Soap and water best at killing C difficile, study finds

Published: 27-Sep-2007

Washing hands in soap and warm water is the best method to combat Clostridium difficile bacteria, claims a recent Canadian study.


Researchers at McGill University, Montreal, tested separate hand washing systems used in hospitals on hands contaminated with the dangerous bug. Participants used regular soap and warm or cold water, an alcohol-based solution, and a disinfectant towel.

Washing with soap and water eliminated more than 98% of the bacteria, while washing with an alcohol-based solution eliminated almost none. The disinfectant towel eliminated around 95% of bacteria.

A McGill report concluded that alcohol “kills living bacteria but not the spores, whereas the mechanical action of washing combined with the…soap eliminates both.”

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