IsiahR

= Hand Sanitizer Vs. Mr. Clean = The purpose of my bio project was to see whether purell hand sanitizer works and kills bacteria more effectively than frequently used house hold cleaning products, which I found to be Mr. Clean antibacterial soap. This experiment not only interested me because it is a hands on experiment, which I have always wanted to conduct myself but also because I was interested in testing the different products and seeing whether the companies advertise the effectiveness of their products against bacteria precisely or if they are just trying to sell their product. toc

Goals
My goal for this project was to learn more about the growth and formation of bacteria colonies on an petri dish, but I also wanted to learn how effective everyday cleaning products and sanitizer work. The purpose was to again, learn more about bacteria and how certain cleaning agents work, but also to learn about bacteria. My hypothesis was that the hand sanitizer would kill and neutralize the bacteria more effectively.

Discoveries
As I researched more about my topic I learned that sanitizer are more effective at killing bacteria because the ingredients in the sanitizer actually neutralizes the cell wall of the bacteria, which allows the alcohols to destroy any DNA, proteins, etc. in the cell. Antibacterial soaps, such as Mr. Clean do not actually kill bacteria, the solutions and ingredients attract the dead skin, oils, and other organic material on the hands, which bacteria are drawn to and it surrounds the organic material along with the bacteria, and with the help of water it essentially slides off the skin. So antibacterial soaps do not kill bacteria they just get rid of the bacteria by removing it. Conducting my experiment I learned how to collect and successfully grow bacteria colonies in a petri dish, which is a small plate filled with agar nutrients (sugars, salts, and sometimes different protein extracts). My hypothesis was proved correct once I collected all my data, but I was surprised at how many bacteria colonies had been killed in the petri dishes with the Mr. Clean, because based on my research antibacterial soaps don't kill bacteria. After this experience I can definitely respect how much work and effort scientist put into their labs, but also how responsible and careful you have to be conducting the experiment because there are so many chances to make experimental errors.

Challenges
Some of the challenges I faced during my experiment was first getting time and space to conduct my lab. The bio classrooms were full of other kids doing their labs and experiments so it was challenging finding space. The sooner you start your experiment or project the better off you'll be because it will give you a chance to get first dibs on the materials and space that you need to conduct the experiment. Another challenge I faced was keeping track of all the materials I had and making sure that there wasn't any cross contamination between the different bacteria colonies.

Looking back
Looking back I would start my experiment earlier, even if it was a couple of days earlier because then I would have been able to get my materials and the space I need before other people claimed them. My topic was a pretty tough one because there isn't a lot of research on it, but if the topic you choose has research just make sure you can learn as much about it as possible and make sure that it is interesting to you, because when it comes time to present your power point you will already have the knowledge and interest to speak about it intelligently.

Keyboard bacteria after have been applied with products Hand bacteria after products had been applied Some areas I collected bacteria from...

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[|__http://www.livestrong.com/article/58819-hand-sanitizers-kill-bacteria/__]

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