Handwashing with normal soap removes all normal microbiota from the skin. Disinfectants are used to remove pathogenic organisms from inanimate objects. Antiseptics are used on the skin. They are a milder version of disinfectants.
The normal microbiota of the skin tends to inhibit transient-microbe colonization by producing antimicrobial substances and outcompeting other microbes that land on the surface of the skin. This helps to protect the skin from pathogenic infection.
Washing hands prevents major harmful microorganisms from entering our bodies. It is always advised to wash hands before and after a meal or when we come home from any public place.
