Five Products That Are a Waste of Money

Sometimes, paying a premium price doesn't necessarily ensure better performance.

Take antibacterial soap. With the growing concern about the spread of infectious diseases like the avian flu, everyone should be taking basic precautions such as thoroughly washing your hands and making sure not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth since these are common ways to catch colds, according to the Center For Disease Control. Another step that many people take is to use antibacterial soap and other cleaning products.

A new study, however, suggests this may be a waste of money. Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health recently looked at 27 past studies done on antibacterial products containing the active ingredient triclosan to determine their safety and effectiveness. The conclusion was that antibacterial cleaning products are no more effective at killing bacteria and preventing infectious illness than standard soap.

In another study by the same researchers on the effectiveness of antibacterial cleaning products, 238 families were split into two groups where one group used antibacterial products and the other group used regular cleaning products. The results also concluded that the antibacterial products were no better than the standard cleaners for killing germs. ...