Does dish soap kill bacteria, such as when you have step throat or other infections?
It does not disinfect alone. Detergents (ie. dish soap) are used to soluablize fats and protein residues so you can get them off of dishes. That is why automatic dishwashers are heated, it’s the heat that kills the bacteria rather than the detergents. If you really want to be sure to disinfect dishes, though you should not contract anything from the dishes unless you are immunocompromised, you can add about 1-3 capfulls of bleach to an average sink-full of dishwater. I would caution you to wear dish gloves, though, as the bleach can damage your hand skin and you could then expose yourself to getting a skin infection.
