Mind Reading: Can We Protect Ourselves from the ‘Superbug’ MRSA? – TIME Healthland.
But they can never become resistant to soap or alcohol. Why? Soap doesn't actually kill bacteria. What it does through different chemical reactions is lift bacteria and other debris off our skin. It has to do with negatively and positively charged ions. Friction moves them around and rinsing washes them off. What alcohol does, it's not like an antibiotic. It's like hitting them over the head with a sledgehammer. It bursts the membranes. You can't become resistant to sledgehammers. Does the need for friction mean that paper towels are better than hand driers? The problem with hand driers is that they often don't get your hands really dry. If moisture remains on your hands, that's a more friendly environment than dry skin. A towel or paper towel really gets hands dry and gives more friction. A really hot hand drier might work.
