# Antiseptic v Non-Antiseptic Cleaners.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiseptic-v-non-antiseptic-cleaners/488224>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 4, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiseptic-v-non-antiseptic-cleaners/488224 "2009-03-04T01:37:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiseptic-v-non-antiseptic-cleaners/488224/1 "2009-03-04T01:37:07Z")

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On tv, I’ve noticed, and other places too I’m sure, antiseptic/antibacterial cleaners want you to think there is a big difference between their product and non-antiseptic cleaners. But is this true? I know I’ve heard that using non-antibacterial hand soap is just as good an antibacterial soap. Simply put, to wash is better than to not wash at all. But does this hold true for, say, a floor cleaner too? Or will a non-antiseptic floor cleaner just spread around the germs, like they claim?

Thank you in advance to all who reply:)

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiseptic-v-non-antiseptic-cleaners/488224/2 "2009-03-04T02:48:33Z")

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Unless you’re cleaning a hospital, there’s no point in using antibacterial cleaners. Regular ones work just fine. Think about it - how many people do you know who have died from floor-acquired bacterial infections?

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antiseptic-v-non-antiseptic-cleaners/488224/3 "2009-03-04T05:23:13Z")

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Nearly all detergents are alkaline, and just that alkalinity is a hostile environment for bacterial life. All hand soap kills germs, and non-germicidal soaps get your hands as germ-reduced as germicidal ones.

You wrote, “But does this hold true for, say, a floor cleaner too? Or will a non-antiseptic floor cleaner just spread around the germs, like they claim?” The answer is somewhere in the middle. A regular floor cleaner will kill a lot of germs, with its alkalinity, so it’s not just “spreading the germs around.”

However, floor cleaners are in a different category of germ-killing. They’re called disinfectants, regulated by tougher rules. They have to kill everything (actually the standard is 99.9%.) In my house, I use dilutions of the same cleaner (Lysol Disinfecting Cleaner) for many tasks; bathrooms, kitchen counters, sinks, and hard floors. It’s not that I need to disinfect the floors, but why should I keep a separate detergent just for the floors?