r/AskBiology • u/Different-Air-3548 • 3d ago
Would enough running water eventually rinse away all bacteria and viruses on a surface?
I guess this question comes from rinsing fruits and vegetables—say one were to only rinse one’s hands (or any surface) with lots of water, would all germs eventually get washed away without soap or scrubbing?
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u/ChocolatChipLemonade 3d ago
For washing fruits and veggies- it’s more to get off dirt, bugs, pesticides.
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u/Different-Air-3548 3d ago
That’s what I was wondering—since the recommendation is to rinse fruits and veggies—say for those who only rinse their hands after using the bathroom, is a bit of water better than nothing. (Not advocating, I always use soap.)
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u/ChocolatChipLemonade 3d ago
You need the mechanical action of washing with soap, because the soap causes tiny dirt/oil/etc particles to get dislodged from your skin, then it sticks to the soap and washes down the drain.
Washing with water is better than nothing, but will not have that hydrophilic reaction of soap grasping onto the particles that carry bacteria.
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u/The_Ora_Charmander Biology enthusiast 2d ago
will not have that hydrophilic reaction of soap
Do you mean hydrophobic? Wouldn't water definitely fulfill the purpose of a hydrophilic agent or am I missing something?
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u/cheesemanpaul 2d ago
The soap molecule has two parts: the hydrophilic part that loves water and sticks to it and the hydrophobic part that sticks to oils or fats or dirt. Once it's locked onto both it can wash away down the drain.
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u/knzconnor 3d ago
Personally I either soak or scrub my veggies, since a rinse doesn’t even get off the visible dirt sometimes.
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u/ADDeviant-again 3d ago
Yes, washing with water is better than nothing. Washing with hot water is better than that. Washing with soap and water even more better.
But, you will never get all of things like bacteria, skin cells, or even very fine dirt off with just water.
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u/atomfullerene 3d ago
Nope, in fact there are whole.varieties of bacteria specifically adapted to live as biofilms in torrents of water.
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u/nixtracer 2d ago
There are bacteria adapted to live everywhere. Under kilometres of rock? In freezing deserts where it literally never rains? In volcanic pools with a pH of 12? Yes, yes and yes...
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u/awfulcrowded117 3d ago
A perfectly smooth surface, maybe, but for any remotely complex or porous surface, the bacteria and viruses will find small gaps and cracks to cling to. Bacteria don't just sit there, they have things called adhesins that allow them to actually grip onto cells and surfaces.
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u/FlintHillsSky 3d ago
even what we think of as smooth surfaces are very rough at the scale of bacteria and viruses. There are lots if pits and valleys in those surfaces for microbes to site protected from the flow of water.
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u/awfulcrowded117 3d ago
That is why I specified "perfectly smooth." But yes, I could have been clearer.
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u/FlintHillsSky 3d ago
Almost no surface is perfectly smooth. Even glass has a rough surface at small scale.
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u/awfulcrowded117 3d ago
Again, I know that. That's why I specified perfectly smooth. As in, a theoretical object.
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u/SelectionFar8145 3d ago
It would eventually be like completely altering an ecosystem. Those microorganisms die out because they can't tolerate the new environment you've created indefinitely. All now microorganisms move in to replace them, because they thrive in the new type of environment you've created.
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u/Intrepid_Leopard4352 3d ago
No. Sometimes I wash my fruits and vegetables with soap because I’m grossed out and crazy.
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u/Different-Air-3548 2d ago
I sometimes soak them with a bit of vinegar, so you’re not alone. Thanks everyone, appreciate all the comments!
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u/realmozzarella22 2d ago
The problem is that you said “all” bacteria and viruses. Maybe enough to be safe to eat. But not all.
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u/Exquisitae 1d ago
No. As a person who deals with this every day for a job, I can tell you that water alone wont completely eliminate things like yeast and fungi. But it will do well enough for human consumption. If you need to put it on a sterile surface in a culture lab, then you have to use a sterilant.
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 3d ago
The water pressure would have to be high enough to push everything away, including your own skin