Do Green Cleaning Products Get Rid of Bacteria Better Than Ammonia Base Cleaner?

Overview

Objectives/Goals I am doing this project because I know now days everyone wants to be cool by going green, but is it worth it if it's not eliminating bacteria? Methods/Materials I used 20 petri dishes, and I tested bacteria from a bathroom doorknob and a kitchen sponge. The green cleaners I tested were Green Works and Mean Green and the two ammonia base cleaners I tested were Lysol and 409. My control variable was water. I first swabbed the bathroom doorknob then I swabbed it on the petri dish. Next I whole punched filter paper and dipped it into the cleaner. Finally, I placed it on the petri dish. I did these steps for all of my variables and with both of my bacteria. On day 3 I measured the inhibition rate then again I measured the inhibition rate on day 5. Results I found that Green cleaners do not decrease bacteria population at a higher rate than standard ammonia base cleaners. I also found that Lysol eliminated bacteria the best followed by 409 then Mean Green and finally Green Works. Conclusions/Discussion I found that even though Green Works was the most expensive cleaner it only worked as well as my control variable, which was water. I know it's important to save the environment, but if green cleaners don't eliminate bacteria, then the earth can be contaminated with so many bacteria.

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Product Science (Biological) (Junior Division Only) · Entry J2001

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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