Soap, by the power of surface tension, breaks open some bacteria. Does it also deactivate viruses?
The answer we’ve found says yes, soap can effectively deactivate viruses, including the coronavirus. Soap works by disrupting the lipid (fatty) envelope that surrounds the virus, leading to its deactivation. The following sources were given to are supposed to confirm and further explain this process:
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
According to the CDC, washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is one of the most effective measures to prevent the spread of viruses. Soap dissolves the lipid membrane of the virus, making it inactive and no longer able to infect individuals.
(Source: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-handwashing.html)
The page at the above address does NOT say that soap dissolves the lipid membrane of the virus, at least not at this time. In fact, the word virus is not even on that page. For our mission, this citation is a fail.
2. National Geographic:
A National Geographic article explains that soap molecules are amphiphiles, which means they have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and lipophilic (fat-attracting) properties. The lipophilic tails of the soap molecules can disrupt the lipid envelope of the virus.
(Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/why-soap-preferable-bleach-fighting-against-coronavirus/)
This is not a working link, at this time.
3. New York Times:
The New York Times published an article discussing how soap destroys the coronavirus. It explains that soap molecules act like crowbars, breaking apart the fatty acid chains in the virus envelope and rendering it harmless.
(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/health/soap-coronavirus-handwashing-germs.html)
This link has the information, probably, at least it seemed to in the few seconds before it barfed up a paywall.
Here is what appears to be the same article at Yale:
Some bacteria and viruses have lipid membranes that resemble double-layered micelles with two bands of hydrophobic tails sandwiched between two rings of hydrophilic heads. These membranes are studded with important proteins that allow viruses to infect cells and perform vital tasks that keep bacteria alive. Pathogens wrapped in lipid membranes include coronaviruses, H.I.V., the viruses that cause hepatitis B and C, herpes, Ebola, Zika, dengue, and numerous bacteria that attack the intestines and respiratory tract.
When you wash your hands with soap and water, you surround any microorganisms on your skin with soap molecules. The hydrophobic tails of the free-floating soap molecules attempt to evade water; in the process, they wedge themselves into the lipid envelopes of certain microbes and viruses, prying them apart.
“They act like crowbars and destabilize the whole system,” said Prof. Pall Thordarson, acting head of chemistry at the University of New South Wales. Essential proteins spill from the ruptured membranes into the surrounding water, killing the bacteria and rendering the viruses useless.
In tandem, some soap molecules disrupt the chemical bonds that allow bacteria, viruses and grime to stick to surfaces, lifting them off the skin. Micelles can also form around particles of dirt and fragments of viruses and bacteria, suspending them in floating cages. When you rinse your hands, all the microorganisms that have been damaged, trapped and killed by soap molecules are washed away. {Yale}
This is interesting and useful to know because if two people share the same soapy water, this means it is less likely that they will be able to pass the virus between them with soap both encapsulating and deactivating it.
Note that while soap is effective in deactivating viruses, handwashing should still be done for a sufficient duration (at least 20 seconds) and proper technique to ensure thorough cleaning.
