Jean Lab Conclusion

In this lab, we asked the question "what concentration of bleach is best to fade the color out of new denim material in 10 minutes without visible damage to the fabric?" We found that 25% bleach fades the most color out of denim jeans without fabric damage. Both 100% bleach and 50% bleach, although they faded the jeans more than 25% bleach, caused fabric damage to the denim squares. When ranking the amount of color removal for each concentration on bleach on a scale of one to ten, 25% bleach had a score of 2 for color removal. All lower concentrations of bleach had lower scores for color removal and the same score for fabric damage. Our results are also supported by the scientific method, since we followed all steps of the scientific method in our experiment. This data supports our claim because it explicitly says that 25% bleach creates the most faded jeans without fabric damage.

From left to right: 0% bleach, 12.5% bleach, 25% bleach, 50% bleach, and 100% bleach.

While our hypothesis was mostly supported by our data, there could have been errors due to a few mistakes we made in our experiment. First of all, since we gathered scissors, rulers, and markers before collecting the jeans, we were left with scrap pieces of jeans. These scrap pieces were from different jeans, and some were originally lighter than others. Because some squares were lighter than others, they may have skewed the results to be favorable towards their concentration of bleach, when, in reality, they had little color to begin with. Second, some jean squares were left in their bleach solutions for a bit longer than others. This was because it took some time to take the squares out of the petri dishes. This may have affected our data in that the time in bleach was not constant, and so the results of the experiment are inaccurate. Finally, instead of submerging the squares in petri dishes of water, we submerged them in a beaker of water. Since most of the bleach from the squares ended up in the water in the beaker, we may have unintentionally bleached some squares longer than others. This affected our data in the same way the before error did. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend having more materials, so that no group is stuck with scraps. I would also recommend making the written procedures clearer, as some instructions were vague and confused our group.

This lab was done to demonstrate which concentration of bleach would fade jeans the most. This lab was also done to experience the scientific method, and see how well our group would do as a group. From this lab, I learned how to work with others in order to achieve a conclusion to an experiment, which helps me understand the scientific method. Based on my experience from this lab, I can now apply the scientific method to other experiments in the future.