Living · 6 pages · 12 min
Why soap works on hands better than water alone
Soap surrounds oils that water cannot dissolve, and the rinse carries them off.
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From the opening
Soap works on hands better than water alone because soap molecules grab oils that plain water will not dissolve. Microbes and dirt stuck in that oily film are lifted into tiny droplets the rinse can carry away. The opening covers surfactant ends facing oil and water, micelles that rinse grease away, and why water leaves a slick film.
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Inside
- Surfactant ends facing oil and water
- Micelles that rinse grease away
- Why water leaves a slick film
- Friction in the creases and nails
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Soap micelles lifting hydrophobic soils
- Surfactant disruption of oily microbial films on skin