In this lab, we asked the question what concentration of bleach is best to fade the color out of new denim material in ten minutes without visible damage to the fabric. We found that using 100% concentration of bleach is the most effective way to give a faded look to new denim material. Using one hundred percent concentrated bleach reduced color by an average of 80% and had almost no visible fabric damage with an average of 10% visible damage. There were no holes, tears, or extreme weakening of the fabric and the dark blue jeans became a blueish white. It is widely known that bleach is a disinfectant that removes color so more bleach will remove more color. Since more amounts of bleach removes more color from clothes, 100% concentration of bleach removes the most color. It also had little to none damage, and the most extreme case had been damaged by only 10%, making it the most efficient way to fade new jeans.
While our hypothesis was supported by our data, there could have been two possible errors. The first possible error was that each of the denim squares was subjected to the bleach for different amounts of time. Since we submerged the denim squares one at a time, we could not track the exact time they were in the bleach, lying on the table, and in the water to wash away the bleach. The squares that were submerged in the bleach for longer and washed for shorter amounts of time were exposed to the bleach for longer amounts of time, so they would possibly have a more faded look. Those that were in the bleach for a shorter amount of time and washed for a longer amount of time had less time for the bleach to fade the color. Also, we did not use fresh water to rinse the material each time so some bleach may have been left behind in the rinsing water. The second error was that each square of denim material was a different color. Some of the squares were a very dark blue and some were already slightly faded. Since we did not track which ones were dark or light in the beginning, the dark jeans would not have looked as faded and the lighter jeans would have looked a lot more faded. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend to use the same color of denim material, time more accurately, and to use fresh water for every rinse.
This lab was done to demonstrate the process of the scientific method. From this lab, I learned the different parts of the Scientific Method which helps me understand how to solve different questions and answers with a scientific procedure. Based on my experience from this lab, I know how to form a good hypothesis, design an experiment with controls and variables, and present my data.I can use this to solve scientific problems/ questions in the future.
Concentration (% bleach)
|
Average Color Removal (scale 1-10)
|
Average Fabric Damage
(scale 1-10)
|
100
|
8
|
1
|
50
|
5
|
0.50
|
25
|
2.33
|
0
|
12.5
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
