Soda as a Cleaning Agent Joshua Daniel INT1 Task 3 Western Governors University

Soda as a Cleaning Agent A. Project Plan/Problem Statement The goal of this experiment is to test the common household theory that dark sodas can cut through grime and function effectively as a cleaner. Using the off brand soda BigK Cola the researcher, Joshua Daniel, will attempt to clean four different types of messes (Sink grime, rough food stains, kitchen counter grime, and battery corrosion on a car battery) and compare the effect side by side with that of soap and water. This ultimate outcome of this research will demonstrate the viability of soda as a cleaning agent and is important in terms of what people should or should not use in the event that they must improvise to clean a surface.

This will be done in a step by step process in which the messes will be divided and the two cleaning methods tested side by side so that they can be compared and contrasted. Notes will be taken and then both cleaning methods will be graded. Even if dark soda does clean the mess, its important to see if its worthwhile as an alternative compared to simple soap and water and if it performs at all better.

This research assignment is of value because the effects of soda as a cleaning agent are a very common household myth and the results of this experiment will more accurately demonstrate whether or not it is actually viable, or whether people should avoid using dark soda as an alternative cleaner all together.

PROJECT TITLE IN ALL CAPS SHORTENED 3 A1. Literature Review The Researcher could not find any other scientific papers on this topic, but has found two related sources provided here. The website shaunroot.net did a very thorough token cleaning experiment in which several different cleaners were tested and compared on their usefulness cleaning tokens. Among the solutions tested were coke and diet coke. His experiment found that among the solutions tested dark soda ranked around sixth, with a score of 4/10. (The Great Token Cleaning Experiment, http://shaunroot.net/arcade/?p=14)

The website eHow explains in brief how soda cleans coins. Coins are made out of metal, which accumulates tarnish and general grime over time. Dark sodas contain a mild acid which, when the coin is soaked in it for a span of time, will dissolve away; this happens because acid is formed by forcing CO2 in to a liquid form and, when the pressure is released, the CO2 returns to its natural state (forming the bubbles in soda). The carbonic acid created will react to the residue on the coin and work as a mild cleaning agent by eating away the time layer of the coin and the grime along with it. (Why does Soda Pop clean coins by Windy Hamilton at eHow.com, http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5162064_soda-pop-clean-coins.html)

While coins will not be tested in this experiment, it does confirm that the acid in soda can work as a cleaning agent, giving some validity to the myth that the researcher is testing.

A2a. Experimental Design Steps After deciding the surfaces and types of messes to conduct the experiments on the researcher will divide the surfaces in to halves splitting the mess equally. One half of the surface will be cleaned with soap and water as the control and the other half to be cleaned by applying a light layer of dark soda, which will be allowed to soak for one minute before being whipped away using a different rag than the one used for the control. After the surface is cleaned (or attempted to be) t the researcher will then take notes that define: How well the control (soap and water) and the Soda worked as a cleaning agent by visually inspecting them and assigning a precise-as-possible percentage on how much of t the grime/dirt/food was whipped away from what percentage of the area. A scale from one to five that will more simply demonstrate the final conclusion o 1 being failed to clean o 2 being minimally cleaned o 3 being significantly cleaner o 4 being on par with cleaning the surface traditionally o 5 being above average, or well above expectations Any additional relevant notes on the effects of soda as a cleaner.

PROJECT TITLE IN ALL CAPS SHORTENED 5 A A2b. Reasoning This is the most direct and effective way of testing the hypothesis within the timeframe and with the available tools. Testing on multiple types of messes is necessary as the tested product may work on some but not others. Separating the surface out and testing more traditional cleaning methods allows us to see, in the event that it does work at all, how well the product works in comparison and if it is a viable substitute.

A A2c. Sequence of Events: T The surface is divided equally so that both cleaning agents have equal work T The cleaning test is applied as described The researcher visually inspects both surfaces for the percentage of grime, food, a and or stuck on mess that has been successfully cleaned from the surface. T The researcher grades them on a scale from one to five The rating and any additional notes are entered in to a wordpad document on the r researchers computer The researcher finally compares the two cleaning solutions after the experiment and records his final finding.

A A2d. Tools Dawn Soap o Dawn Soap will work as the control for the experiment, representing more t traditional cleaning methods BigK Cola o The dark soda used in this experiment T 2 Washing Rags o One rag to be used with the soap and water, and another to be used with t the cola A divider o A pure white plastic divider used to separate the messes equally so both t the control and the soda can be tested on equal ground Laptop o The laptop is where all of the data will be recorded by the researcher T One to Five grading scale o The one to five scale that will be used to grade the cleaning solutions in each experiment, based off of the visually apparent percentage of the s surface cleaned. 1 being failed to clean 2 being minimally cleaned 3 being significantly cleaner 4 being on par with cleaning the surface traditionally

PROJECT TITLE IN ALL CAPS SHORTENED 7 5 being above average, or well above expectations

A3. Variables Independent Variable: The different tests/surfaces that the solutions are tested on: The Kitchen Counter, Bathroom Counter, Stuck on Food, and Car Battery Contacts Dependent Variable: How well dark soda functions as a cleaning agent on a scale of one to five based on percentage findings Controlled Variables: The Soda and the Soap/Water

A A4. Threat Reduction to Internal Validity The researcher is attempting to identify the validity of soda as a cleaning agent. The experimental method used is the most straight forward and simple way to test t this within the allotted time. Using multiple types of common household messes allows the researcher to see how well it performs in more than a single situation helps eliminate the risk of overlooking variables in the likely event that soda will work better on one kind of m mess than the other Dividing the surface so that the mess is evenly distributed ensures that both s solutions are tested evenly. Comparing the soda to another cleaning agent, in this experiment Soap and Water, allows the researcher to eliminate the possibility that, while technically effective, i isnt sufficient to warrant its use over an available alternative. Rating each experiment on a simple and easy to understand scale allows the

researcher to demonstrate how effective both solutions were to some detail.

A A5. Hypothesis: The Researcher predicts that the acid in soda will help cut through thick or stuck on messes, but will not be substantially more useful than soap and water on regular dirt and grime, and that ultimately its usefulness will be minor at best, proving this household myth to be just that. The researcher also predicts that surfaces cleaned with soda will be left sticky after they have dried. The ultimate reason for testing this is that soda s a cleaning agent is a common household myth that, to the best of the researchers knowledge, has not yet been put to the test in this manner.

B. Process of Data Collection For the kitchen and bathroom counter tests the researcher used a smooth white plastic divide to divide the mess in a way that it was more evenly distributed. The researcher then cleaned one side traditionally with soap and water, and followed the guidelines for the myth with soda (allow it to sit for a moment, then scrub it off).

For the stuck on food test, the researcher used a pan that had recently been used to make homemade pizza and had a lot of stuck on food. The researcher then divided it, let the soda sit for several minutes on one side and attempted to scrub the other side with soap and water.

For the final test, the car battery corrosion, the researcher attempted to scrub any corrosion away

PROJECT TITLE IN ALL CAPS SHORTENED 9 with a soapy rag on one contact, and followed the myth on the other; which was to simply pour soda on it, wait a moment, and scrub it clean with a paper towel.

After each test the researcher inspected the surface visually and made note of the percentage of grime, food, or stain that was successfully cleaned away and what percent of the surface had been cleaned. Taking this percentage the researcher then organized the information in to a custom 1 to 5 scale in order to represent the final results in a simple an easy to understand manner. With 1 being not cleaned at all, 2 being a small improvement, 3 being noticeably cleaner, 4 being clean, and 5 being above average (as if cleaned properly). Afterwards the data was organized in to a chart and entered in this paper. Each surface cleaned was then whipped down with water afterwards to wash away any remaining soap or soda.

B B1. Appropriate Methods The researcher felt the best way to compare soda to common soap and water was to try to scrub away the messes traditionally with the soap and water, but follow the myth for soda. This allowed soda to be fairly tested as a cleaning product and for the researcher to be able to judge its validity compared to plain soap and water.

C C. Results In the first two tests, the kitchen and bathroom sink, the results were nearly identical. Both did clean the counters; however the half cleaned by soda lacked any shine. 100% of the surface was cleaned of grime and foods, with only some stains remaining, which were easily 80-95% faded. Neither surface was left sticky or unappealing due to the sugar in the soda, likely due to being thoroughly whipped d down with the rag. In the food stain test soap and water took a lot of forceful scrubbing and didnt work well to clean the surface. The surface was left almost entirely in its original messy condition, with only around 15% or less of the stuck on mess successfully whipped away in a small portion of the surface. Soda, however, after soaking for a few minutes allowed the stuck on food and grime to be scrubbed away with the rag. Likely due to the acid eating through the stuck on food faster than if it has just been soaked in water. Upwards of 80% of the soda side of the pan saw that 90% or more of the grime and stuck on food were whipped away. In order to truly clean the pan, t the researcher than washed the whole thing down with water. The car battery test went far better in favor of the soda. Soap and water had no seeable effect on the corrosion, cleaning no noticeable amount of the corrosion away. Applying the soda and cleaning it with a paper towel, as in the myth, washed

PROJECT TITLE IN ALL CAPS SHORTENED 11 away the corrosion with very little effort, cleaning 100% of the battery contact of 100% of the corrosion.

Surface Kitchen Counter

Percentage Area Cleaned Soap and Water: 100% Soda: 100%

Percentage of Mess Cleaned away Soap and Water: 95% Soda: 95% Soap and Water: 95% Soda: 95% Soap and Water: 15% or less Soda: 90% Soap and Water: 0% Soda: 100%

Bathroom Sink

Soap and Water: 100% Soda: 100%

Stuck on Food

Soap and Water: 25% Or Less Soda: 80%

Car Battery Contacts

Soap and Water: 0% Soda: 100%

D D. Conclusion The researcher believes that soda is a viable improvised cleaner. While not performing as well as soap and water on countertops it did perform better than soap and water on stuck on foods and on battery corrosion. While it would always be recommended to clean surfaces properly, in a pinch soda can be used to some extent. D D1. Confirmation of Hypothesis After collecting and inspecting the results the researcher found that when cleaning flat, common surfaces soap and water did significantly better. However, soda does have its uses as a cleaning agent and even outdid soap and water in two of the tests, counter to the original hypothesis, did not leave any sticky or sugary residue after being whipped down thoroughly. As soda has proved that it can function as a cleaning agent comparative to soap and water and ultimately confirms its myth, the researcher much reject his hypothesis. D D2. Experimental Design as Key Factor Experimental design is important for the overall accuracy of the experiment. Testing multiple surfaces/messes and choosing how to use soda as a cleaner was key to determining its effectiveness as an impromptu cleaning solution. Determining how to compare the two methods was also important in evaluating the overall use of soda.

PROJECT TITLE IN ALL CAPS SHORTENED 13

D D3. Replication Being able to replicate and experiment and its results is important in determining how valid the experiment is. If two experiments exist with the same parameters but have wildly different outcomes, than something in one of the two experiments i is wrong, or there is a variable not yet considered. Replicating this experiment is relatively easy. The researcher must obtain a few cans of dark soda, a bottle of liquid soap, a rag, and multiple surfaces in order to tes on. Afterwards its only a matter of comparing the effectiveness of one cleaning solution against the other side by side, and taking notes of the differences between the two. D D3a. Evaluation of Validity The method of the experiment was sound, straight forward, and easy to replicated resulting in results that were clear, easy to understand, and easy to test for ones self.

R References

Shaun Root, The Great Token Cleaning Experiment on Shaunroot.net accessed 12/22/2012 http://shaunroot.net/arcade/?p=14 h Windy Hamilton, Why Does Soda Pop Clean Coins? on eHow.com accessed 12/22/2012