# Antibacterial Soap Dispensers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2000, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001 "2000-08-19T23:21:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2000, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001/1 "2000-08-19T23:21:48Z")
While at an office building I washed my hands in their restroom. The metal soap dispenser says “Not for antibacterial soap”. What’s the deal? Why can’t the dispenser handle that kind of soap? Is that office “Pro-bacteria”? If the antibacterial soap could damage the metal dispenser, what could it do to my hands? Anyone seen this before? Anyone know what’s up with this? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2000, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001/2 "2000-08-20T00:07:03Z")
A.) I don’t know the answer. B.) A search for “antibacterial soap dispensers” turned up several wholesale suppliers and lots of articles to the effect that your better off with plain old soap. Observations and WAG: You mentioned a metal dispenser, and I noticed that all the antibacterial soap dispensers I found are all-plastic. And yes, they _do_ make the distinction between soap dispensers and antibacterial soap dispensers, noting that their antibacterial models have antibacterial soap valves. I’m WAGing that antibacterial soaps may somehow corrode dispensers that are not made to handle them (non-neutral pH?). ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2000, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001/3 "2000-08-20T00:09:46Z")
> [@](#): > > …articles to the effect that your better off with plain old soap. Should I not be using Ant-bacterial bar soap in my shower??? ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2000, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001/4 "2000-08-20T01:16:42Z")
Should you not use anti-bacterial soap? Yes and no. Recently, there’s been some talk that anti-bacterial soap is more harmful than it is helpful because it kills **all** the bacteria on your hands (or wherever else you use it). This may be harmful because there is “good” bacteria on your body which has the potential to kill “bad” bacteria or any other foreign material. Now, I’m not sure where I stand on this issue. I mean, the moment you touch something after you wash your hands, bacteria will be on your hands again, so I guess using the anti-bacterial soap isn’t too harmful, but who knows… ---
**Author:** ![eyor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@eyor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eyor)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2000, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001/5 "2000-08-20T01:20:16Z")
I’ve also heard that it can be bad because people use it to create semi-sterile environments. Then when something does happen your immune system has no experience in fighting stuff. just like the more you excersize, the larger your muscles get, the easier it is to excersize ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2000, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001/6 "2000-08-20T05:15:02Z")
We’ve been down this road before: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=27622](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=27622) ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2000, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antibacterial-soap-dispensers/30001/7 "2000-08-20T14:57:35Z")
And didn’t arrive at a definitive answer on that excursion.