Science of Cleaning

Chemistry is so interesting.

I've been reading about the cleaning powers of baking soda, and I wanted to do this experiment one day. And that day is today.

Quotes to reglaze a small shower stall came in between $1,500 - $2,500, and I wondered how clean can I get this shower stall on my own?

I watched some videos on Youtube and spent less than $20 on cleaning supplies from Target and Dollar Store.

I used Sharpies to write down what I used to make up the solutions on the bottles.

This is what I'm cleaning today.

The cleaning recipes I've tried:

1. Spray white vinegar on the surface. Left it for 30 minutes. Scrubbed it with a soft brillo pad. No noticeable improvement.
2. Baking Soda mixed with water. Covered the surface and left it for 30 minutes. Scrubbed it with a soft brillo pad. No noticeable improvement.
3. Mixture of Dawn dish washing detergent and white vinegar. Left it for 30 minutes and an hour. Scrubbed it with a soft brillo pad. No noticeable improvement.
4. Easy-Off Oven cleaner sprayed on the surface and left it for an hour. Scrubbed it with sponge. Scrubbed it with a soft brillo pad. No noticeable improvement.
5. Baking Soda mixed with a little bit of Clorox to make it into a crumbly paste. Covered the surface with it and left it for an hour. Scrubbed with a soft brillo pad and voila! See below for results.

I scrubbed the shower pan twice. I missed some areas after the 1st time, and I tried it again. And it got cleaner!

When I was using Clorox, I had the window and the door open with a fan going. I also had a mask on and wore dish washing gloves. It really wasn't too bad, but I was taking precautions. If you do want to try this at home, please ventilate the area sufficiently.

Science behind this cleaning-

Baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, belongs to the salt family, and if you try it, it’ll taste like salt (but not as salty). Sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3, is a mixture of carbon, sodium, hydrogen and oxygen. Baking Soda is slightly basic, and it is the key to being a good cleaning agent.

The active ingredient in Clorox is sodium hypochlorite, NaClO. It bleaches, removes stains and disinfects. Other ingredients in Clorox include sodium carbonate (washing soda). It breaks down alcohol and grease stains. And Sodium hydroxide (lye) breaks down fatty, oily or acidic stains.

No wonder it cleaned so well!

For more information on Chemistry of Baking Soda and Clorox, please check out the links below.

Baking Soda info 1

Baking Soda info 2

Clorox info

Alka Seltzer Blast-off 2

This project effectively demonstrates the Newton's Laws of Motion.

First Newton's Law of Motion states that an object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity unless a force acts on it.

• The rocket is at rest, but when it's acted upon by the chemical reactions of water and the Alka-Seltzer tablets, it has a powerful lift-off. The force of the reaction blows off the film canister lid.

Second Newton's Law of Motion states that Force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration.

• Force = mass x acceleration
• The force of that lift-off is equal to the mass of the film canister, the water, and the tablet inside multiplied by the acceleration provided by the chemical reaction.

Third Newton's Law of Motion states for every action, there is an equal and opposite re-action.

• As the film canister lifts off, the canister lid, water, gas, and slide experience the downward force of the push. The lid pops off. The water and the gas spread out, but because the slide is secured on the ground, we can't see it move.

The Chemistry behind the project:

1. Alka-Seltzer tablets contain sodium bicarbonate and citric acid.
2. When the Alka-Seltzer tablet piece comes in contact with the water inside the film canister, it begins to dissolve. 
3. This results in sodium citrate, water, and carbon dioxide gas.
4. The carbon dioxide gas builds the pressure inside the film canister.
5. Eventually, the pressure inside will pop the film canister lid off.

H₃C₆H₅O₇ + NaHCO₃  ==========>  NaC₆H₅O₇ + H₂O + CO₂ + Heat

Citric Acid + Sodium Bicarbonate ========> Sodium Citrate + Water + Carbon Dioxide + Heat

Because Heat is released during the process, this chemical reaction is called an 

exothermic reaction.

Second Newton's Laws of Motion states F = ma. So, different amount of water or Alka-Seltzer piece will affect the take-off time and altitude of our rocket.

Also, take-off time is affected by the surface area of Alka-Seltzer exposed to water. Crushing it will reduce the take-off time significantly.