Do Lysol® Wipes Really Kill 99.9% of Bacteria?

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Erin Rhodea

Abstract or Description

It is accepted by most that disinfecting surfaces is an effective way to prevent the spread of illness and disease. There are many different products that are used as disinfectants, one of the most common being Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes. Lysol® claims that their wipes kill 99.9% of all bacteria. Within my research, I established if this statement was true and determined how effective Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes truly are. To accomplish this I used an Electron Scanning Microscope (SEM) to examine different surfaces before and after being disinfected with a Lysol® Disinfecting Wipe. I then compared the concentration of bacteria before disinfection and after. I found a decrease in bacteria concretion, however, I did not observe a decrease of 99.9% in every trial.

Mentor

Per Askeland, Carl Boehlert