Different Detergents on Stain Removal from Cotton Cloth

PURPOSE

The purpose of this experiment was to compare the effectiveness of different brands of detergent in removing stains from cotton cloth. 

I became interested in this idea when I got stains on my white cotton t-shirts. My mom washed them but the detergent she used didn’t always get the stain out.   T-shirts are expensive to replace and I wondered if I could find a better detergent.  

The information gained from this experiment would help homemakers, laundry services, hotels, hospitals, and others make better choices on which detergent to buy.

HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis was that Tide would remove the test stains most effectively.

I based my hypothesis on the recent studies in “Consumer Reports” (October 2005, page 6) that showed Tide was the most reliable detergent/stain remover.

I also based my hypothesis on a study by Carrie Jo Nevue, a former 7th grade student.  She also tested detergents and concluded that Tide detergent worked the best.  Terri Bauman, a homemaker for 21 years, also believes that Tide Detergent works the best in stain removal.

  

EXPERIMENT DESIGN

The constants in this study were:

•    The amount of detergent used (100 ml.) 

•    The temperature of water used 

•    The ingredients in the stain: Chocolate syrup, black coffee, purple grape juice, ravioli sauce, ketchup and mustard. 

•    The method of washing in-a washing machine.

•    The method of drying-in a drying machine.

The manipulated variable was the type of detergent.

The responding variable was whiteness of cloth.  

To measure the responding variable, I used a Hunter Reflectance Spectrophotometer (Colorimeter) to determine the “L” value (brightness.) 

   

MATERIALS

QUANTITY	ITEM DESCRIPTION
1	Colorimeter
1	Washing Machine
1	Drying Machine
100 ml	Ketchup
100 ml	Mustard
100 ml	Purple Grape Juice
100 ml	Ravioli Sauce
1	Plastic Spatula
1	Large Mixing Bowl
100 ml	Tide
100 ml	All
100 ml	Arm & Hammer
48	10 x 10 cm squares of 100% White Cotton
1	Pair of Scissors
100 ml	Black Coffee
100 ml	Chocolate syrup

   

PROCEDURES

1.     Buy white 100% cotton fabric from a fabric store 

2.     Wash fabric three times in washing machine to remove factory treatment

3.    Lay out the material and cut the cotton into 49  10 cm X 10 cm squares

4.    Leave one 10 X 10 cm square of 100% white cotton fabric out from getting stained

5.    Label the squares 

a.    A.1-A.12 

b.    H.1-H.12 

c.    T.1-T.12 

d.    W.1-W.12

e.    White control (no stain)

6.     Prepare stain, mix well for five minutes:

a.     100 ml. of ketchup 

b.     100 ml. of mustard 

c.    100 ml. of purple grape juice 

d.    100 ml. of ravioli sauce 

e.    100 ml. of chocolate syrup 

f.    100 ml. of black coffee

  

7.    Stain the 48  10 cm X 10 cm squares 

a.     Let fabric soak for two days (wait for 48 hours before performing the next step)

b.    Let the stained fabric dry after taking out of the bowl

8.    Set the Washing machine to Permanent Press with cold water wash

9.    Wash cotton squares as followed: 

a.    T.1-T.12 with 100 ml. of Tide

b.    A.1-A.12 with 100 ml. of All 

c.    H.1-H.12 with 100 ml. of Arm and Hammer

d.    W.1-W.12 with Water (no detergent at all)

10.    When cycle is done carefully place in the drying machine (keep

the drying machine on the same cycle as the washing machine)

11.    Repeat step #8 and #9 with a different detergent for other three groups

12.    After all washing and drying is done take the material to Tree Top’s Colorimeter. 

13.    Carefully measure the “L” level of each piece of fabric under the Colorimeter

14.    Record results.

RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to compare the effectiveness of different brands of detergent in removing stains from cotton cloth. 

The results of the experiment were that Tide’s “L” value was 81.49, Water Control’s “L” value was 79.40, All’s “L” value was 78.33, and Arm and Hammer’s “L” value was 78.98.  Tide with 81.49 was clearly the best.

CONCLUSION

My hypothesis was that Tide would remove the test stains most effectively. 

My hypothesis should be accepted, Tide worked the best as shown by the Colorimeter.

After thinking about the results of this experiment, I wonder if any if the affect results:

•    Different type of cloth (silk, linen, and wool)

•    Washing temperature (cold vs. warm)

•    Amount of detergent used (would 1/2 work as well)

If I were to conduct this project again I would use more cloth samples.  I would only use one stain at a time.  One group would be stained with only one thing and be washed with one specific detergent.  

I would test more detergents, including Tide, All, Cheer, Arm and Hammer, and Kirkland Signature detergent.  

I would use the stains: butter, ketchup, mustard, purple grape juice, and black coffee.  I wouldn’t do the ravioli sauce and the chocolate sauce because they aren’t really things you eat on an everyday basis.  

I would also have one more control group, a stained cloth with no washing to show how much the stain had actually been removed.

Researched by ----- Michelle B 

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Toxicity Threshold of Bleach Concentrations on Wheat Growth

PURPOSE

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the toxicity threshold of bleach on wheat.

I became interested in this idea because I love plants, I also know that my family uses bleach in our house, both when washing clothes and when disinfecting some items.  Water from the laundry goes into our septic tank and then into the drain field.  I wondered if that could hurt trees and other plants in our yard.  Bleach sprayed inside the house as a disinfectant could get into the air and possibly hurt houseplants.  I especially wanted to know how much bleach was too much for the plants to tolerate.

The information gained from this experiment could help farmers, the wheat processing industry, and families, because most eat a lot of wheat in everyday life. It would also warn users of bleach, especially industries like paper mills, about discharging bleach into the environment. 

HYPOTHESIS

My first hypothesis was that 10,000 ppm or 1.0 % bleach would meet the LC50 (50% die) toxicity level.

My second hypothesis was that 625 ppm or .0625% bleach would not meet the LC50 toxicity level.

My third hypothesis was that two concentrations would exist where the highest non-LC50 concentration would be ½ the strength of the lowest LC50 concentration.

I based my hypothesis on a previous science project done by Thomas Hepner in 2004 (determining the toxicity threshold concentration of herbicide on radishes). I also based my hypothesis on what I have read. 

“People also use some bleaches as disinfectants.” Howard L. Needle (in the article “Bleach” on www.worldbook.com) says. In other words, people use bleaches to Kill germs and other organisms.

EXPERIMENT DESIGN

The constants in this study were:

•    The amount of water given to each plant (5 ml. every 3 days)

•    The room temperature (20 degrees Celsius)

•    The depth that the seeds were planted (1cm.)

•    The type of light (fluorescent light with two 40 watt “GroLux”

bulbs) 

•    How far away the light was from the soil

•    The amount of bleach water given to the wheat every 3 days (5ml)

The manipulated variable was the concentration of bleach put on

the wheat.

The responding variables was the biomass of the wheat.

To measure the responding variable, I measured the growth of the wheat from the top of the soil to the tip of the wheat. Then I weighed the wheat in grams (g) to see how much biomass it has.

MATERIALS

QUANTITY	ITEM DESCRIPTION
6 (about)	Syringe
2	Plastic plant holders
1	Fluorescent light
2	40 watt “GroLux” bulbs
1	Bag of planting soil
580 (about)	Seeds of wheat
Various Amounts	Pure well water
1	Bottle of bleach
1	Timer

                            

PROCEDURES

1.    Plant the Wheat

a)    Fill all 72 cells in plastic planting tray with planting soil, but don’t pack too tightly.

b)    Mark a pencil point exactly 1 cm. from its point with a permanent marker.

c)    Poke four equally spaced holes 1 cm. deep into the soil in each cell.

d)    Place one wheat seed into each hole.

e)    Cover holes with soil and pack lightly

f)    Repeat all steps above for second planting tray.

2.    Start Growing Process (Day 0)

a)    Water each cell with pure well water until soil is totally soaked. 

b)    Allow excess water to drain through each cell. If this does not happen each time after watering the wheat, the roots will rot.

c)    Place trays evenly spaced under fluorescent light with two 40 watt “GroLux” bulbs.  Bulbs should be 30 cm. above soil.

d)    Light should be attached to a timer so it is on for 16 hours a day.

e)    Water each cell every 3 days with 5 ml of pure well water, until wheat sprouts and is 1 cm tall on average.

3.    Mix the Chlorine Solutions.

a)    Using the graduated cylinder measure 990 ml of “pure” well water into a 1 liter beaker.

b)    Measure 10 ml of chlorine bleach and add that to the beaker.  This creates 1000 ml. of 1% or 10,000 ppm concentration (10/1000 = 1.0% = 10,000 ppm)

c)    Pour 500 ml. of this mixture into a plastic storage bottle and label “10,000 ppm”

d)    Leave the remaining 500 ml. of this 10,000 ppm mixture in the beaker and dilute it with 500 ml of well water. This creates 1000 ml. of 0.5% or 5,000 ppm concentration.  This is one-half as strong as the previous mixture.

e)    Pour 500 ml. of this mixture into a plastic storage bottle and label “5,000 ppm”

f)    Leave the remaining 500 ml. of this 5,000 ppm mixture in the beaker and dilute it with 500 ml of well water. This creates 1000 ml. of 0.25% or 2,500 ppm concentration.  This is one-half as strong as the previous mixture.

g)    Pour 500 ml. of this mixture into a plastic storage bottle and label “2,500 ppm”

h)    Leave the remaining 500 ml. of the 2,500 ppm mixture in the beaker and dilute it with 500 ml of well water. This creates 1000 ml. of 0.125% or 1,250 ppm concentration.  This is one-half as strong as the previous mixture.

i)    Pour 500 ml. of this mixture into a plastic storage bottle and label “1,250 ppm”

j)    Leave the remaining 500 ml. of the 1,250 ppm mixture in the beaker and dilute it with 500 ml of well water. This creates 1000 ml. of 0.0625% or 625 ppm concentration.  This is one-half as strong as the previous mixture.  This is the smallest dilution planned for this experiment.

k)    Pour 500 ml of this mixture into a plastic storage bottle and label “625 ppm” Discard the remainder.

l)    Measure 500 ml of pure well water and pour it into a plastic storage bottle and label “Control – 0 ppm” 

m)    Label all of the cells, then treat according to their label of concentration.

 4.    Water the Plants

a)    Water the 24 cells in the “Control” zone of the planter with 10ml of water from its matching water container. 

b)    Water the 24 cells in the “10,000 ppm” zone of the planter with 10ml of water from its matching water container.

c)    Water the 24 cells in the “5,000 ppm” zone of the planter with 10ml of water from its matching water container.

d)    Water the 24 cells in the “2,500 ppm” zone of the planter with 10ml of water from its matching water container.

e)    Water the 24 cells in the “1,250 ppm” zone of the planter with 10ml of water from its matching water container. 

f)    Water the 24 cells in the “625 ppm” zone of the planter with 10ml of water from its matching water container.

g)    Repeat steps “4-A through 4-5” in three days, but water with only 5ml.

h)    Water the plants every third day until 5 weeks are over.

5. Finding the Mass

a)    Use a triple beam balance to measure the mass of the wheat.Pull all plants in one group (zone) out of the soil (not all at the same time) with care, make sure to pull the wheat out by the roots.

b)    Then wash the soil off of each strip of wheat.

c)    Then dry the wheat off with a paper towel, try not to damage the plants.

d)    Then weigh the plants.

e)    Count the number of plants in each group.

f)    Divide total mass for each group by the number of plants in each group to calculate the average mass.

g)    Compare results.

  

RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine the toxicity threshold of bleach on wheat.

For the control group there were 66 wheat stalks (69%) survived, with a total mass of 2.7 grams, and an average mass of .040 grams.

For the 625 ppm group there were 65 wheat stalks (68%) survived, with a total mass of 2.6 grams, and an average mass of .040 grams.

For the 1,250 ppm group there were 62 wheat stalks (65%) survived, with a total mass of 2.4 grams, and an average of .038 grams.

For the 2,500 ppm group there were 56 wheat stalks (58%) survived, with a total mass of 2.0 grams, and an average of .035 grams.

For the 5,000 ppm group there were 49 wheat stalks (51%) survived, with a total mass of 1.6 grams, and an average of .032 grams.

For the 10,000 ppm group there were 46 wheat stalks (48%) survived, with a total mass of 1.4 grams, and an average of .030 grams.

CONCLUSION

My 1st hypothesis was that 10,000 ppm or 1.0% bleach would meet the LC50 (50% die) toxicity level.

The results indicate that my 1st hypothesis should be accepted, because the 10,000 ppm group did reach the LC50 level.

My 2nd hypothesis was that 625 ppm or .0625% bleach would Not meet the LC50 toxicity level.

The results indicate that my 2nd hypothesis should be accepted because 65% survived.

My 3rd hypothesis was that two concentrations would exist where the highest non-LC50 concentration would be ½ the strength of the lowest LC50 concentration.

The results indicate that my 3rd hypothesis should be accepted because in my 5,000 ppm group (highest non-LC50 level), there were 51% that survived, and in my 10,000 ppm group (lowest LC50 level), there were only 48% that survived.

After thinking about the results of this experiment, I wonder if a very small amount of bleach would actually help the wheat grow.

Perhaps by keeping mold in the soil. Also testing bleach concentrations on a different type of plant. Like tomatoes or soybeans would be worthwhile. 

If I were to conduct this project again I would make a larger amount of each bleach concentration (500ml) so I wouldn’t have to re-make it so often. I would also grow many more plants per group. I would grow them outside in the sunlight in the spring. I would also grow the wheat 2-3 times longer (or until the seed heads become ripe) before I weighed them.

Researched by ----- Mary Michael G

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