Which Fabric Is Cleaned Best By Tide?
 
 

Researched by Emily P. 1998-99

PURPOSE  HYPOTHESIS  EXPERIMENT DESIGN  MATERIALS  PROCEDURES  RESULTS  CONCLUSION  RESEARCH REPORT  BIBLIOGRAPHY

PURPOSE

The purpose of this experiment was to determine which fabric materials are most thoroughly cleaned of stains by the detergent Tide.

I became interested in this idea when I bought a shirt that became stained. The stain wouldnít come out. I wanted to find out which kinds of fabrics I should buy in the future.

The information gained from this experiment will help people know what kinds of fabrics are most easily cleaned. Perhaps that would improve their buying decisions.

My hypothesis is that cotton will be cleaned most thoroughly of all the fabric materials.

I base my hypothesis on a quote from the National Cotton Council of America that ìCottonís strength, absorbency, and capacity to be washed and dyed also make it adaptable to a considerable variety of textile products.î-Encarta 98. That suggests that one of cottonís benefits is itís washability.

The constants in this study were:

•  The temperature of the wash water
•  The amount of Tide detergent
•  The size of the fabric test squares
•  The amount of time washed
•  The amount of stain applied
•  The time that the stained fabric soaked in water
•  The steps for washing
•  The same three stains

The manipulated variable was the type of fabric.

The responding variable was the whiteness of each stained fabric after being washed.

To measure the responding variable I used a colorimeter located in the laboratory at TreeTop. A colorimeter measures the color of things with 0.00 being dark and 100 being white.

1. Select 5 types of fabric to test. (Cotton, Polyester, Nylon, Rayon, and Silk). Obtain a sample of each in white. Avoid fabric blends.
2. Cut a 10cm.x10cm. sample of each fabric.
3. Label all fabrics with the first letter of the fabric and the first letter of the stain. Example: CG (C-cotton, G- grape juice)
4. Take the pre cut 10cm.x10cm. 100% cotton square of fabric, mark center of square by folding and pressing with hot iron.
5. Place cotton square in a 15cm.x15cm. plastic dish.
6. Measure 15millileters of Welchís purple grape juice, made from concentrate according to directions on can.
7. Place into center of cotton square with eyedropper.
8. Wait 5 min. allowing fabric to absorb stain.
9. Heat 500 milliliters of water to 40 degrees Celsius.
10. In a separate container mix water and 50 milliliters of liquid Tide brand detergent.
11. Place stained fabric in container. Fabric will be saturated thoroughly.
12. Stir once per second for 1 min. Soak fabric for an hour.
13. Remove fabric with tongs.
14. In a separate container, rinse in 1000 milliliters clean tap water (40 degrees Celsius) for 1 min. stir once per second.
15. Remove from rinsing dish with tongs.
16. Dry
17. Wash out containers.
18. Repeat steps 1-17 with other fabrics.
19. Repeat steps 1-18 with Prago spaghetti sauce.
20. Repeat steps 1-18 with Folgers caffinated black coffee (all coffee must be from the same pot)
21. Repeat steps 1-18 with tap water.
22. Place under colorimeter.
23. Record results in a data table.

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine which fabric materials are most thoroughly cleaned of stains by the detergent Tide.

The results of the experiment showed that polyester was cleaned best. For each fabric I measured itís true (unstained but washed) whiteness value. The closer it was to 100, the whiter it was. I also measured the whiteness after being stained and washed. This was always lower (and less white). The difference between the ìtrueî or clean measurement and the stained/washed measurement showed how much stain remained in the cloth. If the difference was low, there was very little stain. If the difference was high there was more of a stain. Polyester had a difference of 2.67, silk had a difference of 3.78, cotton had a difference of 10.66, nylon had a difference of 13.02, and rayon had a difference of 18.14.

My hypothesis was that cotton would be cleaned most thoroughly of all the fabric materials.

The results indicated that this hypothesis should be rejected. My results indicated that polyester and silk were cleaned better than cotton.

Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if the amount of Tide that I used affected how well, the fabrics were cleaned. I also wonder if some other detergent, like Biz or Shout might have changed the results.

If I were to conduct this project again I would use more than three stains. All my stains were acidic. None was greasy. A wider range of stains would have been a better test for consumers.

INTRODUCTION
Since people regularly wash the clothes they wear, it is important to understand the fabric they are made of. Knowing how detergents work is also valuable.

Detergent vs. Soap
Detergent is a substance based on petroleum products. Detergent is different than soap. Soap is a waxy solid made from sodium hydroxide mixed with fats. A soap molecule has two different ends. One end is attracted to water and the other end to dirt, grease, ect... When the water washes the soap away the soap sticks to the dirt, grease, ect. and the water washes it away with the soap.

Tide Detergent
Tide detergent is made up of almost the same molecules as soap. This product couldnít be made until after World War II, so it was made around 1945. It was put on the market for a test trial in 1946. "It was an overnight sensation: within weeks, Tide was outselling every competing cleaning brand in every single test market," Ed Rider (archivist for Proctor and Gamble) said. -Tide Archives

Silk
Silk is a material made by silk worms and other moths. It was discovered by China in 37 B.C. China tried to keep it a secret but Japan and India later found out. It is dyed very easily and holds color well. It is different from all the other fabrics used in this experiment because it is a protein fiber.

Polyester
Polyester is a material used in most clothing. It was developed by American chemist, Wallace Carothers. Later British scientists, Jon Whinfield and J.T. Dickson made a stronger polyester. Polyester is made from polyethylene terephthalate. Itís strength is reduced by sunlight and it melts at 260 degrees Celsius. It absorbs little water , resists wrinkling, mildew, and most chemicals.

Rayon
Rayon used to be known as an artificial silk. It was invented in the 1900ís. It is made by a process called spinning.

Nylon
Nylon has strength, toughness, and elasticity. It was invented in the 1930ís. It has no absorbancy to water. It dissolves in phenol and cresoliformic acid and melts at 263 degrees Celsius. It has more strength then wool, silk, rayon, or cotton.

Cotton
Cotton is a natural vegetable fiber. It has strength, absorbancy, and is easily washed and dyed. It grows on small trees and shrubs and is used in many textile fabrics.

Hunter Brand Colorimeter
Hunter brand colorimeters take three measurements (LAB). ìLî is a 0-100 scale from dark to light. Black is the darkest, White is the lightest. ìAî is a scale from red to green. The positive values have more red and the negitive values have more green. 0 is gray. ìBî is a scale from yellow to blue. The positive values have more yellow and the negitive values have more blue. 0 is gray. A derived value called ìWIE 313î is a whiteness index from 0-100. 100 is pure white and lower values mean darker. The ìWIE 313î scale is used in a lot of textile and laundry industries.

SUMMARY
Detergent and soap are different. Tide is a brand of detergent made in the 1940ís. Silk, polyester, rayon, nylon, and cotton are fabric materials used in most clothing. Hunter brand colorimeters measure three ways. It measures "L", "A" and "B" which are all measured on a dark to light scale.

ìDetergentî Microsoft (R) Encarta (R) 98í Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

Dictionary of Science. USA: Hammond Banrnhart, 1986. Pp. 597

Heimler, Charles H., et.el., Focus On Physical Science. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Publishing Company, pp. 527

Knapp, Bryan, Sodium and Potassium. Danbury, CT USA: Grolier Educational, 1996. Pp. 36-37

ìNylonî Microsoft (R) Encarta (R) 98í Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

ì Polyesterî Microsoft (R) Encarta (R) 98í Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

ìRayonî Microsoft (R) Encarta (R) 98í Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

The Tide Clothes Line, [online] available http://www.Tide.com, Feb. 10, 1999.

ìWoolî Microsoft (R) Encarta (R) 98í Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

Back to the Top of the Page

Back to the Menu of 1999 Sixth Grade Science Projects

Back to the Selah Home Page