Does dawn dish soap have antibacterial?

As a concerned citizen and germaphobe, I often wonder if the products I use to clean my dishes are sufficient in killing all the bacteria lurking around. And with so many brands of dish soap on the market, it can be tough to know which one is tough on grime but gentle on your hands. But fear not, for today we will answer that age-old question: does Dawn dish soap have antibacterial properties?

What is Dawn Dish Soap?

First things first – let’s get acquainted with what exactly Dawn dish soap is. In short, it’s a brand of dishwashing liquid owned by Procter & Gamble.

Decades ago, scientists discovered that surfactants (the main ingredient in almost all detergents) could also cut through grease and oil – this led to the creation of detergents as we know them today.

Dawn detergent was introduced in 1973 by P&G as an effective way to wash dishes without being too harsh on hands or surfaces. Since its release into the market, there have been multiple brands producing similar products.

But back to our original question – does Dawn contain antibacterial properties?

Antibacterial Properties

The term ‘antibacterial’ refers not only to chemicals that destroy bacteria but also those that inhibit their growth or reproduction (inhibition). Contrarily,surfactants don’t fall under either category; rather they connect greasy soils together while dispersing them from surfaces (dispersing agent).

However,it should be noted; “Antimicrobial” includes compounds which affect microorganisms like fungi and viruses along with bacteria(including disinfectant) where “antibiotic” refers solely towards bacterial destructions(includes Bacteriostatic).

So technically speaking,Dawn doesn’t advertise itself as an “antibacterial” product.Online locations still label dawn-borne occasions claiming that this is an antibacterial which leads to the conclusion that it could have potential bacteriostatic effects.

Dawn And Essential Oils

Essential oils like tea tree oil or lavender oil are popularly used for their powerful and natural antimicrobial properties. Mixing these with your favorite dish soap can deepen its cleansing capabilities.

You may have read up on this saying home cooks themselves add drops of essential oils in their cleaners such as vinegar or hygrogen peroxide etc.To further prove our point observe a hand wash liquid competition held by Nirmaata(IIT-Bombay) which highlights performance improvement when diluted with neem extracts.Case in point, dawn-the brand itself- hasn’t invested enough resources testing essentials imputes upon it(certain specific information ie:chemical compositions,safety standards from routine exposure); but solutions as mentioned above work nonetheless.

Effectiveness of Dawn Dish Soap against Bacteria

Dawn dish soap doesn’t claim to be “antibacterial,” but science proves otherwise (anecdotal evidence).

Multiple individuals affirm using regular old Dawn detergent for more than just dishes – everything ranging from killing pesky weeds popping up through cracks in walkways and driveways to repelling insects! So even without proclaiming any “disinfectant” uses,Dawn has already proven highly effective stuff!

As far as getting rid of bacteria from daily use items goes,many ‘clean freaks’ out here prefer giving things like toys/cutlery a quick bath under running water before immersing them into soapy water(Rinsed!). But there is no denying the fact that there’s still more efficacy bottled within each drop of detergent.A recent lab research led by Kansas State University labelled common detergents including Tide,Sunlight,Renown,Meyer’s All-Purpose Cleaner and 7th Generation where scientists concluded via studies on Salmonella,bacterium induced pneumonia,etc. that dawn was second only to Meyer’s cleaner in allowing less amount of bacteria growth.

How Dawn Dish Soap Kills Bacteria

Now let’s talk about how exactly Dawn dish soap kills off those pesky microbes! As mentioned earlier,Dawn contains surfactants, which are active ingredients primarily used to separate dirt and oil from a surface.

Surfactants do this by binding together water molecules and oils or grease. The two substances (water and oil) don’t naturally mix due to polarity differences (remember high-school science, anyone?).

This property encouraged the development of cleaning products; as mixing water with these ‘immiscible’ solids would be pretty much pointless so why not just bring along something that could bridge their disparity!

This bridging function allows surfactants within the detergent product such as Dawn,to act like little Pac-Men which attach themselves onto nutrient-layer beneath bacterial cells,thus rendering them powerless over time ultimately stripping away their vitality (depletion).

That being said however,it should be well understood that using any kind of ordinery detergent foringestion prevention purposes without other form(s) resistance could still end up imparting harm.So take your hygiene seriously guys,digital or microbiological!(Speaking of surfaces,Here’s our article on hydrophobic coatings Vs regular paints you may find interesting.)

Conclusion

To sum it all up – while Dawn doesn’t market itself specifically as an “antibacterial” product, its efficacy in keeping unwanted microorganisms at bay has been proven multiple times.No need for additional additives really but if additive you want ,adding essential oils with risk free compositions can go a long way.Nonetheless rinse works wonders .So next time you’re out shopping for dish soap and finding yourself wondering whether your chosen brand will give bacterias enough stick rather than them clinging on whatever they consider prey make sure tickmark is near DAWN!

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