The Effect of Various Carpet Cleaners on Stains
Photo of Cierra at Mid Columbia Science Fair

Researched by Cierra P.
2005-06



PURPOSE

The purpose of this project was to find out which brand of carpet cleaner removed stain most efficiently.

I became interested in this idea when I watched competing carpet cleaner commercials that all claimed to be the best, so I wanted to find out which really was the best.

The information gained from this experiment could inform consumers about which brand of carpet cleaner would be the best choice to remove their carpet stains best.

HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis was that Resolve brand would remove the stain best.

I based my hypothesis on a science project that was done by Bryanna Bruskland in 2002-2003. Her project title was “The Effect of Carpet Cleaners on Stain Removal”. She said that the whiteness was highest when using Resolve brand.

EXPERIMENT DESIGN

The constants in this study were:
•    Type and color of carpet
•    Stain mixture
•    Amount of stain used on carpet
•    Size of carpet squares
•    Drying time
•    Amount of carpet cleaner applied
•    Method for using cleaner
•    Method of measuring stain removal

The manipulated variable was the brand of the carpet cleaner.

The responding variable was the amount of stain remaining on the carpet. 

To measure the responding variable, I used the colorimeter at a local lab to determine the whiteness of the carpet squares.
  
MATERIALS


Quantity
 Item Description
21
 10x10cm carpet squares (white)
1
 Bottle of Resolve
1
 Bottle of Woolite
1
 Bottle of Oxi Clean
1
 Knife to cut carpet
1
 Roll of paper towels
1
 Box of Ziploc plastic bags
1
 Black permanent marker
1
 Jug of purple grape juice
1
 Pound of black coffee
1
 Timer
1
 Pair of plastic gloves
1
 Camera
1
 Large bowl
1
 Ruler (in cm)
1
 Colorimeter
1
 Wooden spoon
1
 Ml dropper


PROCEDURES

1.    Collect all materials.

2.    Mix stain.
   a.    Get large bowl.
   b.    Make 350 ml of black coffee.
   c.    Mix 350 ml black coffee and 250 ml grape juice in bowl with wooden spoon.

3.    Cut carpet squares
   a.    Purchase white carpet.
   b.    Cut into 21 10x10 cm squares.

4.    Stain carpet.
   a.    Take 10 ml stain from bowl with dropper.
   b.    Slowly drop onto center of one carpet square.
   c.    Rub into carpet with finger for 15 seconds.
   d.    Repeat steps B and C on 18 carpet squares (but leave three control squares unstained).

5.    Clean stained carpet.
   a.    Apply 1.4 ml of cleanser of stain on one carpet square.
   b.    Scrub cleanser for 30 sec. with one paper towel.
   c.    Label square with name of cleanser used.
   d.    Repeat steps A-C on all remaining carpet squares in this group.
   e.    Repeat steps A-D with each of the following cleaners (OC & WOD).

6.    Determine whiteness.
   a.    Take all carpet squares to local laboratory.
   b.    Use colorimeter to determine “L” value for each square.
   c.    Record data.
   d.    Average within each group.

RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to find out which brand of carpet cleaner removed stain most efficiently

The results of the experiment were that Oxi Clean (67.046 whiteness) worked the best when removing a stain, opposed to Woolite Oxy Deep (67.02 whiteness) and Resolve (66.476 whiteness).

See the table and graph below.

CONCLUSION

My hypothesis was that Resolve brand would remove the stain best.

The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected, because the Oxi Clean brand removed the stain most efficiently, although the differences were very small. 

After thinking about the results of this experiment, I wonder what the results would be like if I conducted an experiment such as Steam Cleaners vs. Spray-on or Carpet Materials vs. Stain Resistance.

If I were to conduct this project again I would use more carpet squares in each group and test a larger variety of cleaners. I would also use a more difficult stain to remove like red wine, chocolate sauce, or motor oil. I would steam clean the carpet before staining, to remove factory protectants. I would have added one more control, too, and stain it, to compare the stain before to the stain after treatment.



RESEARCH REPORT

Introduction

When a person eats or drinks something near carpet, there is a high risk of the carpet getting severely stained. To get a serious stain out of a piece of carpet, consumers often have to have their carpet professionally cleaned or sometimes, even replaced. To do these things costs a large amount of money. This is why carpet cleaners are so popular in the consumer world.

Carpet

Carpet costs more money to replace than rugs, because it is hooked to the floor. Carpets are made on large, powerful steel machines that weave nylon, olefin, and polyester materials. These materials make the carpet comfortable, warm, and durable. The machine has to weave two parts to make a complete piece of carpet: pile or face and the backing. The backing is the part of carpet is hooked to the floor. The pile or face is the part that humans can see and walk on. Carpets keep homes warmer than without, because it acts as insulation. Carpets come in many different thicknesses, colors, and designs. Some types of carpets are: Frieze, cut and loop, level loop, plush, and Saxony. Humans often purchase burbur, because it isn’t as expensive as most other carpets.

Rugs are basically just smaller pieces of carpet. They are not hooked to the floor. A rug will be available in many varieties of colors, textures, and patterns. Rugs are not nearly as expensive as carpet, so staining a cheap rug is not much of problem to consumers. Rugs are made the same way as carpet: Large machines weave polyester, nylon, and olefin materials. There are two parts to a rug: The pile or face, and the backing. Rugs are a less-expensive way to keep living spaces warm.

Carpet Cleaners

Carpet cleaners are intended to remove uninviting stains. They come in many different brands and ways of application. The way carpet cleaners work is that they dissolve the stain and bring it up to the surface of the carpet, resulting in fairly clean-looking carpet. Most carpet cleaners contain both bleach (to whiten the stain), and water (to dissolve the stain).  Some carpet cleaners can be purchased at a grocery store. Some, you may have to purchase from a professional cleaning company. Most of them claim to work the best, but some do not work very efficiently.

Carpet cleaners come in various types of application. Some may be spray-on. Spray-on carpet cleaner isn’t difficult to apply. All a human has to do to apply it is to pull a small lever, and the cleanser will spray from a small nozzle. Some other types are: Powder that mixes with water to become a cleanser and rub-on. To apply these is more complex.

If a person is trying to remove a stain from a piece of carpet, they should not work from the center, for it will only make the task more difficult by enlarging the stain.

Colorimeter

A colorimeter (Hunter Reflectance Spectrophotometer) is a machine that specializes in the measuring of the color of an object (for example: carpet or clothing). The Hunter Reflectance Spectrophotometer uses scales L, A, and B to measure the lightness and darkness of an object. The ‘A’ scale measures green (negative values), and redness (positive values). The ‘B’ scale measures blueness (negative values), and yellowness (positive values). The ‘L’ scale measures the lightness and darkness of an object (0 is black, and 100 is white). The colorimeter is normally used for testing the color of beverages and foods (especially applesauce). The Hunter Reflectance Spectrophotometer can be used for other things as well, such as: cloth, carpet, etc. In other words, the colorimeter has many beneficial uses.

Stains

Stains are uninviting spots or smudges, usually appearing because of food or drink. Some common household stains are: ketchup, coffee, red wine, and mustard. Stains are usually difficult to remove from household items. Stains may appear on clothing, bedding, carpet, or sometimes, even appliances. A sometimes-simple solution to these types of stains is stain removers. How a stain comes to be so unpleasant to the eye is that the food or liquid will “sink” into the cloth, carpet, etc.

Dissolving

Dissolving is useful in many ways. First of all, carpet cleaners will use dissolving materials such as water and bleach. When a carpet cleaner is applied to a stain, the dissolving materials will eat (dissolve) their way through the stain, bringing it to the surface. Dissolving is also beneficial to clothing stains.

Summary

Overall, carpet and rugs are important for the comfort and warmth of living spaces; carpet cleaners are important for removing uninviting stains; dissolving, for removing many types of stains; and Hunter Reflectance Spectrophotometers are important for determining the color of foods and such. Stains are a costly problem for the everyday homeowner.
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alliston, Cody. “The Effect of Carpet Cleaners on Carpet Stains.” December 14, 2005.  http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/SciProj2002/CodyA.html

Bruskland, Bryanna. “The Effect of Carpet Cleaners on Stain Removal.” December  14, 2005.  http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/SciProj2003/BryannaB.html 

Buckendahl, Ashleigh. “Which Carpet Cleaner Works Most Effectively to Remove Multiple Stains?” December 14, 2005. http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/SciProj99/AshleighSciProj.html

Graf, Sue. Personal Interview. January 4, 2006.

Turner, R. Carroll. “Rugs and Carpets.” The World Book Encyclopedia. 1998.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
•    My parents, for taking the pictures and helping cut the carpet
•    Mr. Newkirk, for teaching me how to do a good science project
•    Mrs. Viernes, for helping me find information
•    Sue Graf, for helping me use the colorimeter
•    Michelle, for helping me when I desperately needed it
•    Kacey, for helping me in my toughest times
•    End of the Roll, for providing me the carpet almost for free

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