Elementary school teachers found an interesting science project on the internet that could help to demonstrate the importance of hand-washing to their students. They decided to do the same experiment together with their students in the class. The children were happy to take part because everyone was curious to know how many germs live on their hands. For the experiment they needed: a loaf of white bread, some hermetic bags, laptops, disinfectant, soap and water. The results were so shocking it was impossible to keep them secret, so they shared what they discovered on Facebook.

The students of an elementary school did an experiment

They checked how dirty their hands were with the help of a few pieces of bread.

Teachers Jaralee Metcalf and Dayna Robertson, together with their students, did an experiment to demonstrate to kids the importance of washing their hands with soap and water. They found it on the website for a children’s hospital and thought that flu season was the perfect time for it.

The piece of bread was wiped on a Chromebooks

This piece of bread was almost completely covered in grey mold, and disintegrating. Teachers say that they do sanitize their laptops regularly, but the devices still have germs.

The untouched piece of bread

The second piece of bread wasn’t touched by anyone, and three weeks later it still looks pretty fresh!

The piece of bread touched by kids with unwashed hands

Children didn’t wash their hands and touched this tiny helpless piece of bread, leaving lots of germs. The results didn’t take long to show: the bread was soon covered with awful mold spots.

This piece was touched by hands that were washed with warm water and soap

You can see an amazing result here! Regularly washing your hands with soap and warm water really does perform miracles!

The piece that was touched by hands that had used hand sanitizer

As it turns out, hand sanitizer doesn’t prevent germs from spreading. The most resistant of them still survive and keep on doing their dirty business.

The experiment demonstrated the magical power of soap and water. Students from other classes also came by to see the moldy pieces of bread to find out what the best way to wash their hands is. And the teachers recommended that parents pay more attention to their children’s hygiene because their health depends on it.