If you take into account bacteria and such, soap is probably one of the deadliest substances on earth.

r/

If you take into account bacteria and such, soap is probably one of the deadliest substances on earth.

Comments

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  2. SneakyInfiltrator Avatar

    That actively kills because it’s used so often? I guess so.
    Otherwise, bleach or hydrogen peroxide can kill most of the life forms here on your planet, including humans. Although, for hydrogen peroxide it’ll take a decent amount and it will be very painful.

  3. byGriff Avatar

    Doesn’t soap just remove bacteria off of your hands, not kill them?

  4. TerrapinMagus Avatar

    Oxygen is surprisingly high on that list, too.

  5. hacksoncode Avatar

    I mean water is one of the deadliest substances… the same way that Alpha Centauri is centimeters away from Earth.

    But I think sunlight has soap beat by a zillion miles. Soap is very uncommon on Earth by comparison.

  6. Davis1236 Avatar

    Soap: mass murderer of germs, hero to humans.
    Basically John Wick… but for bacteria.

  7. Designer_Breakfast31 Avatar

    Oxygen must be the deadliest, since anything that inhales it dies after a certain amount of time

  8. heidolow Avatar

    It’s also worth noting that, while less common these days, a large part of soap was animal fat, so animals had to die for the soap to actually be created.

    You could make the argument that animal fat is a byproduct, and the animal wasn’t killed just for the purpose of making soap. But it’s still something to consider.

  9. superbeagleowl Avatar

    Peak Reddit moment. Your post gives me serious doubts about whether you shower

  10. SockGoblinQueen Avatar

    Just realized soap is like a ninja for bacteria silent but deadly. Time to give it the respect it deserves or at least some extra bubbles.

  11. nixtarx Avatar

    Regular soap doesn’t kill microbes. It emulsifies the oils on your skin that they stick to so water will rinse them off. There are anti-microbial soaps, and there used to be much more before studies suggested they might contribute to treatment-resistant strains.

  12. robin-bunny Avatar

    Your stomach produces hydrochloric acid, which is also deadly in higher concentrations, and deadly to bacteria and such even at stomach concentrations.

  13. walruspie_cliff22 Avatar

    Reading this while washing my face with soap

  14. meheren Avatar

    I don’t know cold temperature migdt just have it beat! Think of tde bacteria in the early fall vs the mid winter on the northern (and far southern) parts of the globe!

  15. al4crity Avatar

    Oxygen is one of the deadliest compounds in the universe. It kills virtually everything in its pure form, is highly flammable and melts steel.

  16. Brooksy789 Avatar

    I once read about how a single drop of soap can take down hundreds of thousands of microbes. Every time I wash my hands now, I picture tiny civilizations collapsing.

  17. Averen Avatar

    Soap doesn’t kill bacteria though, it “catches” it so it can be washed away

  18. EndMaster0 Avatar

    I don’t know man diatomic Oxygen has an entire extinction event it’s credited with. I just don’t think soap has been around nearly long enough to match that.

  19. boom3r84 Avatar

    In this case, the most deadly thing on earth would be a bacteriophage.

  20. GarethBaus Avatar

    Soap usually doesn’t kill that many bacteria. It just washes them off of a surface.

  21. Lickwidghost Avatar

    A bar if soap is also the only true self-cleaning item – my shower thought

  22. Expensive_Refuse_586 Avatar

    Lysol got its name from (ly)sis + (sol)ution. A liquid to break down bacteria.

  23. Ghosttwo Avatar

    I’d lean towards alcohol manufacture; think of how many yeast died to make your beer, and compare that to the invisible film of microbes on your hands.

  24. mouse6502 Avatar

    My personal preference is for Lux, but I find Palmolive has a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor – heady, but with just a touch of mellow smoothness.

    Lifebuoy, on the other hand…

  25. dfc849 Avatar

    In the same breath, water is the most powerful substance on earth

  26. SonofBeckett Avatar

    I’ll tell ya what, you drink the hydrofluoric acid and I’ll drink the dish soup.

  27. chefshea17 Avatar

    Thank God for that, killing bacteria on such a scale is the only thing that sounds good when said like that