Table of contentsIntroductionHypothesisMethodConclusionIntroductionBacteria are everywhere around us, even if we are unaware of their existence. It is common knowledge that bacteria exist, but it is easy for people to ignore this fact because we cannot actually observe their growth in surrounding areas. The bacteria colonies that spread vary by location and often tend to be more numerous in areas of higher traffic. As part of this trial, the growth and elimination of bacteria will be studied. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay These high-traffic areas are often used almost flawlessly throughout the day, as multiple people often use certain areas of the home on a daily basis. routine. Kitchens and bathrooms tend to be the areas of our homes where we pay attention to bacteria buildup, due to the various foods and transmission that occurs in these places. This begs the question: how can people ensure they are free from bacterial growth? According to a 2018 article by author Erika Rawes, kitchens and bathrooms tend to experience more bacterial growth than most places in a home. Door knobs, kitchen and bathroom sinks and faucets, refrigerator doors, bathroom floors and latrines appear to have the greatest bacterial growth due to the nature of their use. Kim Carollo explains that homes with pets also increase the varieties of bacteria that grow inside their homes. Carollo also emphasizes the importance of using proper cleaning products, as certain bacteria can make household members sick, or overpowering odors can be found in different areas due to clumps of bacteria. (Carollo, Kim. “Dirty Dogs: Homes with Bacteria-Laden Dogs.” HypothesisThe view was expressed that the bathroom floor next to the toilet was likely to be a bacteria collection area. Some cleaning products may be more effective at killing bacteria; however, with so many cleaning products available on the market, it is difficult to know which one will be most effective. Three chemicals were chosen for this experiment: Lysol disinfectant wipes. with hydrogen peroxide, Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner and isopropyl alcohol Lysol wipes containing hydrogen peroxide are considered the most effective chemical for eliminating bacteria around the toilet. The hydrogen peroxide agent will increase the likelihood of decreasing bacteria, as it is often used to kill bacteria by annihilating cell walls. The Lysol product also claims to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria. Of the three chemicals, I think isopropyl alcohol will kill the smallest amount of bacteria, as it is typically not used solely as a cleaning product and does not contain any chemicals that kill most bacteria. It is primarily used to kill surface bacteria for first aid purposes, but it evaporates quickly and will not have the same result as Lysol or scrubbing bubbles. MethodThe independent variable in this experiment are the active ingredients found in: Lysol Wipes (hydrogen peroxide) Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner (alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride) and compound70% isopropyl alcohol. These variables were used to define which cleaning agent would be most effective in eradicating bacteria. Three isolated locations on the floor and around the toilets, with apparently equally dirty surfaces, were selected. To ensure that each location was equal for accurate results, each area was swabbed, diluted with distilled water, and placed in three separate aerobic culture plates that were labeled prior to swabbing. Next, a sterile loop was used to streak the three agar plates before incubation. Then, the cultures were placed in an incubator for 48 hours and observed during this period. The dependent variable was determined using the chemicals mentioned above, namely: Lysol Wipes, Scrubbing Bubbles and Isopropyl Alcohol to clean the three chosen and previously swabbed areas. Control Area 1 was cleaned with Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner. The area was sprayed with Scrubbing Bubbles and scrubbed with a clean cloth for exactly 60 seconds. A swab from the newly cleaned area was taken and placed in the aerobic agar plate. This method was repeated for LysolWipes and isopropyl alcohol and no dilution was performed for any of these samples. Three new swabs and aerobic agar plates were used for this step of the experiment. Each agar plate was labeled accordingly and then streaked using a sterile loop before being placed in an incubator for 48 hours. The growth of the dependent variable was monitored over the 48-hour period. This would then be measured using colony forming units to determine the difference in bacteria growth before and after cleaning. Colony forming units are a method used to measure different types of cells, in this case bacterial cells, originating from one type of bacteria. It is used to measure the infestation of cellular bacteria in agar plates. In order to obtain an accurate count of bacteria growing on the agar plate samples before and after cleaning, CFUs were used and calculated by counting the bacterial colonies on each plate, multiplying by the dilution factor of the sample, then multiplying it by the plating dilution factor. For control samples, the sample dilution factor is 100 and the plating dilution factor is 1. If bacterial growth covers all or most of the agar plate, then it is counted for >1,000 colonies, which was the case for the control. board n°1. If bacterial growth covers at least ¾ of the agar plate, then it is counted as 1,000 colonies, which was the case for control plates 2 and 3. As few bacteria grew after cleaning the tested areas, these were counted individually. A bacterial colony can be identified in clumps and often looks like small circles. Each circle is counted separately and visually, in order to obtain the number. The same CFU calculation was used to count bacterial growth in the agar plates including samples from the cleaned areas. The confounding external variable was the possibility of different types of bacteria growing in the three separate locations. This was organized by making sure all areas contained the same types of bacteria. After the cultures remained in the incubator for 48 hours, they were removed to check if they were growing the same types of bacteria. To do this, the colonies from each plate were stained on three slides.