A typical virus has a sheath in effect of fatty material that soap or ethanol tears apart and the viral particle comes apart.
Soap, or detergent, molecules can solubilize fats in water, which is why they work at removing grease or dirt, and killing germs. We are very fortunate to have access to such cheap and effective agents.
They form some rather interesting and complex structures in water called micelles.
I saw some kind of lady's wash that claims to contain "Micellar Water", as if that is some special kind of a thing. Marketing.