Dirtier Than You Think...

My name is Cheyenne, and this is my 2008 Science Fair. For those of you that have read my 2007 Science Fair Blog, this is my Year 8 work.

My idea for this year's Science Fair is to test the cleanliness of local cafes and restaurants by taking a sample off a cafe table using a sterile swab, and growing the bacteria with petri dishes and agar. This will provide a good environment of nutrition to let the bacteria grow.

My experiment will be a great way to test the cleanliness of these tables or if they should use a stronger antibacterial cleaning agent, to reduce the risk of getting a bacterial disease such as E Coli 0157. Often cutlery is placed straight onto the table or part of the cutlery is exposed or touches the table and then we eat off it. Sometimes food falls on the table and we eat it anyway, so it's important that the restaurant tables are clean.