, cup, whatever the soap stays in. Some are sealed (TOBS, MDC, etc) and some are open to the air.

I did not think creams were to be left exposed to the air. OTOH, some of my pucks stay in closed containers. Now, I am not sure about salvaging unused lather. It might not be a good thing but I have never had a problem.

I have always been of the belief that this whole germ thing is vastly overexaggerated. Particularly with people in good health. Our immune systems need to be exposed to germs so that they can make antibodies.

OTOH, you'll never catch me on a cruise boat!

I always thought soap was self cleaning, sort of like our cat.

I am not afraid of germs. I have never really worried about any on my soap. I however don't shave my bar soap with three or four thousand of my closest friends. For the average person their bar soap does not get much exposure to many people. I don't think I have ever thought, I must have caught something from that soap. I would expect that most of us are healthy enough it should not bother us. If you just got out of open heart surgery than you might want to be a little more careful, or going through Chemo or radiation. I think many people over think these things.

I seem to recall this coming up once or twice before. No way I'm going to wash my soap own soap. That being said, I avoid public bar soap like the plague.

I am totally with dinnermint on this.
To many people, my wife included, are all about carrying sanitizer and over using these things. Hence our creation of super bugs.....

Originally Posted by dinnermint

I have always been of the belief that this whole germ thing is vastly overexaggerated. Particularly with people in good health. Our immune systems need to be exposed to germs so that they can make antibodies.

+1, I haven't worried very much about this.

Originally Posted by rolodave

John
Do you mean a sealed Pyrex dish or an open top Pyrex dish like a mug?

This brings up a good question. I salvage unused lather and put it back in the bowl, container, cup, whatever the soap stays in. Some are sealed (TOBS, MDC, etc) and some are open to the air.

I did not think creams were to be left exposed to the air. OTOH, some of my pucks stay in closed containers. Now, I am not sure about salvaging unused lather. It might not be a good thing but I have never had a problem.

My dishes have lids. I rinse out the extra soap & leave the lid halfway on for 4 or 6 hours, sometimes I forget & its still off the next day. Then I put the lid fully on until the next shave. I never use the same soap/cream two days in a row. I rotate a different cream/soap every shave.