• Stain removers can provide the foundation for interesting science fair experiments.ink stain image by Dmitri MIkitenko from Fotolia.com
  
  Science fair projects allow elementary, middle and high school students to explore typical events with a scientific purpose. Students must generate a hypothesis about a scientific situation, then conduct experiments to either prove or disprove that hypothesis. Known as the scientific method, this procedure is then documented and presented for a grade. Science fair projects centering on stain removers create some of the more visually interesting displays and allows kids to understand a little about the chemical processes behind stain removal.
  
  

Carpet Stain Removers

• Allow students to hypothesize about which brand of carpet stain remover works the best. Use a piece of carpet stained in four areas with a typical stain, such as chocolate, grape juice or tomato juice. Choose four types of carpet stain remover and put them to the test. When students follow the instructions on the bottles for each stain remover, they will be able to see which brand matches up to marketing claims as the best on the market. Let students compare the results to their hypothesis for the project conclusion.
  
  

Types of Stains

• Allow students to hypthesize what kind of stain is the hardest to remove from fabric and why. Select a basic fabric, such as cotton, and stain it with six types of ingredients, for example: strawberry jam, grass, tomato sauce, pen ink, dirt and grease. Allow the students to use an all-purpose stain remover on each stain, following the manufacturer's instructions precisely. Allow students to compare the results, determine which stain resisted the cleaner the best, and hypothesize as to why.
  
  

Effectiveness of Pretreatment

• Students can determine whether pre-treating a stain is really best for eliminating them from clothing. Provide two identical stains on an old garment, like a T-shirt. A good type of stain to use in this experiment is tomato sauce---rub a small amount of tomato sauce on each sleeve to keep them separate and identifiable. Pre-treat one sleeve with a brand of pre-treatment stain remover and let it sit for the required time. Leave the other sleeve untreated. Wash as normal and allow students to compare the two stains and write up a conclusion based on the hypothesis.