system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
eli5 how are soaps able to clean away germs when washing things?

Hello everyone. I have always wanted to know how exactly are dishwashing soap, hand soap, cleaning soap are able to kill or remove harmful bacteria from whatever we are using it for?
gpt
Many bacteria and viruses have an outer membrane that's made mostly of oil molecules (lipids).

Soap in hot water breaks up oils and carries them away.

Not only does this help remove the germs from surfaces, it also causes some of the germs to just pop and die; all their insides come out and are washed away.