Do antibacterial soaps/disinfectants protect against viruses? wondering if all this disinfecting is doing much against things like h1n1.

The : The specific antibacterial ingredient in most products is called triclosan. It kills many common bacteria, but does not protect at all against viruses like h1n1. However, the process of washing your hands with soap and water does do an effective job against viruses. Hand sanitizing gels like purrell with at least 60% alcohol, also do a good job against viruses and most bacteria. So i would actually recommend against using antibacterial soaps/products as they just select from resistant bacteria which can become dangerous. It is equally effective and better for society to just use good old fashioned regular soap and water to wash and scrub your hands (and body for that matter), and use sanitizing hand gels with >60% alcohol when soap and water is not available. Also, washing your hands especially before eating, and avoiding touching your eyes/nose/mouth can help reduce the risk of viral infection as well, as does getting your seasonal influenza vaccination.

Yes and yes.: Hand hygiene when done is actually quite goo at protecting everyone from infection. Alcohol, chlorhexidine, triclosan, bleach solutions, and iodine based sanitizers work well against viruses. So does plain old soap. Spores of certain bacteria are sometimes a problem.