# No-Touch Hand Soap **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995 "2010-07-17T04:53:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/1 "2010-07-17T04:53:41Z")
I’ve seen this commercial a few times now… they show a bottle of liquid hand soap being pumped by various hands, followed by one of those fake “germs” graphics that is supposed to indicate the surface in question has everybody’s multicolored cooties on it. So you’re encouraged to buy a “no-touch” automatic soap dispenser which I’m sure multiplies the per-ounce cost of liquid hand soap a few times. But who cares whether the soap pump is teeming with bacteria? _Everybody that touches it is about to wash their hands._ Like, if you were to pick one surface in your house to really let go, and not worry about its contagion–that’s a good one to go with. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/2 "2010-07-17T05:22:05Z")
I tried to explain this to my husband, that it was a ridiculous premise, and he didn’t understand. He does laugh when I say, after the ad where the lady is horrified because the toilet bowl is filled with germs, “Oh no, that’s where I keep my fresh fruit”. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/3 "2010-07-17T06:40:52Z")
I know- they brag about how effective their soap is and then tell us we shouldn’t touch germs before we use it? This is a dumbass concept. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/4 "2010-07-17T10:19:58Z")
> [@SP2263](#): > > He does laugh when I say, after the ad where the lady is horrified because the toilet bowl is filled with germs, “Oh no, that’s where I keep my fresh fruit”. This reminds me of my favorite stupid marketing premise: Some toilet bowl cleaning product ad, wherein someone pours dye into the shiny white bowl to demonstrate that the crummy cleanser you currently use doesn’t REALLY get rid of those stains. Ummm, yeah it does, dumbass! The stains were gone until some idjit re-stained the toilet with a bucket o’ blue dye! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/5 "2010-07-17T11:43:48Z")
I think a better way to advertise it would just be to point out that everything else has been made automatic. I will admit it seems odd when the toilet automatically flushes, the sinks automatically turn on and off the faucets, the driers automatically give out towels or start blowing on you, but the soap still has to be done manually. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/6 "2010-07-17T12:06:30Z")
I think that’s a Lysol commercial. Every one of their ads is blatantly designed to give people germophobia. According to Lysol, if you’re not coated from head to toe in Lysol products, the evil bacteria will attack and kill you within seconds. I’m sure it’s an effective advertising scheme, but it really bothers me. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/7 "2010-07-17T12:32:28Z")
I’ve always hated that product and it definitely targets the extreme germaphobic. I have this question for the germaphobic reading this. Did they sterilize the container and contents before sale? ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/8 "2010-07-17T14:49:03Z")
I’m almost afraid to post this, but we have one in our kitchen and I love it when my hands are coated in bread starter, or egg yolk, or anything else I really don’t want to have to clean off the regular dispenser. Maybe I’m lazy. I’d love to have a hands-free motion detector water faucet, too, but maybe because I’m really messy in the kitchen and usually have the batter/sauce/icing/sprinkles all the way up to my elbows. Ditto when I’m crafting – paint ends up in all crevices. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/9 "2010-07-17T14:59:08Z")
> [@limegreen](#): > > I’m almost afraid to post this, but we have one in our kitchen and I love it when my hands are coated in bread starter, or egg yolk, or anything else I really don’t want to have to clean off the regular dispenser. Maybe I’m lazy. I’d love to have a hands-free motion detector water faucet, too, but maybe because I’m really messy in the kitchen and usually have the batter/sauce/icing/sprinkles all the way up to my elbows. Ditto when I’m crafting – paint ends up in all crevices. There are situations where it would be covenant, but that’s not really what their commercial is pushing. It’s the germ spreading by dispensers you have to touch selling point they use that is so annoying. They could have gone with a your hands are covered in oil or whatever selling point but they didn’t. They went with the you’ll get sick from touching the regular soap dispenser. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/10 "2010-07-17T15:49:00Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > This reminds me of my favorite stupid marketing premise: Some toilet bowl cleaning product ad, wherein someone pours dye into the shiny white bowl to demonstrate that the crummy cleanser you currently use doesn’t REALLY get rid of those stains. Ummm, yeah it does, dumbass! The stains were gone until some idjit re-stained the toilet with a bucket o’ blue dye! :smack: You might live in a soft water area so you haven’t experienced the suckiness of bleach cleaners. They don’t remove the hard water deposits, they just bleach them white, then your toilet instantly looks dirty again. You need the acid to remove the water deposits. It’s getting really hard to find acid cleaners lately. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/11 "2010-07-17T16:11:09Z")
See what most people don’t understand is, unlike most things in life, soap is magical. Once germs touch it they go to live with Jesus. Therefore soap is always clean. But I guess there is always someone who refuses to believe in science. ---
**Author:** ![PsyXe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@PsyXe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PsyXe)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/12 "2010-07-17T16:28:17Z")
I have a great hatred for these ads that play on our germophobia. I’m always certain that the anti-bacterial everything they want to slather all over the world will cause plagues of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and destroy all our immune systems. (Whether or not there is any real danger of this I have no idea, it’s just one of my pet fears) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/13 "2010-07-17T18:13:18Z")
> [@limegreen](#): > > I’m almost afraid to post this, but we have one in our kitchen and I love it when my hands are coated in bread starter, or egg yolk, or anything else I really don’t want to have to clean off the regular dispenser. Maybe I’m lazy. I’d love to have a hands-free motion detector water faucet, too, but maybe because I’m really messy in the kitchen and usually have the batter/sauce/icing/sprinkles all the way up to my elbows. Ditto when I’m crafting – paint ends up in all crevices. there is a commercial for a faucet that you just tap and it turns on. it shows lots of icky, sticky, up to the elbows in stuff hands tapping the tap with what ever part isn’t covered in some sort of goo. i believe it may be kohler… everytime i see it i think about my cats jumping in and out of the sink turning it on and off. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/14 "2010-07-17T19:22:18Z")
Hah - I said the same thing when I saw this commercial. I used it as an example to my 6 year old about why we need to be discerning about what commercials say and how they get us to want things. I won’t buy anything that is labeled anti-biotic either. (I do use purell though. It works differently and is convenient when you can’t get to a sink.) It does seem like the more sanitized we get as a culture the more allergies appear. Maybe if our immune systems don’t have anything real to fight they will find something. (no, I don’t have any studies to cite, I am just speculating and could be completely off base.) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/15 "2010-07-17T19:28:56Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > There are situations where it would be covenant… Under no circumstances am I letting anyone cut off part of my dong just so I can wash my hands. ---
**Author:** ![Khendrask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@Khendrask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khendrask)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/16 "2010-07-19T14:29:59Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > there is a commercial for a faucet that you just tap and it turns on. it shows lots of icky, sticky, up to the elbows in stuff hands tapping the tap with what ever part isn’t covered in some sort of goo. > > i believe it may be kohler… everytime i see it i think about my cats jumping in and out of the sink turning it on and off. I believe you are thinking of the Delta faucet with their “Touch2O” feature. It’s actually not cat sensitive; well, I suppose it could be, but closing the temperature control valve off all the way disables the touch on/off feature. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/17 "2010-07-19T14:45:43Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > IBut who cares whether the soap pump is teeming with bacteria? _Everybody that touches it is about to wash their hands._ Like, if you were to pick one surface in your house to really let go, and not worry about its contagion–that’s a good one to go with. 😛 I just wonder about these people who don’t clean the soap dispenser when they clean the sink and the rest of the room. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/18 "2010-07-19T15:37:33Z")
Hah, we have this ad in the UK now and it drives my wife up the wall… every time it’s on she has a rant at the TV. I would actually like one for convenience - as noted upthread, when hands are covered with soil or dough etc you can make the pump handle messy, but the germ-protection aspect is clearly daft. ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/19 "2010-07-19T18:11:15Z")
> [@Velma](#): > > \ > It does seem like the more sanitized we get as a culture the more allergies appear. Maybe if our immune systems don’t have anything real to fight they will find something. (no, I don’t have any studies to cite, I am just speculating and could be completely off base.) From [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergy#Hygiene_hypothesis): > [@](#): > > The hygiene hypothesis was developed to explain the observation that hay fever and eczema, both allergic diseases, were less common in children from larger families, which were presumably exposed to more infectious agents through their siblings, than in children from families with only one child. The hygiene hypothesis has been extensively investigated by immunologists and epidemiologists and has become an important theoretical framework for the study of allergic disorders. It is used to explain the increase in allergic diseases that has been seen since industrialization, and the higher incidence of allergic diseases in more developed countries. The hygiene hypothesis has now expanded to include exposure to symbiotic bacteria and parasites as important modulators of immune system development, along with infectious agents. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-touch-hand-soap/546995/20 "2010-07-20T04:35:37Z")
Gah, I hate that commercial too. I hate just about any Lysol commercial, actually. “You can get sick from germs on SURFACES.” OH NO NOT SURFACES.