Anti Bacterial or Good Old Fashion Soap?

It is hard to remeber what life was like before we had hand sanitizers and anti bacterial soaps. I mean how did we survive this long without them? These sanitizers and soaps often contain triclosan and other bacteria busting ingredients. This is a good thing, right? Well, yes and no. We need to be exposed to bacteria so our bodies can build up immunity towards them. This hyperexpansion of anti bacterial products overtime will over expose you to antibiotics, and guess what... when you do get a bug or virus the antibiotics you take will have very little effect on you.

The American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both say that you don't need antibacterial soaps to stay safe and clean in the home. Instead, wash your hands in hot soapy water for 20 to 30 seconds and scrub surfaces regularly. You can use common household items such as vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice to clean and kill bacteria.

Don't let me fool you; I do carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer for emergency use only.  I use it for extremely unsanitary conditions like planes and public transit. Otherwise, good old soap and water should do the trick!