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Problem Statement
Trinidad and Tobago is currently experiencing a deep recession where thousands of people are
losing their jobs. Despite the loss of income, the prices of goods and services are increasing so
parents have to create budgets and make every effort to reduce their expenses especially in the
grocery. One means of doing this is to produce some household cleaning products.

Whilst soaps and detergents are essential to personal and public health, many of them are very
expensive. Given the tough economic times your parents are experiencing, and as a chemistry
student, your task is to produce soap and detergents that will allow your parents to save money
the next time they visit the grocery.

Whole class activity

In groups, you will be required to establish a soap making business and make the products that
you will sell to the staff and students. Each group will make four different types of soap
products: fabric softener, powdered soaps, oxyclean, bath soaps.
Your group tasks:
1. Create a name for your company and design its logo
2. Create the products from the given instruction sheets
3. Design labels for your products
4. Determine your marketing strategies (price, packaging, advertising to be used) to sell
the products
5. Keep good financial records
6. Consider the environmental impact of your soaps and detergents and implement
strategies to minimize those effects.

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Task 1
Company name and logo:
My group consisted of four persons, namely:

 Selena
 Jardel
 Crystal
 Narvin
 Nathaniel
 And myself
Coming up with a name was difficult. We went through something fun, something serious,
something catchy and something for the environment. In the end after much discussion we
settled on Mystic. We felt this was reflective of the unknown nature of what we were trying to
achieve, a creative name which customers could draw to that we could easily market.

The following is a sample of the logo and label.

Sample of Label
Logo

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Task 2
Creating the products

Product 1
Oxiclean

The commercial brands of oxyclean (“Oxiclean”) are laundry boosters, household cleaners and
stain removers that can be added to normal detergents. It has powerful stain-fighting strength
and the absence of chlorine bleach makes it safe to use on whites and colored clothing. The
commercial brands contain sodium percarbonate (Na2CO3•H2O2), an adduct of sodium
carbonate (Na2CO3) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as one of the active ingredients that breaks
down into hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water. The hydrogen peroxide then breaks
down releasing oxygen which binds with the organic and inorganic compounds in the stain and
lifts them off the fabric.

Commercially this can cost as much as TT$30.00 a 500ml container. By making this stain
remover ourselves we can potentially save as much as TT$20.00 for the same amount. And can
be used in many ways around the home to:
 Clean carpets and upholstery
 Remove pet stains and odours
 Treat tough laundry stains, such as juice, blood, coffee or wine stains
 Deodorize laundry
 Eliminate mould, mildew and other organic stains

This is how we made our Oxiclean.

Ingredients
 Sodium hydrogen carbonate – 110g (3.88 oz.)
 9% hydrogen peroxide – 120ml
Instructions
1. Heat the sodium hydrogen carbonate in an oven overnight to produce the sodium
carbonate (washing soda).
2. Weigh 110 grams of the sodium carbonate using the analytical balance and place in a
500ml beaker
3. Add 120 ml of 9% hydrogen peroxide to the beaker and mix thoroughly

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 4. Pour the oxyclean into the labeled bottle.

Results
We tested this product over three (3) phases.
Phase 1:
 We applied directly to a stained piece of cloth after mixing – we found that the
stain removal action was strong and fast acting.
Phase 2:
 We applied directly to a stained piece of cloth after 3 days of mixing and being
stored in the bottle – we found that the stain removal action was slow and the
stain was not removed entirely.
Phase 3:
 We applied directly to a stained piece of cloth after 7 days of mixing and being in
the bottle – we found that the stain was not removed and any stain removal
action was lacking completely.

Discussion:
We decided as a group that this product should not be made for sale as it did not have a long
shelf life and would deteriorate into a non-useable product. We decided to give persons advice
on making their own Oxiclean at home for use. We contemplated doing the instructions,
washing soda and hydrogen peroxide as a retailed package but it would’ve required more start
up cash than we had available. We did however in our research discover other recipes for
making Oxiclean that we tested with the same results but thought it worthy of mention

Ingredients
Pre-Wash Treatment OxyClean
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) 3% hydrogen peroxide
1 tablespoon (13.8 grams) washing soda

Laundry Booster OxyClean

½ cup (110 grams) washing soda
½ cup (120 milliliters) 3% hydrogen peroxide

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 Method 1
Making and Using Pre-Wash Treatment OxyClean

1. Pour the water, hydrogen peroxide, and washing soda into a spray bottle. If you need to, use a
funnel to help guide the ingredients into the bottle. Homemade OxyClean does not last a long
time. It loses its effectiveness after 6 hours. Because of this, it's better to make small batches at
a time. If you'd like to make a larger batch, use the following proportions:

 2 parts water
 1 part 9% hydrogen peroxide
 1 part washing soda

2. Close the spray bottle and shake it to mix. Don't worry if the washing soda does not completely
dissolve. It will still be effective.

3. Spray the mixture onto the stain. Homemade OxyClean works best on fresh stains. If
the stained garment has been through the dryer, the stains will be difficult to remove.

4. Let the mixture soak for at least 20 minutes It will need to soak for 2 hours for tough
stains and overnight for extra stubborn stains.

5. Wash the clothes according to the tag. Do not wash out the homemade OxyClean.
Simply toss the clothes into the washer. If the stain remains after washing, try to
remove it again. If you put a stained garment into a dryer, the heat will set the stain.

Method 2
Making and Using Laundry Booster OxyClean

1. Turn on the washing machine and let the basin fill ¼ to ½ of the way. Do not add your
clothes or detergents just yet. Try to use hot water, if your clothes can handle it. Avoid
using hot water if the how-to-wash tags caution against it.

2. Add the washing soda, hydrogen peroxide, and your usual laundry detergent. Stir the
ingredients together with a wooden spoon or your hand. If you have sensitive skin,
consider wearing a pair of rubber gloves so that the solution doesn't irritate you.

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 3. Let the washer fill to the desired level, and then add your clothes. Make sure that the
washing soda and detergent are completely dissolved first.

4. Wash the clothes according to your machine's instructions. Once the cycle is done,
take the clothes out and inspect them for stains. If you need to, reapply a stain-
removable treatment, and wash the clothes again. If you put stained clothes into a
dryer, the heat will set the stain.

Costing Table

Cost per
Amt. for Amt. per Unit Cost measurement Cost of
Recipe Ingredients Unit $TT $TT Product $TT
120ml Hydrogen Peroxide 250ml 10 4.80
110g Washing Soda 907.2g 10 1.10 5.90

Advantages Disadvantages Remarks

The cost of making this
product was cheaper than
buying it at the supermarket,
so the overall objective was
achieved in saving money
This product cannot be stored
as it begins to break down
over a very short period of
time and can only be prepared
when needed
The goal of this project is to
save money and so the target
was achieved. However it is
not a viable business option

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Product 2
Homemade Laundry Soap (powdered soap)

Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) that is added
when cleaning laundry. They contain additives that allow the soap to mix with hard water so
that no scum is formed, whilst cleaning the laundry.

It is important to note that this recipe is extremely strong and whereas from commercial
laundry detergent you would usually use a 1cup measurement, this mixture requires you to use
only 2 tbsp. (tablespoons) per medium load of laundry.

Ingredients
 1 bar (or 4.5 ounces) shaved bar soap (a homemade laundry bar or blue soap can be
used)
 1 cup borax(sodium tetraborate) (340g or 12 ounce)
 1 cup washing soda( sodium carbonate) (340g or 12 ounce)
 2 – 3 drops essential oils (rosemary, lavender or any of your choice)

Instructions
1. Grate the soap using a hand grater or food processor. Grate into fine particles so it
dissolves easily.
2. Carefully mix with the washing soda and borax (use gloves or a spoon as these can by
drying if used directly on skin)
3. Add essential oils and stir.
4. Store in an air-tight glass jar.

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Results
We tested this product in two (2) phases:
Phase 1: Coloured clothes
 We washed as per the researched instructions of 2 tbsp per medium load. We
found that there was a significant reduction in suds (bubbles) and that the soap
needed to be mixed in warm water before adding to the wash as when added to
a cold wash some of the blue soap did not melt into the water for a shorter
wash. The clothes however washed just as clean as with two other brands of
soap tested.
Phase 2: White clothes
 We did the same for whites as outlined above, with the advanced knowledge of
mixing before in warm water. The same no suds was observed as compared to
the same other two other brands. We found that our whites were cleaned better
than with the other brands.

Discussion
We decided as a group that this product should be for sale with careful attention being paid to
the instructions of 2tbsp per medium load wash. We put that directly on our label. We
questioned whether more money could be saved by using our own homemade soap for the
laundry soap and decided to test that at a later time to see if it would be more cost effective
and also if it would take away the ‘blue soap’ smell off of the clothes as that was the only draw
back.

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 Costing Table

Cost per
Amt. for Amt. per Unit Cost measurement Total Cost of
Recipe Ingredients Unit $TT $TT Product $TT
1-2 Blue soap 1-2 2.5 5
340g Washing Soda 907.2g 10 3.4
340g Borax 500g 40 27.2
Essential oil
1-2ml (jasmine) 30ml 25 1.66 37.26

Advantages Disadvantages Remarks

The cost of making this
product was the same as
purchasing store brand
detergent. What must be noted
however that because of the
amount to be used per load,
the cost can be measured
against number of loads to be
washed.

Using the measurement per

load would mean that the
homemade laundry soap cost
less as with this batch we
would be able to wash twice
as many loads for the same
amount of store brand
detergent
This soap is stronger on
whites
Persons who are accustomed
to washing with lots of suds
will be uncomfortable with
this soap.
Soap must be mixed in hot
water before adding to wash.
The goal of this project is to
save money and so the target
was achieved and is a viable
business option

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Product 3
Fabric Softener

Fabric softener (recently called fabric conditioner by some producers for marketing purposes) is
a chemical compound that is typically applied to laundry during the rinse cycle in a washing
machine. Fabric conditioner makes your clothes feel softer and more comfortable to wear.
Softer clothes are less harsh and scratchy on your skin which is particularly great if you have
sensitive skin. Fabric conditioner also makes clothes smell fresher.

Commercially fabric softener costs anywhere from $25.00 - $50.00. This recipe does not use the
chemical ingredients used to manufacture fabric softener from ‘scratch’ but employs the use of
store bought conditioner mixed with other ingredients to achieve the same effect.

Ingredients:
 5 cups hot water
3 cups vinegar (24 ounces or 700ml)
16 ounces hair conditioner (different flavours)
 1 tbsp. borax

Instructions:
Mix hot water and conditioner together in medium bowl. (The hot water helps smooth any
clumps from the conditioner). Mix in vinegar. Heat the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Allow
the mixture to cool and add 1 tablespoon of borax to thicken the fabric softener. Allow the
mixture to cool to room temperature and poor into the labeled bottle.

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Results
We tested this product in one phase with one constant being homemade laundry detergent
rather than different detergents to add more variables to the mix.
Phase 1:
 Use of this product against store brand fabric softener yielded the same results
with respect to softness. The load of clothes washed felt the same in each
instance. What was observed was the scent was much milder in the homemade
fabric softener than the store bought. We attributed this to the conditioner
bought as other groups using different conditioners with stronger fragrance
yielded a stronger smell

 Research was done as to whether we could add essential oil to the mixture to
increase the scent. This was not done in any recipe we found and so decided
against trying that as we did not know the effect it would have on clothes and
persons skin.

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 Discussion
We decided as a group that this product should be for sale, opting to tell the customer that it
was a mild fragrance. This recipe yielded 3 litres, which was more than the store bought brand
for the same cost, thus, achieving the target of saving money. We negated the cost of water as
no special water was used. We used from the tap. However we know that in manufacturing
paying of the regulated water tax would bear a cost.

Costing Table

Cost per
Amt. for Amt. per Unit Cost measurement Cost of
Recipe Ingredients Unit $TT $TT Product $TT
16 ounces Hair Conditioner 16 12 12
24 ounces 1L or
or 700ml Vinegar 1000ml 6 4.2
28g Borax 500g 40 2.24
11-
250ml Bottles 1 11 1 29.44

Advantages Disadvantages Remarks

The cost of making this
product was less than
purchasing the store brand
detergent. Thus proving to be
a huge savings.
The goal of this project is to
Store bought condition has to save money and so the target
be used thus getting a milder was achieved and is a viable
scent business option

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Product 4
Bath Soap

Soaps are water-soluble sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids. Soaps are made from fats and
oils, or their fatty acids, by treating them chemically with a strong alkali. Saponification of fats
and oils is the most widely used soap making process. This method involves heating fats and
oils and reacting them with a liquid alkali (sodium hydroxide) to produce soap and water (neat
soap) plus glycerine.

Ingredients per recipe

M Kushnut Scrub M Poppy Nut M Honey Jas

9.6 Coconut Oil 12 Coconut Oil 8 Coconut Oil
2.4 Castor Oil 2.4 Castor Oil 14 Soya Oil
4.8 Olive Oil 9.6 Soya Oil 2.4 Castor Oil
7.2 Soya Oil 0.5 Jasmine Oil 0.5 Jasmine Oil
30ml Kush Kush Fragrance 30ml Kush Kush Fragrance 2tbsp. Honey
½ cup Ground Oats 2 tbsp Poppy seeds 3.5 Lye
3.5 Lye 2tsp. Honey 8.5 Water
8.4 Water 3.6 Lye
8.4 Water
M=Measurements in ounces unless stated

Instructions

1. Use the soap calculator to work out the quantities of oils to use to produce your desired
soap.

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 2. Measure your water into the beaker. Have a spoon ready. Measure your lye, making
sure you have exactly as the measurement. Slowly pour the lye into the water, stirring
as you go. Stand back while you stir to avoid the fumes. When the water starts to clear,
allow it to sit and cool while you move to the next step. (Safety is important)

3. In the bowl, add your oils together. You can choose to lightly heat the oils on the hot
plate or with the use of a double boiler or use at room temperature. Check the
temperature of your lye it should be about 50oC. Both oil and lye should be around the
same temperature somewhere between 35°C and 40°C. This is critical for soap
making. Too low and it’ll come together quickly, but be coarse and crumbly. Too high
and it will seize in the bowl especially with the addition of fragrance oils.

4. When both the lye and oils reach about 30oC, pour the oils into a mixing
bowl. Slowly add the lye, stirring until it’s all mixed. Stir by hand for a full 5 minutes. It’s
very important to get as much of the lye in contact with as much of the soap as possible.
After about 5 minutes, you can keep stirring or you can use an immersion blender The
soap mixture will lighten in colour and become thick. When it looks like vanilla pudding
it’s at “trace” and you’re good to go.

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 5. Add your herbs, essential oils or other additions at this point. Stir thoroughly to
combine. Pour the mixture into mold(s) and cover with plastic wrap. Set in an old towel
and wrap it up. This will keep the residual heat in and start the saponification process.
Saponification is the process of the base ingredients becoming soap.

6. After 24 hours, check your soap. If it’s still warm or soft, allow it to sit another 12-24
hours. When its cold and firm, turn it out onto a piece of parchment paper or baking
rack. If using a loaf pan as your mould, cut into bars at this point. Allow soap to cure for
4 weeks or so. Be sure to turn it over once a week to expose all the sides to air (which is
not necessary if using a baking rack).

7. When your soap is fully cured, wrap it in wax paper or keep it in an airtight container.
Handmade soap creates its own glycerine, which is a humectant, pulling moisture from
the air. It should be wrapped to keep it from attracting dust and debris with the
moisture.

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 8. After the 4 week curing time the soap can be packaged for sale.

Results
After the 4 week cure period, this product was tested for 5 days per soap and my observations
were as follows:

Criteria Kushnut Scrub Poppy Nut Honey Jas

Mild and pleasing Mild and pleasing
Fragrance Little to no fragrance. Essential oils fragrance. Essential oils
Fragrance used gave a mild scent used gave a mild scent
Produces some
suds, with a little Produces a lot of suds, Produces a lot of suds,
Sudsing /
soap remaining on with no soap remaining with a little soap
Lather
your hands whilst on your hands whilst remaining on your hands
rinsing rinsing whilst rinsing
Solid bar but breaks Solid bar that does not Solid bar that does not
Consistency
up break up break up
I attributed the The poppy seeds did not This bar of soap was
breaking of the bar offer a heavy scrub to ultimately my favourite.
to the cure time. I the kin as I would’ve The bubbles were
believe if left longer liked but the customer amazing and the
Remarks
for more water to may prefer differently. It fragrance lasted till out of
evaporate the bar did not feel silky but it the shower but it was not
would have been was not to drying. It left overpowering. My
harder producing me with a refreshing research shows that the

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 less breakup. feeling. honey would have given
extra bubbles, which
This recipe left my cannot be calculated
skin feeling silky online at the soapcalc.
smooth My skin was softer than
usual after bathing with
this soap.

Discussion
The group knew that this was the best product we had made by far. It was cost effective in
some instances but in other it was a bit more expensive. Things like packaging and labeling
ultimately sent the cost up but it was good to note that it rivaled the store bought brands.

I felt better about using this soap than the store bought ones. It was an all-natural soap that
contained no chemicals, it was not harmful to the environment, I got to control the types of oils
that produced soap, I got to control the varying effects of the oils on my skin and it was
generally fun. I would use and recommend homemade soap to everyone. As a business venture
it is good to encourage people to use natural products. Let persons know and understand the
effects to the environment and the enrichment of their lives by using this natural product.

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 Costing Table

Cost per Cost per Cost per

measurement measurement measurement
Amt. Unit Cost Amt. for $TT Amt. for $TT Amt. for $TT
Ingredients per Unit $TT Recipe Kushnut Scrub Recipe Poppy Nut Recipe Honey Jas
9.6 12 8
Coconut Oil 1000ml 21.75 *(283.9ml) 6.17 *(354.9ml) 7.72 *(236.6ml) 5.15
7.2 9.6 14
Soy Oil 1000ml 26 *(212.9ml) 5.54 *(283.9ml) 7.38 *(414ml) 10.76
2.4 2.4 2.4
Castor oil 240ml 27.30 *(71ml) 8.08 *(71ml) 8.08 *(71ml) 8.08
4.8
Olive oil 500ml 22 *(142ml) 6.25
Jasmine Oil 1 ounce 25 0.5 12.50 0.5 12.50
Kush Kush
Fragrance 120ml 14 30ml 7 30ml 7
Honey 150ml 130 5ml 4.33 5ml 4.33
Oats 240g 5 100g 2.08
Poppy Seeds 30g 12.95 3g 1.30
Cost per Batch (each batch has 11 -12 bars) 35.12 48.31 40.82
Cost per Bar 3.19 4.39 3.71

* Translation from ounces to ml for calculation purposes. This may be flawed as weight per type of oil changes but is used as an
average

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 Advantages
The cost of making this
product was less than
purchasing the store brand
detergent. Thus proving to be
a savings.
All Natural products were
used for a lesser impact on the
environment
I have control of the effect of
soap on my skin
Dayo-Alana George 5:5
Chemistry Project 2018
Disadvantages
Cost of packaging sent the
cost to produce 1 bar of soap
to the same as store bought
brands for this size of product
Remarks
The goal of this project is to
save money and so the target
was not achieved. It is
however a viable business
option as cost can go down
based on production. i.e. the
more raw materials purchased
cost less when calculated
overall in cost per bar.
If a proper analysis of the
weight per oil vs. cost is done
it should appear cheaper and is
a good business option
Page 20
 Sales Day
We took all that we had made and sold it to our school population. The following is the sales
table we made based on cost to produce the final product vs. selling price and the profit made.
The final cost is inclusive of the cost to package, label and labour

Cost Amt. Amt.

to Final of Selling Sold
Item make cost Items price Total Profit
Kushnut
scrub $3.19 $5.29 11 $15.00 11 $165.00 $106.81
Poppy Nut $4.39 $6.49 11 $15.00 11 $165.00 $91.41
Honey Jas $3.71 $5.81 11 $15.00 11 $165.00 $101.09
Fabric
Softener $2.68 $3.18 11 $6.00 11 $66.00 $31.02
Powdered
Soap $2.66 $3.66 6 $5.00 6 $30.00 $8.04

Comparison Table
Cost in
Item Store Item store My cost Savings
Kushnut Scrub Palmolive $5.67 $5.29 $(0.38)
Poppy Nut Dove $14 $6.49 $7.51
Honey Jas Lux $5.65 $5.81 $(0.16)
Fabric Softener Lanher $23.95 $9.54 $14.41
Powdered Soap Radiente $36.75 $37.26 $(0.51)

The Comparison was done by taking commercial soaps that did the same things our natural
soap did and made my skin feel, in terms of the rubrix outlined above, as there would be no
other variables to compare them to.

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 Our display (some was already sold)

Selena and I Selling Our Products

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Acknowledgements

I will like to thank Mrs. George for donating her sodium Hydroxide (lye) for us to use (thus
keeping our costs down) and the use of her equipment for those who did not have

I would like to thank my teacher Ms. Francois for introducing us to this project as it shows since
in motion and how we can actually take what we have learned in the classroom and become
young entrepreneurs.

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