Bleaching Jeans!

In the jean lab, we set out to answer what concentration of bleach is best to fade the color out of new denim material in 10 minutes without visible damage to the fabric. Our hypothesis was if bleach breaks down pigments, then the denim will lose its color. We found that the 'best' concentration is dependent on what you're looking for and value. The 100% bleach had the most drastic results with an average of 9 in color removal. In the end, the pigment was more yellow than white. The fabric square was stiffer and the ends were frayed. (The ends were frayed because we cut it. Normally, when bleaching jeans, the hem wouldn't get frayed). This led it to have a fabric damage of 1 1/3. I would consider this one the 'best' because though the fabric turned yellow and is most likely not favorable, it took the color out of the denim. From reliable online sources, you can find data that supports our findings. This also proved our hypothesis because the bleach broke down the pigments of color in our jeans.

As stated earlier, our hypothesis was supported by our data. However, there could've been errors. In each Petri dish, one square was not submerged all the way. This easily could have made the bleach less effective and damage the material less. In addition, some of our squares had a seam on one side. As a result, that side got less frayed than the sides that were cut. This would've lowered the squares' damage. Due to these errors, in future experiments, I would recommend larger Petri dishes or small squares of denim. Soaking only two squares at a time instead of three would be as effective. These solutions would allow all of the material to submerge. Also, in the future, I recommend more time to be given for students to think over it rather than rushing in. 

This lab was done to demonstrate how to do the scientific method. However, we also got the added benefit of learning the concentration best fit for bleaching jeans. The experiment was interesting and interactive tool to learn the scientific method. I got a greater understanding from it and was able to relate it to the vodcasts on the scientific method. Based on my experience from this lab, I will be able to perform the scientific method correctly and with ease.