The present invention relates to a rinse-off antimicrobial cleansing composition comprising from about 0.1% to about 5.0%, by weight of the cleansing composition, of an antimicrobial active; from about 9% to about 14%, by weight of the cleansing composition, of an anionic surfactant, wherein at least about 67% of the anionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of Class A surfactants, Class C surfactants, and mixtures thereof, wherein the ratio of Class A surfactant to Class C is from about 4:1 to about 1.5:1, and wherein the total anionic surfactant comprises less than about 50% of the ammonium counter cation salt; from about 4% to about 8%, by weight of the cleansing composition, of a proton donating agent having a Biological Activity Index, Z, of greater than about 0.75 and wherein the proton donating agent is such that the composition is essentially free of C4-C20 alkyl fatty acid; a mildness enhancing agent selected from the group consisting of from about 20% to about 70%, by weight of the anionic surfactant, of a mildness enhancing cosurfactant; form about 0.1% to about 1.0%, by weight of the cleansing composition, of a mildness enhancing polymer; and mixtures thereof; and from about 35% to about 93.9%, by weight of the cleansing composition, of water; wherein the composition is adjusted to a pH of greater than about 3.5 and less than about 4.5. The invention also encompasses methods for cleansing, removing germs and decreasing the spread of transient Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria using the rinse-off antimicrobial cleansing compositions described herein.