Basic researchPerfect cleaning: wash, wipe or spray? When your hands are dirty do you reach for soap, hand sanitizer or a wipe? In this experiment I decided to put these hand cleaning methods to the test by scrubbing my hands with bacteria and then wetting them with hand cleanser. This report will cover what bacteria is, how soap and water kill bacteria, and the origin of hand sanitizer. What are bacteria? Bacteria are tiny, single-celled organisms found everywhere (“What are Bacteria? What are Bacteria?” 2009). It is impossible to escape bacteria. They are everywhere. They are in your stomach and in the air. Some bacteria are beneficial while others can kill (“Bacteria and Hand Washing”). The most common bacteria found on hands are Staphylococcus epidermis or Staph. Staph is harmless when it is only on the hands, but if it enters the body through a cut it can be very dangerous for the bacteria. From the kitchen sink to the coffee cup, everything is covered in bacteria. Imagine how many bacteria are on your hands right now (Gavin)! Hand Sanitizer The idea of ​​hand sanitizer has exploded from a joke to a $175 million business. Now, when you walk into a store, hand sanitizer dominates the shelves. Does hand sanitizer work too? A recent study concluded that while hand sanitizer removes germs, it cannot eliminate dirt or grime. So, you could only really wash your hands with hand sanitizer after washing them with soap (Kelly, Krucik). Why should you wash your hands? Cleaning and washing your hands is the best way to prevent the spread of germs and bacteria. You touch millions of objects a day and each object has millions of bacteria. According to a recent study, hand sanitizer cannot eliminate dirt or grime. So, you could really only use hand sanitizer after you've already washed your hands (Collier