Norovirus is spreading via clothes and soft-furnishings, experts warn

It seems to be the water and the friction of proper handwashing that does most of the work. The virus doesn't have an outer envelope, so it doesn't stand up to that treatment very well. Soap provides lubrication and I guess adds some disinfection, but physical removal with water might well be enough.

This is based on what I've gleaned from trying to stop it spreading through acting companies who were often visiting two different schools every day. It would probably be worth looking at more recent info to make that's correct / still current if you're worried about it and can't use soap.

As it happens I can't use it either, I have to rely on Dermol 500. I find viruses that make you throw up incredibly hard, but even so, moderately affected people like me don't necessarily face the same risk of long-term impacts from common viruses that severely affected people might.

 

Yes Dermol 500 claims to be antimicrobial, but that's rather a vague claim. Probably better than just using water at least it might disarm some of the viruses about. Probably need to use gloves more as well to be safe. That and masking, bit of a palaver!

 

It contains a disinfectant, chlorhexidine. When Covid started there were warnings that Dermol hadn't yet been shown to kill the virus, but later on they stated it was as effective as soap.

Even so, I suspect some of the protection is more down to physical removal of the Covid virus by active handwashing than it is to the disinfectant!