The Effect of Laundary Detergent on Stain Removal

Researched by Maria R.
2003-04

PURPOSE

The purpose of this experiment was to determine which detergent would remove the stains from white cotton cloth most effectively

I became interested in this idea when I noticed that my pants had food stains on them. I panicked because I didn’t know what detergent would help remove the stains .So I thought why not to take this chance to test which detergent would remove stains the best.

The information gained from this experiment will help many consumers who’d like to know which detergent does most efficiently remove stains.

HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis was that Tide would be the most effective at removing the stains from the
white cotton cloth.

I based my hypothesis on a statement made by Maria G. Rosales, a homemaker, who has been dong laundry for over fifteen years. She believes that Tide will be the most efficient removing any stains from cotton cloth.

EXPERIMENT DESIGN

* The type of stain (mustard, black coffee, ketchup, and cranberry juice mixture).
* The amount of stain put onto each piece of cloth.
* The amount of time each clothe is washed.
* The washing cycle used to wash the cotton cloth.
* The type of cloth (100% cotton).
* The temperature of water the clothes are washed.
* The drying cycle.
* The amount of different detergents used per wash.
* The colorimeter used to determine the whiteness of each piece of cloth that has been washed.
* The size of each piece of cloth.
* Amount of time stain is allowed to dry. 

The manipulated variable was the type of detergent 

The responding variable was the amount of stain removed. 

To measure the responding variable I used a colorimeter to determine the whiteness value of each piece of cloth.

MATERIALS

QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION
1 Colorimeter
1 Spatula
1 Medium sized bowl
10 ml.
Of Ketchup
10 ml. Of Mustard
10 ml. Of Cranberry Juice
10 ml. Of Black Coffee
1 Camera
1 Dryer
1
Washer Machine
1 Box of Oxy Clean detergent
1 Box of Tide detergent
1
Box of Gain detergent
1 Box of Sunn detergent

PROCEDURES

1. First, wash the cloth to remove factory treatments.
2. Next, cut the white cotton cloth into 60, 10 cm by 10 cm. squares.
3. Then, label each piece of cloth with the detergent being tested.
4. After that, use a medium size bowl to mix together 70 ml.each of ketchup, mustard, cranberry juice, and black coffee.
5. Using a spatula mix together the ingredients.
6. Measure 10 ml. stain and pour onto center of cloth square.
7. Repeat for all squares.
8. Make sure you let the pieces of cloth dry for at least 24 hours.
9. Then, wash ten of the stained pieces of cloth at a time, using different detergents for each set of cloths being washed.
10. Make sure that the settings for each set of cloths being washed is the same for all.
11. After all the sets of cloth are washed using the four different detergents, place them in a dryer to dry all forty pieces of cloth together.
12. Record all observations.
13. Take clothing to colorimeter to test for whiteness.

RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine which laundry detergent would help remove stains the most effectively.

The results of the experiment were that Oxy Clean was the most efficient at removing the stains off the white cotton cloth.

See the table and graph below.

CONCLUSION

My hypothesis was that Tide would be most effective removing the stains from the white cotton cloth. 

The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected, because Oxy Clean got the stained cloths whiter.

Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if I had used different detergents and stains would the results would have remained the same.

If I were to conduct this project again I would use more stains that are more commonly seen as stains on peoples clothing. I would have tested more cloth samples in each group. I would also have tested each stain separately instead of as a mixture.


 

RESEARCH REPORT

Introduction
Detergents are needed in our society to help us keep clean and healthy. Detergents are used to clean and wash away stains that are found in clothes and other items.

Stains 
A stain is oil, dirt, food, grease, and beverages that might cause a dirty soiled surface area that appears on cloth. Three common stains are caused by ketchup, mustard, and coffee
* Ketchup is usually red and made from tomatoes.
* Mustard is usually yellow and made from mustard seeds.
* Coffee is usually blackish ?brownish and is made out of coffee beans, water, and sometimes sugar.

Detergents
Detergents are used to clean dirty or soiled surfaces. In most households, detergents are used to wash and clean laundry. Detergents and soaps sometimes carry a cleaning agent called a surfactant. Surfactants are made of molecules that attach to dirt particles in dirty areas of cloth materials. The molecules pull dirt particles out of the cloth material and hold them in the water until they are rinsed. Our clothes are usually washed with detergents to help remove food stains and dirt.

Soap
Soaps are substances used to wash many things. Soaps are made of water, lye, oils, and fat. Soaps come in two forms bars and powder. Soap also has a cleaning agent called a surfactant or surface-active agent. Some soaps contain other chemicals like perfumes and coloring agents. Soaps and detergents clean in much the same way.

Cotton
Cotton is the most frequently used of all plant fibers. The cotton plant has many parts that are useful but the most important part is the fiber or lint. Cotton fibers are used to mostly make clothing. Cotton clothing also happens to be the only type of cloth that can absorb moisture in its center moving moisture away from the person or wearer’s skin. 

Washing Machine 
A washing machine is used to wash clothing to remove stains that may be caused by food, dirt, and or other things. It is a machine used to wash, rinse, and almost dry the clothing being washed. The washing machine contains an inner perforated basket that holds laundry. In order for the washing machine to operate correctly it has to be loaded with the laundry being washed. Second you’ve got to add the detergent, and finally the person operating the machine chooses the desired settings for the washing machine. The washing machine has many settings like, water levels, water temperatures, and the speed of the wash and rinse cycles. 

Hunter Reflectance Spectrophotometer (Colorimeter)
A colorimeter is a machine used to measure the light intensity and color. Treetop, an apple juice producing company, uses this machine to examine their juices to make sure they are the right color, so they are ready to be sold in stores. The colorimeter measure the color percentage which are L, A, and B, and are on a scale of 0-100. The “A” scale measures green vs. red. The “B” scale measures yellow vs. blue. The “L” scale is whiteness, with zero being black and 100 being white. The colorimeter also has a hole at the top that permits a light to come through. This light shines on the sample and a photo sensor determines the lightness or darkness of the object being tested.

Summary
Detergents are important because they keep us clean, feeling fresh, and most important of all healthy.

 
 

BIBLIOGRPHY
“ Alkaline” The World Book Encyclopedia, 2002

“Cotton” The World Book Encyclopedia, 2002

“Phosphates” The World Book Encyclopedia, 2002

“Detergents” The World Book Encyclopedia, 2002

“Soap” The World Book Encyclopedia, 2002

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
* My parents for helping me glue things on my board, buying all my materials, driving me to my after school classes to type my paper work, and for supporting me in conducting this experiment. 
* Mr. Newkirk for helping me answer all my questions, helping me with my board, staying for numerous times after school to help and give me advice, and for helping me improve my data display.
* Mrs. Helms for helping me solve my problems with the computers, answering my questions, and also for staying after school to help me.
* My cousins and sisters for helping me take pictures and helping me improve my board.
* Debbie Briesmeister, a scientist at Tree Top, who showed me how to use the colorimeter and who made all of my data possible for this experiment.

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