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Mystery #2Tier 1โ€“2microbes / health

Why do we wash our hands with soap?

Your hands can look perfectly clean and still need washing before dinner โ€” and a quick splash of water never seems enough, grown-ups insist on soap. If you can't see anything there, what exactly are you washing off?

Hands being washed with soap under a running tap
Photo: Edithobayaa1 ยท CC BY-SA 4.0 ยท via Wikimedia Commons

Your guess

What's your hunch โ€” what are you really washing off, if your hands already look clean?

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