This science project can help students learn about laundry detergent properties and how potentially safe or unsafe they are. In this project, liquid detergent, fabric softener and a dryer sheet are combined with an article of common clothing (children's sleepwear tends work best). Two strips of the same clothing are individually dipped into liquid detergent, and fabric softener. Then, they are sent through a washing cycle. On a third strip, a dryer sheet is simply rubbed onto the piece of clothing. Next, each strip of clothing is tested for flammability or burn rate by using a lighter or match to light the strip, and timing how long it takes for the strip to become fully engulfed in flame.
To further test the difference between detergent and fabric softener, the strips of clothing can be washed multiple times and then burn tested. This allows the experimenter to look at the long-term flammability effects of the products after many washes.The experimenter should find that the additives in the detergent are safer than those in the softener or the dryer sheet.
A simple experiment using laundry detergent can help students understand its potentially hazardous effects on plants as a pollutant in the environment. The experiment simply asks the student to pour three or four different detergents, one at a time, with distilled water and in small quantities, onto four different plants of the same variety (one brand of detergent per plant), then placing them in sunshine and measuring the effects after hours, days and weeks. This experiment allows the student to have a first-hand look at the environmental impact and potency of the chemicals within detergents.
A similar experiment using plants and detergents can be done in an attempt to understand the differences between what are labeled "eco-friendly" detergents and those that aren't. The same steps are taken as the detergent and plant experiment with each of the detergents being added in small amounts to potted plants and then the growth and health of the plants being monitored over a span of time. Only one brand of detergent should be used for each plant and similar variety of plants should be used to maintain a control.
To show students what essential materials of laundry detergent, and perhaps, how to save some money in the future, they can make their own for a science project. Detergent can be made simply by combining a bar soap, baking soda, borax and boiling hot tap water in a large bucket. The bar of soap will have to be shaved down with a knife and the materials will have to be combined in the proper proportions to create an effective detergent. The end result will be a slimy material that can be contained in a bucket, but one that is much less expensive and likely close to as effective as an over-the-counter detergent.