ABSTRACT

This study aims to make an organic dishwashing liquid from orange peels. People usually

use commercially produced dishwashing liquids to clean their kitchen and eating utensils yet the

possible effects of such products on their health – considering they contain a lot of chemicals –

are unclear to them.

The researchers used orange peels, white vinegar, tea tree oil, and soap for this study. For

the first trial, they took the skin off of the oranges, heated the peels on 6 cups of water, and

strained them out afterwards. Next, they put the mixture in a bowl and added one-third cup of

white vinegar and a half teaspoon of tea tree oil. They left the mixture for 1 day. The results were

unfavorable yet the scent of orange was very noticeable – it can’t clean and has low viscosity –

and so they went on for a second trial. The researchers used and heated the mixture from their

first trial and put in half grated bar of soap. After a day, the mixture produces bubble when

shaken and improved its smell – but the scent of the soap used was dominant. The mixture was

tested on a plate – which had recently used prior to the test – and it did not clean. The third trial

of experimentation yielded the coveted result. The mixture is capable of cleaning when tested to

clean a plate. Accurate measurement was the problem of the first two trials while it is a

contributing factor to the success of the third one.

 CHAPTER 1

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Introduction

Germs are everywhere and people are indeed exposed to these harmful, microscopic

organisms everyday of their lives – especially during summer when temperatures reach record

high allowing sickness and heat-caused disease get in the way [Republic of the Philippines -

Media Relations Unit. (May 6, 2013)]. What is the most common way to get rid of bacteria?

Everyone would agree that nothing's better than soap.

According to soaphistory.net, soaps come in different types depending on how and where

one would use them. They also come in different forms such as solid, liquid, and powdered form.

Each type of soap comprises different chemicals that contribute to its over-all quality.

In the present time and age, soap is an essential part of building one’s health when it

comes to the aspect of personal hygiene. Soaps do it all. We use them to clean our whole body.

But according to goaskalice.columbia.edu, regular soaps don’t actually KILL germs – rather,

they take them off the skin, allowing these germs to be rinsed off by water.

Soap is not limited to be used as a body cleaner. It is also used to clean the dishes – it is

called dishwashing soap or detergent.

Consumerreports.org placed that dishwashing soaps come in many forms – tablets, gel,

and powder – but they often come in liquid form because they are less messy than a plain bar of

soap according to health.harvard.edu.

 These soaps can clean but are full of chemicals that are toxic – most especially for

children. Because of the spread of dishwashing liquids that claim to be all-natural available in the

market today, one cannot determine who’s true and who’s not. This study aims to develop an

organic dishwashing liquid made with real orange peels.

Statement of Objectives

This study aims to discover the potential of orange peels as an organic and all-natural

dishwashing liquid that is very relevant in terms of the cleanliness of kitchen and eating utensils

people often use and that has a least amount of chemical in comparison to any leading

dishwashing liquid available in the market today. It will inspire Filipinos, especially the youth, to

develop any biodegradable and/or non-biodegradable materials that would otherwise be thrown

away and turn them into new products to prevent disposal of potentially useful materials to

somehow reduce the radically growing amount of waste in the Philippines. Also, this study will

provide encouragement for the Filipino youth to put up a business ate their early age by selling

products they developed themselves and to earn on their own and learning how to be

independent – making the youth today more productive.

The specific objectives of this study are as follows:

1)      Create a dishwashing liquid that is chemical free and environment-friendly.

2)      Use orange peels a primary ingredient in making dishwashing liquid.

3)      Use white vinegar and tea tree oil for added cleaning benefits in the dishwashing liquid.
4)      Since orange peels are natural insect repellant according to wisegeek.org, we aim to discover if

it can decrease the risk of insect-causing diseases that are incorporated in the utensils people use

in transporting food into their body using this dishwashing liquid made out of orange peels.

Significance of the Study

            No matter how good, delicious and healthy one’s food is, if his/her kitchen and eating

utensils are as bad as it can get dirty, then it cannot be told that he/she is eating the right way.

Cleanliness is important most especially when it comes to the things we use that involves putting

it on and in our body. At times, we clean these things using products which have countless

chemicals in them.

            In this study, the researchers aim to create an organic dishwashing liquid with orange

peels as its primary component.

            Orange peels have a lot of benefits and uses. According to Floridachemical.com, one of

the many uses of orange peels is as a natural solvent cleaner because they contain d-limonene –

they are used in a wide variety of cleaning products and they are extremely safe.

            Through this study, one would be aware of the potential of otherwise be thrown away

materials like peels of fruits like those in oranges and the importance of using organic products

in cleaning utensils and other things. It would create a mean for those people who stay in their

house for long hours everyday to make use of their time and come up and develop useful

products out of nothing. It would also benefit those hygiene-meticulous people and

environmentalists as this study aims at producing all-natural dishwashing liquid. The other

beneficiaries of this study are wives who are left at home when their husbands and children are
out as it will encourage them to create their own healthy organic cleaning material. Moreover,

this study will be promoting awareness on the significance of recycling materials that would

otherwise be disposed of. Furthermore, this will promote health awareness to protect the children

from chemical-based cleaning products. 

Scope and Delimitation

Converting would-be thrown away orange peels into another useful product and bringing

to light the potential of orange peels as a dishwashing liquid are the main concerns of this study.           

The research is focused mainly on the development of organic dishwashing liquid made

out of orange peels and its capability of cleaning kitchen and eating utensils. One (1) week has

been consumed to get the final result of the study through experimentation. Some of the

materials used in this research have to be bought in the market while the others are readily

available in one of the researchers’ house.

The study is limited on the use of orange peels, white vinegar, tea tree oil, and soap only.

Three (3) sets of experiments have been done to yield the actual and coveted result.

Definition of Terms
Dishwashing Soap- is a detergent used to assist in dishwashing. It is usually a highly-foaming

mixture of surfactants with low skin irritation, and is primarily used for hand washing of glasses,

plates, cutlery, and cooking utensils in a sink or bowl.

Extract- refers to withdraw (as a juice or fraction) by physical or chemical process.

Fibre- a fine, threadlike piece, as of cotton, jute, orasbestos.

Impede- to delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder.

Soap- substance used with water for washing and cleaning, made of a compound of natural oils or

fats with sodium hydroxide or another strong alkali, and typically having perfume and coloring

added.
 CHAPTER TWO:

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES AND STUDIES

The review on the study focuses on the history of dishwashing and the health and

cleaning benefits of oranges – primarily the uses of their peels. Considering the rapid growth of

biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste in the country, one should be aware of the possible

benefits of potentially useful materials by recycling. The internet has been used as a reference to

get the necessary facts and information in the study.

History of Soaps and Detergents

Earliest evidence of the existence of soap is as early as 2800 B.C. They were found

during the excavation of ancient Babylon.

Based in the Ebers Papyrus, the combining of animal and vegetable oils with alkaline

salts is used to form a soap to prevent the ancient Egyptians from skin diseases and for washing.

The Ebers Papyrus is a medical document from about 1500 B.C.

As time went by, the Israelites received detailed laws governing cleanliness from Moses.

Moses related the cleanliness to health and religious purification.

The early Greeks doesn’t use soap for bathing but Greeks bathed for aesthetic reasons.

Instead of using soap for their bodies, they used blocks of clay, sand, pumice and ashes, then rub

themselves with oil, and they scraped off the oil and dirt using the metal instrument that known

as a strigil. Despite of this, they also used oil with ashes and their clothes were washed without

soap.
 According to an ancient Roman legend, soap got its name from Mount Sapo.                          

Mount Sapo is where animals were sacrificed. A women found out that this kind of clay

mixture that was made from melted animal fat, or tallow, and wood ashes down into the clay soil

along the Triber River can made their wash cleaner with much less effort.

During the mid-1800s, the advancement of technology was started and the invention of

the Belgian Chemist, Ernest Solvay of the ammonia process, which also used common table salt,

or sodium chloride, to make soda ash. Solvay's process further reduced the cost of obtaining this

alkali, and increased the quality and quantity of the soda ash that is available for manufacturing

soap. An alkali is a soluble salt of an alkali metal like sodium or potassium. Originally, the alkali

is used in soap making were obtained from the ashes of plants, but they now a days they are now

made commercially.

Based in scientific discoveries and the improvement of power to operate some factories,

soap making is one of the America’s fastest-growing industries back in 1850. As time went by,

the use of soap has changed from being a luxury item to an everyday necessity. With this, the

improvement of the milder soaps for bathing and soaps for washing machines that were available

to consumers.

Back in seventh century in Europe, Soap making was an established craft. Soap maker

used vegetable and animals oil with ashes of plants for the fragrance of the soap. In this century

the soap became available in different used. Example for shaving, shampooing, bathing and as

well as laundering. 

During 12th century the center of soap manufacturing was Italy, Spain and France

because they are a lot and ready supply of raw materials such as oil from olive trees which is

used in manufacturing a soap. During 12th century the English began to start a soap business.
The English business became successful and it was good because of the business were

successful, in 1962 King James I granted a monopoly for the soap maker for about $100,00 every

year. In 19th century the soap was heavily taxed because it’s a luxury item in several countries.

But when the high tax was removed, soap became available to ordinary people and the

cleanliness standards were improved.

The ingredients of soap manufacturing stayed essentially the same until 1916, because of

WWI they’ve experienced shortage of fats which is used for making soap. The first synthetic

detergent was developed in Germany which is the solution in their problem. Synthetic detergents

are the non-soap washing and cleaning products that are synthesized.

In the early 1930’s the household detergent production began in the United States. The

first detergents were used for hand dishwashing and fine fabric laundering. The development of

detergents for all-purpose laundry uses came in 1946. The ingredients that used in the first built

detergent was a surfactant/builder combination and it was introduced in the U.S. Surfactant

means a basic cleaning ingredient in manufacturing detergent product’s. While the builder helps

the surfactant to be more effective and efficiently. Phosphate compounds used as builders which

is can used to improve the performance.

Health and Cleaning Benefits of Orange peels

In livestrong.com – “A   list of the benefits of orange peels”, orange peels have

flavonoids that help prevent lung cancer. Moreover, these flavonoids also help vitamin C, which

is an important antioxidant vitamin, to prevent skin cancer. Orange peels also have

polymethoxyflavones and liminoid that may stop or prevent not just lung cancer, but cancer in
other organs as well. In addition to that, in 2000, a study at the Arizona Cancer Center, found out

that d-limonene in orange peels lessened the risk of deadly type of skin cancer called squamous

cell carcinoma. Flavones in orange peels help lower cholesterol levels. Furthermore, oranges

peels have been used in the nicotine gum developed by

the University of Yonsei's College of Medicine which helps break down and remove nicotine

from the body.

It is stated in livestrong.com –  “Health properties of orange peel”, by Maura Wolf that

orange peel is a good source of pectin which helps diminish an overactive appetite and lowers

blood sugar that rise after a meal.

According also in livestrong.com – “How to whiten teeth with orange peels”, the

“albedo” – the white portion of an orange peel – contains vitamin C, limonene, glucarate, pectin,

soluble fiber, and other compounds. Limonene – a natural solvent cleaner – is extracted from

orange peels and used in a wide variety of cleaning products.

It is indicated in wisegeek.org that the d-limonene in orange peels helps food digestion. It

is a common treatment for the symptoms linked to acid reflux and heartburn. This component in

orange peels also helps relieve stomachaches as well as constipation and diarrhea. Additionally,

the citrus smell of orange peels helps with emotional issues and cure poor appetite, sadness, and

anxiety as well.

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
 Gathering of necessary information regarding the chosen topic was done during the first

phase of the study. The internet has been used in acquiring facts and evidences. After gathering

all the information needed in this study – specifically the benefits and uses of orange peels –

experiments have been initiated.

Research Design

The method used in this study is a very common procedure which can be seen in many

websites like permaculture.org and liveeco.co.za offering instructions in making a D.I.Y.

dishwashing liquid. However, the materials and the main ingredient used in this study are

slightly different. The primary component of this study is orange peels. Sites mentioned earlier

used white vinegar and tea tree oil in their D.I.Y. dishwashing liquid thus the researchers decided

to include them also in this study. Before using them, research was done to know the relevance

and benefits of these additional ingredients in making a dishwashing liquid.

Research Instrument

Materials used in this study are as follows:

Ø      3 pieces of Orange

Ø      1/3 cup White vinegar

Ø      ½ teaspoon Tea tree oil

Ø      Pot

Ø      6 cups Water

Ø      Bowl

Ø      ½ Antibacterial Soap (grated)

Ø      Used bottle

The following is the actual procedure for the first trial:

1)      Peel the oranges. Separate the skin or the peel of the orange from the fruit itself using a peeler

or a knife.

2)      Scrape. Scrape the white portion of the orange peels and put the bits into a small bowl. With the

peels, set them aside.

3)      Heat the orange peels mixture. Put in a pot six (6) cups of water then add the peels and their

white portion. Heat the mixture of water and orange peels until hot enough. Don’t let it reach

boiling point. Stir continuously.

4)      Strain out the peels. When the mixture is warm enough, strain out the peels.

5)      Mix all ingredients. Put one-third (1/3) cup of white vinegar in the mixture. Add one-half (½)

teaspoon of tea tree oil. Stir the mixture until all ingredients are completely mixed.

6)      Cool it down. Let the mixture cool down for 8-12 hours on the counter. Mix occasionally.

Due to the undesirable results of the first trial, the researchers went on for another round

of experiment. The following procedure was done for the second trial:

Data Gathering Procedure

The observation method was used in this study. This method is process in which the

researcher observes, to get the correct and accurate data. In the first trial the researchers will

conduct a pre- observation in which the two product will test in separately to be able for the
researchers that the two product are stable, and for the 2nd trial the researchers will observe the

natural effect if there is significant changes in cleaning capability of the dishwashing soap. Then

the researchers will collect the data and use the data for the results and discussions

Statistical Treatment

The researcher will make use of mean and t-test for two-independent sample in

determining the significant difference in the effectiveness of the dishwashing soap products

A. Weighted Mean.

The Weighted Mean will determine which of the commercial dishwashing soap and organic

dishwashing soap have a significant effect cleaning of kitchen utensils. The formula of weighted

mean is:

𝑥 = weighted mean

xi = mean in the category

wi = corresponding weight for each item

n= number of observers
B. One-way t-test. One-way t-test will help to determine if the pure lemongrass and lemongrass

with garlic extract has a significant difference as mosquito repellents. It can be computed using

this formula:

Where:

𝒙=𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏

𝝁=𝒉𝒚𝒑𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆

𝒔/√𝒏=𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓