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The Cold Wash Challenge: Testing How Well Enzymes Work in Laundry Detergents

The Cold Wash Challenge: Testing How Well Enzymes Work in Laundry Detergents
Contributors
Science Buddies
Non-profit organization offering free STEM resources for hands-on learning | Science Buddies
Five bottles of various laundry detergents and 4 samples of stains on fabric
Summary
What do you think are some of the most common stains on clothes? If you thought of grass, grease, ketchup, blood, or toothpaste stains, you are correct. Everyday activities like eating, playing outside, or doing sports can result in a lot of dirty laundry. Luckily, we have laundry detergents that can get our clothes clean again! Some of these detergents contain enzymes that are intended to boost cleaning power. In this science project, you will investigate how effective biological and non-biological laundry detergents are at different wash temperatures.

This project idea was developed and written by Svenja Lohner, PhD, Science Buddies.

Lohner, Svenja. "The Cold Wash Challenge: Testing How Well Enzymes Work in Laundry Detergents." Science Buddies, 22 Mar. 2023, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/GreenChem_p009/green-chemistry/laundy-detergent-enzymes.
Keywords
STEM
Chemistry Education
Green Chemistry
Science Project
Hands-on Learning
Detergent
Biodetergent
Biological detergent
Surfactant
Enzymes
Plant-Based Detergent
Laundry Detergent

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Moderation state
Published
Object Type
Laboratory experiment
Activities/Technology (e.g., in-class activities, online games, hands-on activities/manipulatives, outreach, virtual tools, etc.)
Audience
Middle School
High School (Secondary School)
Published on
Green Chemistry Principles
Designing Safer Chemicals
Design for Energy Efficiency
Real-Time Pollution Prevention
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Responsible Consumption and Production
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
To investigate the performance of biological versus non-biological laundry detergents at different wash temperatures.
Common pedagogies covered
Hands-on learning
Time required (if applicable)
Short (2 - 5 days)

Submitted by

Science Buddies
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
N/A
Teacher Recommendations or Piloting Data (if available)
N/A
Link to external
Science Buddies: The Cold Wash Challenge: Testing How Well Enzymes Work in Laun…
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.