No passwords, No popups, No AI, No cost:
we earn from your affiliate purchases

Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Adver-
tise
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
ted_yosem
Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry


  pub
  The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989

-----

Science Fair Info: What cleans a penny best?



Q. Why do acids clean better than bases, and what cleans a penny better, baking soda with water, Tide laundry detergent, lemon juice, coke, or dishwashing liquid?

Alyssa R. [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Chaska, Minnesota, USA

 



A. Hi Alyssa,

There are different types of cleaners for different types of jobs. Acids don't always clean better than bases, because it depends on what you're cleaning. I know you wouldn't want to replace your laundry detergent with an acid cleaner. ;-)

Think about what needs to be cleaned and then you can try to figure how to clean it. For example, the detergents in dishwashing liquid are there to remove oily, greasy material from your frying pan. Taking the oxidation off of a penny, however, requires a completely different solution because it's a completely different type of soil.

George Gorecki
- Naperville, Illinois


A. I wouldn't say that acids clean better than bases. Which one works better depends more on the type of dirt. As to which liquid will clean a penny best, I recommend getting some liquids and some dirty pennies and find out.

James Totter
James Totter, CEF
- Tallahassee, Florida


I have a question for my research which household liquids cleans a penny best? So I'm trying to find out on research about this and I need information about this experiment. I used 7 types of liquids which are acetone this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] Warning! highly Flammable! , hot water, cold water, clorox, vinegar in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , lemon lime, baking soda. Please help me.

Aileen E.
- Miami, Florida


A. Hi Aileen,
You said you used these 7 liquids. What did you find out from having used them? Which appeared to clean pennies well and which appeared ineffective? We can help you interpret your results if you tell us your results.

I'm glad you did the experiment before the "research" because that's the way to avoid "junk science" (doing the research first, deciding what the results should be, then talking yourself into tweaking or ignoring your experimental results because they were "wrong".)
Let's take a one-minute lesson from one of the world's most famous physicists and best teachers ⇨

Good luck with your report!

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey



Ed. note: Please see our F.A.Q. on cleaning pennies.



(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:

Finishing
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g,
& Software


About/Contact  -  Privacy Policy  -  ©1995-2024 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA  -  about "affil links"