Washing your hands with ordinary soap is just as effective as using antibacterial soap, according to a new study.

Many people use antibacterial soaps, believing they will remove more germs than regular soap, therefore offering more protection from disease.

Researchers from Korea University tested regular and antibacterial soap and found no difference between the two in ridding hands of 20 types of bacteria, including Listeria, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus.

Both soaps tested contained the same ingredients except for the addition of triclosan to the antibacterial version. The antibacterial soap was fortified with 0.3 percent triclosan, the maximum allowed by law.

In the first part of the experiment, researchers exposed bacteria to either regular soap or antibacterial soap for 20 seconds.

The second part of the experiment tested the soap on dirty hands.

Researchers covered the hands of volunteers with bacteria. They then followed guidelines set by the World Health Organization, which included lathering for 30 seconds over the surface of the hands and lower third of the forearms, using warm water of 104 degrees F.

There was no significant difference between effectiveness of either the regular soap or the antibacterial one in killing germs.

"This study shows that presence of antiseptic ingredients (in this case, triclosan) in soap does not always guarantee higher anti-microbial efficacy during hand washing," the study's senior author, Min-Suk Rhee, a researcher of food bioscience and technology at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, told Live Science.

Triclosan, the antibacterial ingredient used in the study, is the most commonly used antiseptic ingredient in soap. It is also used in many other products, including toothpaste and shampoo, but its safety has been questioned

Researchers believe triclosan contributes to antibiotic resistance, and some studies have suggested it may cause cancer.

The study is published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.