Appendix D

Project Proposal Form

Name:

Tan Hui Ying   (  26  )

Sec 2/10

Topic of investigation  :

To determine a suitable medium for effective removal of stains from fabric

A	Observations made
	Many people would tend to add more laundry detergent when washing laundry so as to more effectively remove stains and hence ensure that their laundry will be cleaner.This is a common mindset among people as most laundry detergents contain enzymes, which help to break down and remove stains, hence many people would add in a higher concentration of laundry detergent (sometimes even more than the recommended amount) so as to allow a more effective removal of stains. Through online forums, I have observed some of the common methods of stain removal in which most people make use of, which is to soak protein-based stains such as blood in cold water and other types of stains such as ink and tea in hot water. Through my experiment, I would then be able to find out the most suitable range of temperature for the removal of most stains.
B	Research Question
	1) Does the recommended amount of laundry detergent used in a fixed amount of water most effective in the removal of stains? If not, would a higher concentration or lower concentration of laundry detergent be more effective? 2) Would a medium of higher or lower temperature allow stains to be more effectively removed?
C	Hypothesis statement
	1) The higher or lower the concentration of laundry detergent in a medium of water than the recommended amount woiuld not allow the removal of stains to be more effective. 2) The higher the temperature of the medium in which the stained fabric is placed in, the more effective the removal of stains would be. But when the temperature rises above 60 degree celcius, the removal of stains would then be less effective.
D	A short summary of research done on the area of investigation
	Research done on such similar topics have shown that the performance of enzymes in detergent depends on a number of factors such as the detergent’s composition, types of stains, water temperature etc. For these enzymes to work most effectively on the removal of stains, the temperature should be stable at around 20 – 60 degree celcius and the pH should be in the alkaline range. Protein-based stains such as blood have to be washed with cold water as hot water would lead to the stains being permanent once they set. Hot water would work best for stains such as grease and coffee. Modern times laundry detergents are more concentrated and would require less product-per-washload than before. Too much laundry detergent used have been proved to encourage odour, bacteria growth and residue on clothing that fades colours and attracts more dirt. Hence, using a higher concentration of laundry detergent would actually not be able to remove stains as effectively as using the recommended concentration.
E	Bibliography (Please refer to RS Students’ Handbook in RS Folder on Inet regarding APA Style Format)
	Byron, E. (2010, January 25). Americans use too much laundry detergent - wsj.com. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808904575025021214910714.html Rathey, A. (2005, March 31). Enzymes: laundry detergent - how enzymes are changing your wash - housekeepingchannel.com. Retrieved from http://www.housekeepingchannel.com/a_220-Laundry_Detergent___How_Enzymes_are_Changing_Your_Wash