Science Fair Experiment: 12/10/09 Biology Period 4 Science Fair PowerPoint

Purpose/Big Question: The purpose of this experiment is to determine which cleaning substance out of Tilex, Windex, and Lysol, kills bacteria and mold most thoroughly. The reason I chose to do this experiment was because I often have mold/bacteria growing in my bathroom and I would like to eliminate the mold/bacteria. I will test this by spraying each of the substances on a section of mold, wiping it and then seeing which substance removes most mold/bacteria.

Hypothesis: The Lysol will kill the mold/bacteria most effectively. In my research, I have learned that Lysol kills 99.9% of germs when used as directed. It also disinfects, cleans and shines bathroom surfaces. By using Lysol on the section of mold/bacteria selected, I will be able to determine if it does, in fact, remove most of the mold/bacteria.

Interesting Facts From Research: Slime mold is the only type of mold that can move. Black mold, if inhaled will grow in your lungs until you suffocate to death. Penicillium notatum is a type of mold used for antibiotics. It is commonly known as penicillin. Aflatoxin is a cancer causing poison produced by mold and is a food contaminate (used by Iraq on the Kurds). The mycotoxin (poison) producing fungi Alternaria and Aspergillus were found in six brands of cigarettes. Some of the nine different species of Aspergillus found in Egyptian chewing tobacco in the early 1990’s are known producers of poisons that cause cancer. Infants born in mold “season” are three times more likely to develop asthma. Mold destroys more wood each year than fires, floods, and termites combined.

Experiment: Materials: Mold/Bacteria (included in bathtub/shower) Tilex (about one spray) Lysol (about one spray) Windex (about one spray) Gloves (for handling mold/bacteria and cleaning products) Scrubber (for wiping mold with cleaning substance Water ( to clean scrubber out with) Procedures: 1. Find mold/bacteria. Mold/bacteria in bathroom will work most effectively 2. Find three different areas of mold that have equal amounts (in bathroom) 3. Put gloves on, as to not harm hands while handling mold/bacteria and cleaning products 4. Soak scrubber with water and then ring out. 5. Put about one spray of Tilex on the mold/bacteria selected. 6. Take the scrubber and wipe gently across the mold/bacteria sprayed with Tilex about three times. 7. Check to see if any mold is removed. Record observations 8. Repeat steps 4-7 using the Windex and Lysol Variables and Control: The variables of this experiment are the types of cleaning substances used and the amount sprayed. Another is where the mold/bacteria was as well as how much was in the specific place. The control of the experiment was the gloves, water, and scrubber used.

Observations: From this experiment I have observed that the mold/bacteria was not removed every time with all the cleaning substances. I also observed that different amount of mold were removed from each section of mold with cleaning substances. I noticed that the amount of cleaning spray put on affected the amount of mold that came off (I was only able to get about one spray for each section of mold, it is impossible for each one to have exactly one spray and have all of them have equal amounts). I observed that there were different amounts of mold/bacteria in the three sections that I chose to conduct my experiment on.

Data Collected: I found mold/bacteria in my bathroom/tub. There were three sections of mold there. Once I scrubbed the Tilex onto the mold/bacteria, I found that most of the mold/bacteria was gone. After thoroughly cleaning the scrubber, I used it to scrub the section of mold/bacteria sprayed with Lysol. I found that barely any of the mold/bacteria in that section was removed. After again cleaning the scrubber, I wiped the section of mold sprayed with Windex. I found that no mold/bacteria was removed from that section.

Analysis of Data: I found that the Tilex had removed most of the mold/bacteria out of all of the cleaning products that I used. This experiment tested my hypothesis by showing which cleaning product removed most mold/bacteria. This is because I used each cleaning product and to see which removed the most mold/bacteria.

Conclusion: My hypothesis (Lysol will remove the most mold/bacteria) was incorrect. In fact, the Tilex removed most of the mold/bacteria. If I could change anything about this experiment I would change how much mold/bacteria was grown. That would change how much mold/bacteria was removed from the selected spot. I could also change the type of cleaning products used. I could have found another place to get rid of the mold/bacteria instead of the bathroom. A new question I have from this experiment is why did the Tilex remove the mold/bacteria effectively. Another question would be if the outcome would be different if I conducted the experiment during a different time of day or with a different amount of mold/bacteria.

References: cleaner acteria.html cleaners/bathroom-cleaner