“Companies will no longer be able to market antibacterial washes with these ingredients because manufacturers did not demonstrate that the ingredients are both safe for long-term daily use and more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illness and the spread of certain infections,” the FDA said in a statement. Related: Think Twice About Antibacterial Soap, FDA Says 
 
 “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.” 
 
 The agency issued a proposed rule in 2013 after some data suggested that long-term exposure to certain active ingredients used in antibacterial products — for example, triclosan (liquid soaps) and triclocarban (bar soaps) — could pose health risks, such as bacterial resistance or hormonal effects. Since the FDA’s proposed rulemaking in 2013, manufacturers already started phasing out the use of certain active ingredients in antibacterial washes, including triclosan and triclocarban. “In response to comments submitted by industry, the FDA has deferred rulemaking for one year on three additional ingredients used in consumer wash products – benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol (PCMX) – to allow for the development and submission of new safety and effectiveness data for these ingredients,” the FDA added. “Consumer antibacterial washes containing these specific ingredients may be marketed during this time while data are being collected.” 
 
 The American Cleaning Institute said it had given up on fighting over triclosan and would focus on the other ingredients still under consideration. “It is important to note that this FDA rule does not affect consumer hand sanitizers, antiseptic products used in healthcare settings, and antiseptics used in food handler settings," it said in a statement. Under the proposed rule, manufacturers were required to provide the agency with additional data on the safety and effectiveness of certain ingredients used in over-the-counter consumer antibacterial washes if they wanted to continue marketing antibacterial products containing those ingredients. Gabriele Ritz / EyeEm / Getty Images/EyeEm 
 
 “Washing with plain soap and running water remains one of the most important steps consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others,” the FDA said. “If soap and water are not available and a consumer uses hand sanitizer instead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that it be an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.” 
 
 Triclosan breaks open the cell walls of bacteria, killing them.
– Companies that sell over-the-counter antibacterial soaps will have a year to clean up their acts—namely, to remove those products from shelves and stop marketing them, or take certain ingredients out of their products that the FDA now says are essentially ineffective, NBC News reports. Products containing 19 active ingredients—including triclosan (typically used in liquid soaps) and triclocarban (added to bar soaps)—can't be marketed after Sept. 6, 2017, according to the new ruling, as they haven't been proven by manufacturers to be any better than regular soap and water at keeping illnesses and infections at bay. "In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term," Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, says, per an FDA release. The affected ingredients are all designed to be used with water and then rinsed off—meaning hand sanitizers and wipes are still good to go for now, as are products used in health care settings. The FDA had been looking into antibacterials hard-core since at least December 2013, when it announced that consumer groups and scientific studies had raised major red flags about the ingredients' effectiveness and safety, with some being linked to hormonal issues and bacterial resistance. But concerns about triclosan have dated back to the late '70s, and even the CDC says soap doesn't need an antibacterial boost, NBC notes. Three of the ingredients—benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, and chloroxylenol (PCMX)—get an extra year's buffer beyond the 2017 deadline "to allow for the development and submission of new safety and effectiveness data for these ingredients," the release states. (You were probably using antibacterial soaps all wrong anyway.)