Antibacterial Hand Soap: Is it Necessary?

There is bacteria in dirt, or so I have been told. But is it really necessary to force my children to wash their hands with antibacterial hand soap after they play? How about before they eat? Is my home really that dirty?

Antibacterial hand soap. I always thought that regular soap was good enough to wash with. That leads me to one question, if regular hand soap does not do the job, then why do we continue to clean ourselves with it?

Antibacterial body wash. I thought that our bodies were home to "good" bacteria, which I have been informed is suppose to take care of the "bad" bacteria in which my body comes into contact with. So why does my body wash have to be antibacterial? I draw up a picture in my mind of a field (my skin) that is filled with an army (my "good" bacteria). I see a scene unfold of a great battle between the good and the bad bacteria. However, when the good army is killed off, and the bad come again, who will be there ready to fight them off? Not the antibacterial body wash. No, it will only do me good at shower time. So I ask myself, is washing away my protectors really the safest thing for me to do?

Antibacterial dish soap. Really? I don't know about you, but I remember as a child my mother never used a dish soap with an antibacterial agent in it, and we were just fine. We never contracted any bacterial infections from it, no food poisoning either. The dishes were safe enough to eat and drink from. Our dish soap had served it's purpose; our dishes were clean.

Antibacterial foot scrub, wash, and spray. What about my shoes? How about my socks? Is there no antibacterial help there? My feet come into contact with a lot of things throughout the day. So where are my shoes whose rubber sole have an antibacterial agent in them? I have found socks made of a specific kind of cotton weave that allow your feet to "breath" better, thus reducing an environment that encourages bacterial growth. Again, they do not contain an antibacterial agent. Without all day protection, what good does once or twice a day of applying and antibacterial agent really do me?

Antibacterial hand sanitizer provides a periodical fighting against bacteria during the day. With all those antibacterial hygiene products on the shelves at our supermarkets today, it is hard for one to decide which product is the best option for their home. Now-a-days schools use such precautions as antibacterial hand sanitizer and hand soap in hopes of providing a cleaner, safer environment for our children. They especially grab for the antibacterial defense items during the cold and flue seasons. Isn't the flue a virus? If so, then what good does an agent that fights bacteria do when the flue's nature is a viral infection and not a bacterial one?

Are antibacterial agents a necessary? My doctor thinks that during the cold and flue seasons they are. The school says they matter. In certain workplaces such as the doctors office, the hospitals and nursing homes where such antibacterial agents are almost a must, not only for the patient, but for the caregivers too. Although the current trend in antibacterial agents in homes is sweeping across America, with it's necessity undetermined, one thing is for sure, they serve their purpose in giving people peace of mind.