1. Scientific Method Project
Comparison of the cleaning capability of three brands of laundry detergent
Ansley Tallent
Mrs. Hess
Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy

2. Which washing detergent gets tractor grease out the best?
Identify the Problem
Which washing detergent gets tractor grease out the best?

3. Hypothesis
If I use a more expensive detergent, then it will remove stains better.

4. Materials 3 shirts of the same kind Same source of grease(tractor)
3 washing detergents-Tide, Arm and Hammer, and the Wal-Mart brand
Washer
Dryer
7 people to judge which shirt is whiter

5. Labeled shirt before grease applied
Description of Shirts
Shirt as purchased
Labeled shirt before grease applied

6. Procedure Three white shirts were purchased from Wal-Mart
Each shirt was labeled (A,B,C)
Each shirt was rubbed on a tractor engine in the same spot a total of 4 times immediately before washing
Each shirt was washed with in the same cycle lasting 30 minutes in cold water and then dried for 20 minutes
The first shirt was washed in Tide
The second shirt was washed in Arm and Hammer
The third shirt was washed in Wal-Mart brand
The shirts were then shown to 7 people asking them to pick the cleanest

7. Process used to “rub” grease on shirt
Application of grease
Tractor engine
Process used to “rub” grease on shirt

8. Post Grease Application

9. Post Grease Application
Shirt B
Shirt C

10. Shirts after washing

11. Observations None of the detergents completely removed the stain
Shirt A-which was cleaned using Tide- was the whitest
It was difficult to choose the whitest shirt
Tractor grease probably needs an industrial strength cleaner or at a minimum a pre-treating solution

12. Data Analysis The shirts were shown to a total of 7 people.
5 of those people thought that shirt A (cleaned with Tide) was the cleanest of the three – approximately 72%.
Each of the other detergents had one person chose that shirt as the whitest – approximately 14 % each.

13. Comparison of detergents

14. Conclusion
My conclusion is that Tide cleans the best and gets tractor grease out better.