Kaplods - did even washing with plain water remove pesticides, or just germs?

Pesticides. In fact, I believe pesticides were the only contaminant measured in that particular study (the one that used Palmolive as one of the cleansers).

There've been other studies that have found much the same or similar results with bacterial and viral contamination.

Most of the studies I've read have tested for either pesticides alone, or for pesticides and the most common harmful bacteria (such as e.coli). Fewer have tested for viruses (but that's also because viral contamination is less likely).

I've read in popular literature (where the research wasn't sited directly or the article didn't give enough information for me to find the actual research) in magazines like Readers Digest, Prevention Magazine, and women's magazines, that some studies have found that some of the washes did a slightly better job of killing a specific bacteria, but that those products killed the good bacteria (probiotics) along with the bad.