| Sponges | Antimicrobial sponges | Dishcloths | Dish mops |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
| 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 |
| Sponges | Antimicrobial sponges | Dishcloths | Dish mops | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solution #1 | 58 | 0 | 98 | 165 |
| Solution #2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| Solution #3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Sponges | Antimicrobial Sponges | Dishcloths | Dish mops | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solution #1 | ~1200 | 2 | ~2400 | ~3500 |
| Solution #2 | ~900 | 99 | 215 | ~2500 |
| Solution #3 | 76 | 36 | 128 | 2 |
The accuracy of the results depended on if the swabbing technique allowed enough of the surface to be sampled to pick up bacteria present, and the way the swab was held as it was smeared across the petri dish. It was also difficult to make sure the dishes were equally dirty.
The results would also be affected by the rinsing technique. It would be impossible to ensure that each material was rinsed thoroughly and in exactly the same manner, even though the same amount of solution (500 ml) was used to rinse each item.
The two results that do not fit with the rest of the the observations is that of the Antimicrobial Sponge (sol.#1) and Dish Mop (sol. #3) in part 3. They should have had more bacteria present due to the rest of the results obtained. Unfortunately, due to either the swabbing, rinsing, or sampling technique, the results were not accurate for those particular petri dishes.