Myth: You should use an antimicrobial wash instead of regular soap after handling raw meat or eggs.

Reality: Once confined to health-care settings, where they help prevent the spread of infections, antimicrobial soaps are now popular in many homes and businesses. But you don't need them. In 2005 an FDA advisory committee found no evidence that antimicrobial products work any better than regular soaps. And they can even be harmful, says Rolf Halden, Ph.D., an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore. The antimicrobial chemicals have the potential to pollute drinking water, contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs, and break down to form carcinogens. Instead, use regular soap and water just before handling food and immediately after touching items that may carry harmful bacteria, such as eggs, eggshells, and raw meat, poultry, and fish.

Bottom Line: Regular soap does the job safely and is preferable.