Dear cleopatera, No, there is nothing wrong with non-antimicrobial (regular) hand dish soap. Handwashing with regular dish soap or regular hand soap will remove over 92% of common germs from hands when used as a hand washing soap. Using well-formulated antibacterial hand soap will remove 99.9% or greater common germs from hands (not from your dishes!); however, using anti-microbial hand soap does not necessarily translate into a protective health benefit in the household setting.

While antibacterial dishwashing liquids can be effective at killing bacteria, results of studies looking at the impact of antibacterial dishwashing liquids in households have not shown an appreciable reduction in infectious disease.

The CDC recommends handwashing with regular soap and water as a means of effective hand hygiene.

References:

1. Eckert DG, Ehrenkranz NJ, Alfonso BC. Indications for alcohol or bland soap in removal of aerobic gram-negative skin bacteria: assessment by a novel method. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 1989;10(9):391.
2. Cardodo CL, Pereira HH, Zequim JC, Guilhermetti M. Effectiveness of hand-cleaning agents for removing Acinetobacter baumannii strain from contaminated hands. American Journal of Infection Control. 1999;27(4):327-1999.
3. Guilhermetti M, Hernandes SED, Fukushigue Y, Garcia LB, Cardoso CL. Effectiveness of hand-cleansing agents for removing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from contaminated hands. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. 2001;22:105-108
4. Courtenay M, Ramirez L, Cox B, Han Inyee, Jiang X, Dawson P. Effects of various hand hygiene regimens on removal and/or destruction of Escherichia coli on hands. Food Service Technology. 2005;5(2-4):77-84.
5. Larson E, Aiello A, Lee LV, Della-Latta P, Gomez-Duarte C, Lin S. Short and long-term effects of handwashing with antimicrobial or plain soap in the community. Journal of Community Health. 2003;28(2):139-150.
6. Larson E, Gomez Duerte C. Home hygiene practices and infectious disease symptoms among household members. Public Health Nursing. 2001;18(2):116-127.
7. http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/
8. Levy SB. Antibacterial household products: cause for concern. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2001;7(3):S512-S515.
9. Kusumaningrum HD, van Putten MM, Rombouts FM, Beumer RR. Effects of antibacterial dishwashing liquid on foodborne pathogens and competitive microorganisms in kitchen sponges. Journal of Food Protection. 2002;65:61-65.
10. Larson E, Lin SX, Gomez-Pichardo C, Della-Latta P. Effect of antibacterial home cleaning and handwashing products on infectious disease symptoms: A randomized, double-blind trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2004;140:321-329.