Students can determine what materials in their home are most likely to start or spread a fire as part of a comprehensive fire safety plan for homes. Gather several samples of common household fabrics, such as cotton clothes, upholstery, and terry cloth towels. Cut all samples to the same size, approximately 12 inches square. Set each fabric in a large open metal container and use a butane lighter to ignite one corner of the material. Use a stopwatch to record the amount of time elapsed before the sample is consumed. Record the results and compare.
Students can determine the flammability of certain laundry and cleaning fabric sprays by comparing the burn rates of cotton. Gather a stain repellent, fabric freshener, and starch. Apply a different spray to three 16-inch square identical cotton samples and allow to dry for 24 hours. Lay cotton over a ring clamp and wire screen attached to a ring stand. Ignite a Bunsen burner and place under the wire screen. Record the amount of time before the fabric initially ignites and the time elapsed until it burns completely.
Determine whether artificial fabrics increase the flammability of natural materials. Gather a sample of organic cotton, and three samples of different cotton blends with materials such as polyester or spandex. Cut out a 6-inch square of each. Place all four squares together and attempt to ignite simultaneously by holding a lighter in the center where all four corners meet and observe how long each fabric takes to burn. If igniting all four samples at the same time proves too difficult, simply light one section of fabric at a time, record the burn time of each piece and compare the times.
Of equal importance to fire safety as identifying fast-burning fabrics is finding ways to slow that time. Students should gather three kinds of fire retardant, such as Flamex-PF or ForceField FireGuard, and spray a different kind on 12-inch square samples of identical cotton fabric. Place each fabric sample on a sheet of aluminum foil and apply 20 sprays of each retardant type to the corresponding fabric. Suspend cotton samples using clothespins and line to dry for 24 hours. Set a ring stand on a metal cookie sheet and and clip a cotton sample not treated with a retardant to the Burette clamp. Use a butane lighter to ignite the bottom corner of the fabric. Use a stopwatch to measure the control ignition and burn times. Repeat the experiment for each treated fabric sample and compare times to determine which retardant is most effective at slowing the burn time of fabric.