Can someone explain how soap kills 99%* of bacterial cells on my hands without doing any damage to skin cells?

Question

Can someone explain how soap kills 99%* of bacterial cells on my hands without doing any damage to skin cells?

In: Biology

Answer 1

1 – bacteria wash off.

2 – human skin is slightly acidic (pH 5.5), many soaps are slightly basic (my homemade is about 8.5). As a result washing may alter the bacterial environment.