The coronavirus, named COVID-19, has spread to more than 95 countries so far, and the whole world is on maximum alert. Washing hands with soap and water regularly, is one of the main things recommended by WHO to avoid getting sick and prevent spreading coronavirus to others. Here we will take a look at how soap removes germs and dirt.
Soap and detergents act as surfactants, which are compounds with the ability to lower the water surface tension. They are made from long molecules that contain a head and a hydrocarbon chain tail. The head of the molecule is attracted to water (hydrophilic) and the tail is attracted to oil and dirt (lipophilic). This way, the oil and dirt are held in suspension and then removed by water.