TY  - JOUR
AB  - We conducted a randomized, non-inferiority field trial in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh among mothers to compare microbial efficacy of soapy water (30 g powdered detergent in 1.5 L water) with bar soap and water alone. Fieldworkers collected hand rinse samples before and after the following washing regimens: scrubbing with soapy water for 15 and 30 seconds; scrubbing with bar soap for 15 and 30 seconds; and scrubbing with water alone for 15 seconds. Soapy water and bar soap removed thermotolerant coliforms similarly after washing for 15 seconds (mean log10 reduction = 0.7 colony-forming units [CFU], P < 0.001 for soapy water; mean log10 reduction = 0.6 CFU, P = 0.001 for bar soap). Increasing scrubbing time to 30 seconds did not improve removal (P > 0.05). Scrubbing hands with water alone also reduced thermotolerant coliforms (mean log10 reduction = 0.3 CFU, P = 0.046) but was less efficacious than scrubbing hands with soapy water. Soapy water is an inexpensive and microbiologically effective cleansing agent to improve handwashing among households with vulnerable children.
AU  - Amin, N
AU  - Pickering, AJ
AU  - Ram, PK
AU  - Unicomb, L
AU  - Najnin, N
AU  - Homaira, N
AU  - Ashraf, S
AU  - Abedin, J
AU  - Islam, MS
AU  - Luby, SP
DA  - 2014/08/01
DO  - 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0475
EP  - 423
JO  - Am J Trop Med Hyg
PB  - AMER SOC TROP MED & HYGIENE
PY  - 2014/08/01
SP  - 415
TI  - Microbiological evaluation of the efficacy of soapy water to clean hands: a randomized, non-inferiority field trial.
VL  - 91
Y1  - 2014/08/01
Y2  - 2026/05/04
ER  -