The Effect of Tea Tree Oil, Method® Household Cleaner and Lysol® on Bacterial Growth
School Name
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Consumer Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
The purpose of this experiment is to test whether natural alternative cleaners can kill bacteria effectively compared to traditional chemical cleaners. Three different types of cleaners were used in this experiment: tea tree essential oil, Method, and Lysol. E.coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis were spread on two separate plates along with paper disks soaked in the respective cleaning solution. The plates were incubated for three days to allow for bacterial growth, and then they were examined after that period. Diameters for the zones of inhibition were measured, and the data was analyzed. The plates with tea tree oil performed the best across the board, with clear zones of inhibition on each plate for all three trials. The other two cleaners surprisingly were not great at preventing bacteria from growing, which was unexpected since the green cleaner and chemical cleaner are both marketed to the public as 99.9 % effective against common household bacterias. The data is not completely conclusive as some areas of the experiment were flawed; however, through further investigation a more concrete conclusion could be made about whether or not traditional chemical cleaners are actually more effective at treating bacteria than natural cleaners. While the tea tree oil was effective in this experiment, it is hard to tell if it is more effective than Method and Lysol from this one experiment.
Recommended Citation
Abernathy, Lilly, "The Effect of Tea Tree Oil, Method® Household Cleaner and Lysol® on Bacterial Growth" (2020). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 214.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2020/all/214
Location
Furman Hall 110
Start Date
3-28-2020 8:30 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
The Effect of Tea Tree Oil, Method® Household Cleaner and Lysol® on Bacterial Growth
Furman Hall 110
The purpose of this experiment is to test whether natural alternative cleaners can kill bacteria effectively compared to traditional chemical cleaners. Three different types of cleaners were used in this experiment: tea tree essential oil, Method, and Lysol. E.coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis were spread on two separate plates along with paper disks soaked in the respective cleaning solution. The plates were incubated for three days to allow for bacterial growth, and then they were examined after that period. Diameters for the zones of inhibition were measured, and the data was analyzed. The plates with tea tree oil performed the best across the board, with clear zones of inhibition on each plate for all three trials. The other two cleaners surprisingly were not great at preventing bacteria from growing, which was unexpected since the green cleaner and chemical cleaner are both marketed to the public as 99.9 % effective against common household bacterias. The data is not completely conclusive as some areas of the experiment were flawed; however, through further investigation a more concrete conclusion could be made about whether or not traditional chemical cleaners are actually more effective at treating bacteria than natural cleaners. While the tea tree oil was effective in this experiment, it is hard to tell if it is more effective than Method and Lysol from this one experiment.
