Before leaving the house, we put on a mask that covers the whole of our mouth and nose. We place a hand sanitizer deep into our jacket.

After carefully examining whether another COVID-19 case has appeared and checking the routes of the patients, we leave our home in a solemn manner.

This is our daily life changed by COVID-19. Strict self-quarantine is sharp and lonely without any warmth of heart but it also represents our earnest determination to overcome this challenge together.

 

CARD 1. Revalued ‘Soap’ due to COVID-19

Due to the widespread COVID-19, prevention measures in the daily life such as washing hands, putting on masks, and covering the mouth with sleeves have become strictly required.

Along with such emphasis on personal hygiene, analogue products that have been forgotten throughout the past have been revalued.

One prime example is the emergence of soap along with the importance of washing hands. The yellow Dial Soap that was in our childhood bathrooms worked wonders.

It was a soap for washing hands and faces, shampoo soap for washing hair, and shaving soap for our fathers’ shaving. However, as variety of substitute products were released, soap has become a forgotten household product.

 

CARD 2. An essential for the prevention of COVID-19!

Why must we wash our hands with soap in order to prevent the contagion of COVID-19?

Can hand sanitizers (medical product used to prevent contagion by using it on hands without the need for water) not be used instead?

According to America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in order to halt the expansion of virus contamination, washing hands with soap and water is the optimal solution while using hand sanitizers is the next alternative option.

 

CARD 3. For virus removal, soap is more effective than a hand sanitizer

However, although we may have heard that hand sanitizers our out of stock, we haven’t experienced soap going out of stock.

Maybe this is because there are many people who are not yet aware of the fact that soap is more effective than hand sanitizers in removing the virus perfectly.

 

CARD 4. The reason why we must wash our hands with soap

If you have seen a picture of the coronavirus, you must have seen the image of numerous red ‘spike proteins’ embedded into the surface of the virus.

These play the role of a passage for the virus to use in order to invade the body cells and are attached to the virus surface.

However, if the soap’s surfactant makes contact with the surface of the virus, the viral envelop, which is the surface layer of the virus, melts. Hence, the virus can no longer amplify and will be exterminated.

This is the reason why we must wash our hands with soap.

 

CARD 5. Soap’s surfactant removes the virus

The removal of virus with soap follows the same principle regarding the removal of grease from skin and oil during dishwashing with soap or detergent.

The surfactant of a soap or detergent mixes with oil and becomes removed by water so that cleanliness can be maintained. Hence, the logic that grease or oil stains cannot be removed only with water explains the need for the removal of virus with soap and water together.

 

CARD 6. Soap not only carries out virus extermination, but also washes out virus with water

We can never emphasize enough how important it is to use the soap more than hand sanitizers in order to prevent virus contamination.

Although hand sanitizers do exterminate the virus, there is a weak point that the dead virus partially remains on the skin.

However, with soap, not only can you exterminate the virus, but also remove them from your skin completely with flowing water. As a result, using the soap is the most certain and effective method.

 

CARD 7. Soap that is too inconvenient to carry around

Although there are multiple opinions regarding hand cleaning agents (solid soap, liquid soap, and other different soaps), liquid soap is known to be more hygienic because solid soap has a high risk of bacterial reproduction unless under dry skin condition.

However, it is also true that it is too inconvenient to carry these products around when going outside.

 

CARD 8 . Emergence of easily portable ‘paper soap’ as an alternative solution

Therefore, through this opportunity, we strongly recommend ‘paper soap’ that is both light and convenient to carry around.

Paper soap that has been long forgotten has finally earned the chance to become valued once again due to COVID-19.

As paper soap is cheap, low in risk of bacterial reproduction in contrast to solid soaps, and convenient to carry around in contrast to liquid soaps, would there be any another product with a higher utilization value?

From now on, let us not become too obsessed with hand sanitizers.