Although Triclosan may be a discontinued ingredient in hand soap today, it is still effective at killing bacteria. Two different hand soaps were tested to determine whether Triclosan as an ingredient in the soap contributed to the success of killing bacteria found on the hand. The two soaps tested were Mrs. Meyer's liquid hand soap which was Triclosan-free and Dawn dish detergent containing Triclosan as an active ingredient. After the bacteria had been cultured for 18 hours on an agar plate, the bacteria colonies of each soap were counted before being examined under the fluorescent microscope. Triclosan proved to be more effective at killing bacteria found on the hands.