Automated soap dispenser... Is this stupid or am I missing something?

[Little Sloth]

I just saw a commercial for an automated soap dispenser. The commercial claims that there are a lot of germs on the pump of a soap container so their product is more hygienic and protects your family from germs...
But if you are touching the pump of a soap dispenser it means that you are going to be washing your hands... with soap
Do soap pumps breed super bacteria or something?

[Raoul Duke]

they're just marketing to the germaphobe crowd. They'll buy anything.

[c-hsu-run]

Sounds like for people who is afraid of germs/viruses.

Automated soap dispensers at home is somewhat useless. However, automated foam hand sanitizer dispensers at a public building like my school is kinda fun, but that's just me.

[Slash]

I'm guessing that this is for families that won't let their kids eat dirt or climb trees.

[TASmith]

Traditional soap doesn't do much to kill germs. There was a science article somewhere, either in Scientific American or Popular Science stating it takes over 5 min's of washing to kill 90% of the germs on your hand. Of course you can get the antibacterial stuff which is supposed to kill 99% of germs, and quickly. I got some of that at work after a colleague came down with Hepatitus A.

I think if you're worried about health, it's much more important to worry about building your immune system than about every little thing you touch. Just don't go mucking through pond scum. Apparently, the crap that grows down there can eat your face off... :(

[nofu]

I'm guessing that this is for families that won't let their kids eat dirt or climb trees.

Actually keeping your children from doing these things is quite impossible but some parents just freak out more about this kind of stuff than others.

Commercial breaks in most Estonian TV channels are ludicrously long and I could swear at least half of the shown material is for germaphobics and clean freaks.

[Little Sloth]

I just realized it's a soap company that is making these things. It is likely it will only fit their soap containers. It all becomes clear now.

[Anid Maro]

Of course you can get the antibacterial stuff which is supposed to kill 99% of germs, and quickly.

Speaking of germaphobia and killing germs, I find it incredibly funny that our efforts to eliminate disease can actually aid in creating super-diseases.

Lets say an antibacterial solution kills 99.999% of a particular type of bacteria that it touches. Well that means 0.001% of that bacteria was resistant to that solution, and now that 0.001% is actually 100% of the bacteria population in the area affected by the solution.

A few days worth of exponential growth later and you've got a full and health germ population that eats your antibacterial soap for breakfast.

Of course most germs are benign to us, but every now and then a really nasty one gets the evolutionary makeover treatment. Why hello there antibiotic-resistant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibiotic_resistance) tuberculosis!

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is commonly resistant to isoniazid and rifampin and sometimes universally resistant to the common treatments.

O.o

[TASmith]

Anid Maro, that's why you use the hand sanitizer twice ;) :P