Cold vs Warm: Which Wash Will Remove Stains Better and Use Less Energy?
Energy and Change- Grade:
- 5
- Teacher:
- Niki Tilicki
Many people wash clothes using either hot or cold water, but it is not clear which one removes stains better. The purpose of this project was to test if hot water or cold water works better at removing stains in a washing machine. I stained 8 cotton shirts, and 4 polyester shirts, with 10 different stains on each shirt. 4 cotton shirts, and 2 polyester shirts were washed on cold, and the same for hot. I washed the shirts using the same washing machine, detergent, and cycle, but with different water temperatures. Before and after washing, I scored the stains using a homemade 1-5 scale, where 5 meant the stain was completely gone. The before score for every shirt was a 1, and after it was washed I scored the shirts on how much of the stain was removed. The results showed differences in how well the stains were removed in hot and cold water. This experiment helps show how water temperature affects stain removal and how choosing cold or warm water can impact cleaning and energy use.
I like how your project connects to something families do every week. It makes your science very practical and meaningful. Testing 10 different stains and collecting 120 data points shows a lot of hard work and dedication. That is very impressive. I was especially impressed that you thought about energy use, not just which temperature cleaned better. That shows you are thinking like a real scientist about both results and impact. Moreover, your project had a large amount of data and very strong control of variables, which makes your results reliable.