when a disinfecting agent says it kills germs, by what method is it doing so? Does it dissolve the bacteria? Poison them?
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One of three general ways.
Way 1 is poison – antibiotics are poisons. However, medical planners are trying to move away from these where possible because germs can become immune to them, which means they stop working.
Way 2 is effectively burning. Hydrogen peroxide is the most notable case of this; though there are some others. Oxygen (and some other atoms) loves connecting with whatever other atoms are handy – and while in water the two hydrogens keep the one oxygen busy, in hydrogen peroxide, there’s one oxygen too many and it wants to grab something – and it’s quite happy to grab something that keeps cells alive as anything else. This is also why peroxide stings – your body is reacting to being hurt.
Way 3 is taking the skin off. All cells, including bacteria, have a “skin” made of proteins and lipids (fats). Soap and alcohol based cleaners disrupt this skin, allowing their insides to leak out – it would be like a human bleeding out, but also having your organs leak out.
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Separately, washing your hands also means that the surface that bacteria are holding on to isn’t on you any more; because the dirt and outer layer of (dead) skin cells get washed away.
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