1. Why it’s good to wash your hands
with soap while the coronavirus is
around.
By Alannah Evans.
2. Many of us Know that to stop the spread of
coronavirus you need to wash your hands. But do
you know the science behind it? This slide show will
show you the science behind using soap when you
wash your hands.
3. How soap helps destroy the virus.
A virus is a bit of material surrounded by fats and proteins. Viruses easily stick to places like your
hands but if you rinse your hands with just water the virus stays put. This is because the virus acts
like a drop of oil. If you put oil in a glass of water the oil floats to the top, but if you add a drop of
soap the oil mixes with the water. This happens because in the soap there are two sided molecules one
end is attracted to water the other is attracted to fat. When the soap comes in contact with the virus
( or oil for that matter) it sticks to them then pulls it apart destroying it in the process then the
water washes the leftover bits of virus down the drain. It takes twenty seconds for this process to
work. So while washing your hands try singing happy birthday twice. Hand sanitiser works too because
the alcohol in it works in a similar way to the soap molecules. But you need a high percentage of alcohol
for it to work sixty percent to be exact. Even if it has sixty percent alcohol it is better to use soap.
Any old soap will work it doesn’t need to be antibacterial.
Soap
molecule
Attracted
to water
Attracted
to fat
