# MRSA and antiperspirants **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163 "2018-06-15T17:59:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/1 "2018-06-15T17:59:42Z")
So my son and wife were recently diagnosed with MRSA and so my wife has been trying to eliminate anything in the house that could possibly have MRSA on it. She read that it likes to live in armpits so she threw out my antiperspirant. My question is can anything live on antiperspirant? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/2 "2018-06-15T18:21:58Z")
Well, I’ll be buying new deorderant. I am such a germaphobe. Aaacckk! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/3 "2018-06-15T18:52:01Z")
It’s not just the antiperspirant. There’s also the plastic surrounding the antiperspirant that will be exposed to any microbes in the armpit area. As small an investment as an antiperspirant is, I’d chuck it just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/4 "2018-06-15T18:57:14Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Well, I’ll be buying new deorderant. I am such a germaphobe. Aaacckk! Your deoderant probably hasn’t been exposed to MRSA, the OP’s has. The risk is not from deoderant itself, it is from any personal products in a household where MRSA is already present. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/5 "2018-06-15T19:16:17Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > It’s not just the antiperspirant. There’s also the plastic surrounding the antiperspirant that will be exposed to any microbes in the armpit area. > > As small an investment as an antiperspirant is, I’d chuck it just in case. I don’t think plastic is particularly conducive to germ growth either. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/6 "2018-06-15T19:34:37Z")
MRSA is an antibiotic resistant strain of staphylococcus aureus. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staphylococcus_aureus) says: > [@](#): > > S. aureus is an incredibly hardy bacterium, as was shown in a study where it survived on polyester for just under three months; Deodorant tubes may be some other type of plastic, but I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about polyester. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/7 "2018-06-19T01:31:24Z")
For around five bucks, I’m not going to quibble about how hospitable plastic is as a bacterial substrate. Although it was his antiperspirant when she had been diagnosed with the MRSA - so is she confessing to having used it? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/8 "2018-06-19T02:52:39Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > For around five bucks, I’m not going to quibble about how hospitable plastic is as a bacterial substrate. > > Although it was his antiperspirant when she had been diagnosed with the MRSA - so is she confessing to having used it? No she’s convinced that since she had it we all must have it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/9 "2018-06-19T04:17:40Z")
MHO? Probably not, but when in doubt, throw it out. Deodorant’s cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mrsa-and-antiperspirants/816163/10 "2018-06-19T17:29:08Z")
When my household had MRSA, I cleaned up in the following ways: 1. Broke up with the live-in ex who refused to get it treated. (It was not the only reason to break up with him.) 2. Wiped down all commonly-touched surfaces with a bleach cleaner. Handles, doorknobs, armrests, remote controls, the fridge doors, the toilet lever, etc. 3. Washed all clothes, linens, blankets, and towels that had not been washed recently. I took care of the sore spots I had, and frequently washed my hands with soap and used hand sanitizer. I did dispose of some household and personal products, but mostly because they were my ex’s and not because I thought they had MRSA on them. But if it gives you peace of mind to replace things, you should. The MRSA was gone within 2 weeks and has never returned.