Darby Noblett's first-place science fair project could help keep people's kitchens clean and bacteria-free.

Noblett, a sixth-grade student at Indian Land Middle School, won first place in the school and second place in the districtwide science fair. Her project, called '"Is it Clean or Dirty?" tested six household cleaners to see which performed the best.

To test the products, Noblett donned rubber gloves and spread raw ground beef on a board divided into six sections. She left the beef for one day, cleaned each section with a different cleaner, and swabbed the cleaned sections with a sterile swab.

She used the sterile swab to clean a petri dish and then waited three days to see how many bacteria colonies grew. Norblett suspected that Lysol would be the best household cleaner and was surprised when a 10 percent bleach solution killed the most bacteria.

A white vinegar solution was the second best cleaner, she said.

"I was very surprised," Noblett said.

Science is one of Noblett's favorite subjects, she said. She entered the science fair for extra credit not knowing it was also a districtwide contest.

Noblett competed against students with projects that tested the best electric conductors, measured barometer readings and asked a variety of science-related questions.

Winning the contest for her school and placing second in the district was a surprise bonus, she said.

"It makes me feel like I can do more than I think I can."