Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I need to know if youthink testing stain removers is too easy for an eighth grader? NEED TO KNOW

Personal opinion - A basic product comparison of A vs. B would probably be too simple. If you chose an individual chemical in the stain remover and judged how the concentration of that chemical affected the stain removal - better. It still might be a little simple for the judges.

Have you asked your science teacher for his/her opinion?

Or you could have more variables with the composition of the stain - protein based stains, fat based stains, inorganic stains. And figure out why a particular product might work better on different types of stains.

There are also a number of old wives tales/folklore remedies about what you should do to remove certain types of stains - you could examine the molecular basis for this. For example, my mother told me that cold milk was the best way to get blood stain from a white shirt. Why might this work and what kind of molecules would be involved?

Best of luck,
-Caroline

I think this project maybe suited for my son in grade 4. As it will allow him to document the stains and the cleaning process followed.