A man has been putting his chemistry knowledge to good use, gaining popularity on TikTok for his videos where he conducts swab tests on various surfaces to determine their cleanliness.
Surface swab testing is a technique used to gather samples from surfaces in order to identify potential contaminants such as bacteria, mould, or proteins. This helps to evaluate the cleanliness and efficacy of cleaning and disinfection procedures.
In a recent TikTok video, Alex English, known online as 'howdirtyis', was seen boarding an unidentified commercial aircraft. Once seated in his seemingly spotless seat, he promptly took out his pre-labelled swab kits and began his experiment.
He demonstrated four separate tests on different surfaces. He started with the outer armrest of the aisle seat, ensuring he reached all the crevices before storing the swab in its test tube.
Alex then proceeded to test the tray table of his seat. With gloved hands, he carefully twisted the knob and swabbed the entire tray, before safely securing the swab in its test tube.
He repeated the process for the window shade, pulling it down to ensure full coverage, before moving onto his fourth swab which was reserved for the in-flight safety manual, which he opened and swabbed.
Alex next demonstrated the journey of his flight, starting from take-off and concluding with his arrival at the lab. Upon reaching his workspace, he processed the sample swabs onto clearly marked petri plates, which were then incubated to cultivate the bacteria, thereby revealing the extent of bacterial presence on the swabs.
So what did the tests reveal?
Later in the video, Alex unveiled the four petri dishes, presenting the findings one by one. The more growth on the dish, the higher the number of bacteria that were on the original swab.
He began with the armrest, disclosing a petri plate mostly engulfed in whitish bacterial colonies.
"I suggest a long-sleeved shirt," he advised in response to the findings.
Then came the window blind, exhibiting even greater bacterial proliferation, prompting Alex's observation: "I imagine the window is pretty bad too."
What, then, of the tray table where travellers commonly place their food and snacks? Mirroring the previous results, this petri dish too was swamped with white bacteria, indicating significant contamination.
"Those peanuts look even tastier now," Alex quipped while sharing the observations.
Yet the most alarming result was still to come from the in-flight safety manual's test. Here, the rampant bacterial growth had completely obscured any trace of the swab's path visible in other dishes.
"Absolutely coated," was Alex's concise verdict on this sample.
English (United States) ·