Effectiveness of Commercial and Homemade Cleaning Products on Preventing White Bread Microbial Growth

Abstract

Commercial cleaning agents are regularly used in disinfecting or general cleaning in many households. Two of the most common cleaning products, Lysol and Clorox, were tested against a homemade product made of a simple mixture of baking soda, dish soap, and white vinegar. Their effectiveness was studied by observing the amount of microbial growth on preservative-free white bread over a period of 12 days. The control group with only water showed the highest amount of mold growth. Besides the control, bread that was sprayed with Clorox product showed the most amount of mold growth, followed by Lysol. The homemade mixture was observed to have the lowest microbial growth out of all treatments. The p-value for ANOVA statistical analysis was p=0.1199. This research provides insight to consumers for better understanding of which products to purchase with the goal of best disinfecting results in mind.