Ever wonder where the dirtiest places in the school are? The AP and Regular Biology classes went around the school in one of their labs and tested various areas for bacteria; their results were surprising.
Contrary to what many would believe, the bathrooms actually did not make it to the list of places with the most bacteria. However, surprisingly enough, the markers in a Spanish room, the library mouse and keyboard, and an eyelash showed the most bacteria. Other areas that yielded lots of bacteria included a cell phone, a vending machine button, Mr. Jensen’s piano, the stair railings, an instrument, and the choir room’s water dispenser and fountain. Some areas even produced fungus, such as the art room’s storage room’s floor and the space bar on a keyboard in the library. So why did students find lots of bacteria in these areas and not in the cafeteria, bathroom, or weight room?
The areas we commonly see as dirty, such as the cafeteria, are cleaned on a regular basis so they essentially are some of the cleanest areas in the school. On the other hand, the areas of the school that are not really thought to be “dirty” and are not cleaned very often are where bacteria flourish.
So, the next time you’re about to reach out to touch something, think twice about it. You might be reaching into flourishing colonies of bacteria. If you must touch something, be sure to use hand sanitizer afterward since you don’t want that bacteria flourishing on you.