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Hand Soap vs. Hand Sanitizer
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Nicholas Robless
Honors Biology Hr. 2
Mrs. Schlatter
March 7th, 2011
Table of Contents
Title Page – 1
Title, author, hour, teacher, and submitted date
Table of Contents – 2
Page numbers and page information
Abstract – 3
Summary of research project
Review of Literature – 4
Research and information on topic
Lab Write-Up – 5
Setup, procedure, and lab results
Bibliography – 9
MLA citations
2
Abstract
This project was designed to test if hand soap or hand sanitizer is more effective at
cleaning hands. As with many people I’ve spoken to, I believed that hand soap would work
better. To conduct the experiment, I washed one hand with soap and one hand with hand
sanitizer, recorded with a black light, and repeated every 24 hours, for three days. In the end,
though, hand sanitizer turned out to be considerably more effective than soap was.
VS
3
Review of Literature
Subject/Topic
Effectiveness of hand soap vs. the effectiveness of hand sanitizer on common germs
History
1700s – Soap invented
1832 – Palm kernel oil added to soap to make it more efficient
1933 – Synthetic detergents invented
1946 – Hand sanitizer invented for rubber factory workers
1988 – Hand sanitizer made available to consumers with Purell
Current Information
Hand sanitizer uses alcohol to kill bacteria
Soap and water is needed to get off body fluids and dirt
Proper hand washing requires 2 minutes
Most people wash their hands for 30 seconds
Important Terminology
Ethyl alcohol – depressant and antiseptic
4
Lab Write-Up
Problem/Question Is soap or hand sanitizer better at killing germs?
Hypothesis If soap is used, then more germs will be killed.
Variables
Independent Variable – Antimicrobial agent (soap or hand sanitizer)
Dependent Variable – Amount of germs left on hand
Constants – Time between tests, brand of soap/sanitizer, amount used, time spent washing
Groups
Control Group – Germs measured before each hand washing
Experimental Group – Germs left on each hand after soap/hand sanitizer is used
Materials
1 lab assistant
1 bottle of CVS Pharmacy Instant Hand Sanitizer w/ Aloe
1 bottle of Target Up & Up Moisturizing Hand Soap
1 towel
1 handheld black light
5
Procedure
1. Move materials to usable position near sink
2. Turn off the lights
3. Use the black light to observe and record percent of hands covered in germs
4. Turn on the lights
5. Have lab assistant wash your left hand with dime-sized amount of soap for 30 seconds
6. Dry left hand
7. Have lab assistant wash your right hand with hand sanitizer for 30 seconds
8. Dry right hand
9. Repeat steps 2-4 once, recording each hand separately
10. Wait 24 hours (carry on with daily routine)
11. Repeat 1-10 once
12. Repeat 1-9 once
13. Clean up sink and materials
Data Table
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average
Before washing 70% 70% 75% 72%
After soap 45% 42% 35% 41%
After sanitizer 35% 35% 35% 35%
Results
Quantitative:
The average percent of germs before washing was 72%
The average percent of germs after using soap was 41%.
The average percent of germs after using hand sanitizer was 35%.
Qualitative:
On the first two trials, hand sanitizer visibly killed more germs
On the last trial, there was no observable difference between soap and hand sanitizer
On average, hand sanitizer killed more germs than soap did.
Conclusion
The test on whether or not soap is more effective than sanitizer was conclusive. My
hypothesis that when soap is used, then more germs are killed is proved false, because hand
sanitizer killed more germs. Possible errors include the exact timing of the experiment, different
daily activities, or how much soap/sanitizer was used. This experiment is applicable to real life,
as most people rely on hand washing to prevent the spread of germs. Future studies may
include a larger and longer-term experiment with many groups of people.
8
Bibliography
Ellis-Christensen, Tricia. “How Does Hand Sanitizer Work?” WiseGeek. 2 January 2011. 6 March
2011. <[Link]
Pollick, Michael. “Is Hand Sanitizer Better Than Soap?” WiseGeek. 4 February 2011. 6 March
2011. <[Link]
Bumpres, Bianca. “Liquid Soap Ingredients.” eHow. 1 January 2010. 6 March 2011.
<[Link]
Pandey, Kundan. “Hand Sanitizer Ingredients.” Buzzle. Publication date unknown. 6 March
2011. <[Link]
Warren. “The History of Hand Sanitizer.” Hand Sanitizer Store. 12 February 2010. 6
March 2011. <[Link]
gel/history-of-hand-sanitizer/>
Mohr, Merilyn. “History of Soap.” Denali Dreams. January/February 2002. 6 March 2011.
<[Link]
sanitizer/>