The Effect of Different Disinfectants on the Hygienic Safety of Wrestling Mats
School Name
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Consumer Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Skin infections are common among wrestlers, often caused by improperly cleaned mats. These experiments evaluated and compared the effectiveness of different cleaners on wrestling mats surfaced with sweat and blood, by using petri dishes and swabs to see how much bacteria was killed by each cleaner. The common cleaners that were used during the experiment were: KenClean Plus, Mat Attack, and Mueller Whizzer. It was hypothesised that if one uses all the cleaners when disinfecting wrestling mats, then the Kenclean Plus Surface Cleaner will create the most hygienic surface on which to wrestle. Out of 15 schools asked, KenClean Plus and Mat Attack were the most common cleaners used by their wrestling teams with only two schools using Mueller Whizzer. The tests were done by taking a swab before and after a cleaner was used on the affected area. 27 tests were done in this project. 15 were controlled areas with the surface completely covered with sweat and three drops of cow blood. 9 were done in a regular practice setting. And 3 were performed in the inner circle of a mat during a wrestling meet. Of the 27 tests done, KenClean Plus killed -7.53% of bacteria on mat surfaces, Mat Attack killed -19.1% of bacteria, and Mueller Whizzer killed -31.6% of bacteria. Overall Mueller Whizzer is the superior disinfectant for killing bacteria on wrestling mats, which did not support the hypothesis.
Recommended Citation
Merritt, McIver, "The Effect of Different Disinfectants on the Hygienic Safety of Wrestling Mats" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 168.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/168
Location
Furman Hall 110
Start Date
3-28-2020 10:00 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Different Disinfectants on the Hygienic Safety of Wrestling Mats
Furman Hall 110
Skin infections are common among wrestlers, often caused by improperly cleaned mats. These experiments evaluated and compared the effectiveness of different cleaners on wrestling mats surfaced with sweat and blood, by using petri dishes and swabs to see how much bacteria was killed by each cleaner. The common cleaners that were used during the experiment were: KenClean Plus, Mat Attack, and Mueller Whizzer. It was hypothesised that if one uses all the cleaners when disinfecting wrestling mats, then the Kenclean Plus Surface Cleaner will create the most hygienic surface on which to wrestle. Out of 15 schools asked, KenClean Plus and Mat Attack were the most common cleaners used by their wrestling teams with only two schools using Mueller Whizzer. The tests were done by taking a swab before and after a cleaner was used on the affected area. 27 tests were done in this project. 15 were controlled areas with the surface completely covered with sweat and three drops of cow blood. 9 were done in a regular practice setting. And 3 were performed in the inner circle of a mat during a wrestling meet. Of the 27 tests done, KenClean Plus killed -7.53% of bacteria on mat surfaces, Mat Attack killed -19.1% of bacteria, and Mueller Whizzer killed -31.6% of bacteria. Overall Mueller Whizzer is the superior disinfectant for killing bacteria on wrestling mats, which did not support the hypothesis.
