THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHARCOAL AS AN ALTERNATIVE ORGANIC

LEATHER SHOE POLISH

A Science Investigatory Project presented to

The Faculty of Cebuano National High School
Cebuano, Tupi, South Cotabato

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirement for the
Grade Seven Science Subject

by

HIPE, EDMUND DRICK F.

HADJI ALI, ALEXIS HARUDZAMAN B.
NARZOLES, CYRILL BLESS M.
SONSONA, KYE S.
SUELLO, CRYSTEL PEARL
SUAN, SHANNEA PEARL
MANGOTARA, RAIHANA E.

January 2022
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
TITLE PAGE ………………………………………………………… i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………. ii

ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………….. iii

Background of the Study ……………………………….. 1

Statement of the Problem ……………………………… 3

Significance of the Study ………………………………. 3

Scope and Delimitation of the Study …………………. 4

Definition of Terms ……………………………………… 4

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND……… 5

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK……………………... 6

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY …………………………………… 7

CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS, RESULT AND DISCUSSION ……….. 9

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION …….. 11

REFERENCE ……………………………………………………….. 12

ii
 ABSTRACT

“The Effectiveness of Charcoal as An Alternative Organic Leather Shoe

Polish”

This investigatory project will determine if charcoal as an alternative

shoe polish could be effective on any leather shoes, the researchers will also

compare the product to other branded shoe polish to determine its

effectiveness. Therefore, the researchers thought of a way that can restore

and enhance the original appearance of leather using an eco-friendly shoe

polish out of charcoal as main ingredient which can be easily on homes,

streets, and fireplace that contains more organic content than any other

brands.

The researchers established to put the organic shoe polish into a

comparative test to know the similarities and differences against a popular

shoe polish brand. This investigatory project focuses on the results of our

comparative test to know the effectiveness of the product. The organic shoe

polish has been tested for its effectivity by applying it to a pair of leather shoes

and also, the branded shoe polish was applied to another pair of leather

shoes.

The researchers rubbed and brushed them both until the leather shoes

shines. The shoes were observed in a span of 12 hours with a 6 – hour

interval between the observations from the start of the effectivity test. The

study has shown positive outcomes and result, thus proving that the product,

charcoal as an alternative shoe polish is truly effective and can be matched

with any other branded shoe polish.

iii
 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

Background of the Study

The history of shoe polish was started using natural substances like

wax, ash, and tallow. Polishes in modern time are formulated by substituting

different liquids and suspended solids, while their composition had no exact

difference from that produced before, but some products have been added to

improve the quality and serve as alternatives to other ingredients, and some

products of that era are still in use till today (Altahir 2018).

Shoe polish was originally invented as a waterproofing material for

leather shoes. Later, the practice of buffing and polishing the leather made

shoe polish that shined into an important fashion item. A good shoe polish

needs to shine, protect and restore the shoes, and many of the shoe polishes

you will find in the store still contain ingredients that have traditionally been

used for polishing shoes, such as oil and wax.

Shoe polish is a product that is put on the surface of the shoe leather

used to result in water proofing, quality restoration, and improve the

appearance of leather to make the finished leather smooth and glossy. Shoe

polishes come in two forms: cream polish which are for restoring color, and

wax polish, which are for buffing shoes to a shine. Generally, a wax polish

also does a better job of covering up minor scuffs that a conditioner has

properly filled in.

1
 Charcoal is an odorless, tasteless, fine black powder, or black porous

solid consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing

water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances.

It is normally obtained from the burning of wood, peat, bones, cellulose, or

other carbonaceous substances with little or insufficient air. It is

an amorphous carbon in the form of highly porous microcrystalline graphite.

Beeswax is a naturally occurring wax produced in the bee’s hives by

honeybees. In the past, beeswax was especially valued for candles, because

it has a higher melting point than many other waxes, and so the candles

remain upright in hot weather. One of the most important current uses of

beeswax is in ointments, emollient skin creams, and lotions. It also is still used

in polishes and other protective coatings.

An oil is a substance that is in a viscous liquid state ("oily") at ambient

temperatures or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic. This includes

compound classes with otherwise unrelated chemical structures, properties,

and uses, including vegetable oils, petrochemical oils, and volatile essential

oils.

2
Statement of the Problem

The study aims to prove the effectiveness of charcoal as an

organic alternative shoe polish. Specifically, the study raises the following

objectives:

 To make an eco-friendly and organic shoe polish that can be bought in

the market at a very reasonable price.

 To produce a natural alternative shoe polish that is safe and more

convenient.

General Problem

1. What are the components of charcoal, bees wax and cooking oil?

2. What is the level of effectiveness of charcoal as an alternative organic

shoe polish for shoe polishing?

Significance of the Study

The study will be conducted to substantiate the effectiveness of charcoal as

an organic alternative shoe polish. This study is beneficial to the following:

 Students. The students will definitely benefit from this study because

they are using shoes every day when going to school. They can use this

alternative shoe polish to protect their and clean their leather shoes.

 Teachers/Educators. This study is beneficial to the teachers for they

can use an alternative product on maintaining the cleanliness and

shininess of their shoes.

  Parents. This study can help parents to save money on buying this

product since the ingredients used are organic and cheap.

 Shoe Shiners. This study will be most beneficial shoe shiners by giving

them alternative ways on how to create their own shoe polish. Instead of
3
buying the commercially available shoe polish, they can use their own

creation.

Scope and delimitation of the study

This study is limited to only for those people who wants to use the

charcoal as an alternative organic leather shoe polish and compare its

effectiveness to branded shoe polish.

Definition of terms

The study contains highfalutin words that may have very broad

meanings. The following terms are defined conceptually and operationally

which will make the meaning of the terms used in the texts of this

investigatory project much clearer:

Bees’ Wax - the wax secreted by bees to make honeycombs and used to
make wood polishes and candles.

Organic - generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen

bonds.

Charcoal – another main ingredient of the product that gives black color to

the shoe polish.

Shoe Polish – the end product of the study which comes in a form of wax

Cooking oil - is plant, animal, or synthetic liquid fat used in frying, baking,
and other types of cooking. It
Brand X Shoe Polish- the control setup in the experiment where the product

is compared

CHAPTER 2
4
REVIEW AND RELATED LITERATURE

The human body can provide places for disease-causing germs and

parasites to grow and multiply. It is less likely that germs and parasites will get

inside the body if people have good personal hygiene habits.

One good practice of personal hygiene is by polishing your shoes. Like

many other hygiene convenience, shoe polish or can also be called boot

polish is usually a wax , cream or paste used by people to shine, water proof

and restore the appearance of leather shoes. It is not so much the act of

shining the shoes but rather the process of conditioning the leather and

polishing them for protection that is detrimental to the longevity of your shoes.

Leather is a skin that no longer has a body taking care of it, so it needs

treatment in order to remain healthy. Without that treatment even the best

leather in the world would break down quickly and thus not give you a good

investment on the money that you spent. This is made up of many kinds of

chemicals and because of this; it can cause irritations, allergies to us. In our

generation, shoe polish is used every day and companies produce a lot of it to

meet the demands of consumers. This leads to chemical wastes.

The researchers would like to find and discover materials like

charcoal, cooking oil, and bees’ wax and use them as alternatives for the
 chemicals used by the commercial shoe polish products, but without

sacrificing the effectiveness of the shoe polish.

Conceptual Framework

Input Process
5 Output

 Charcoal  Crushing
Organic Charcoal
 Bees’ Wax  Mixing
Leather Shoe
 Cooking Oil  Cooling
Polish

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework

 CHAPTER 3
6
METHODOLOGY

This chapter consists of ideas on what were the procedures and

materials used to come up the results of this study. This chapter includes the

process in which our alternative shoe polish, could be made, how to apply the

product and the materials needed to create the wax.

Materials and Ingredients for Experimental Setup

The list provides the ingredients and materials used in the production
of the product that will be tested in the experimental setup.

________________________________________________________
Main ingredient used to create shoe polish

 For 500 ml of shoe polish, these were the measurements to be

used:
- Pulverized charcoal (375 mL)
- Bees’ wax (400 mL)
- Cooking Oil ( 400 mL)

 Equipment’s used to create shoe polish

- Burner/Stove
- Metal Container
- Popsicle Stick
- Polishing Brush
- Measuring Cup
 - Spoon

 Brand X shoe polish wax, the product used to be compared with our shoe
polish product

 Procedures for the production

7 of the shoe polish

1. The materials and equipment needed were all gathered for the production
of the shoe polish.
2. After that, the charcoal was pulverized
3. Then, the bees’ wax was sliced into pieces.
4. Subsequently, the metal container was used in melting the pieces of wax
on a stove with full heat.
5. Afterwards, the heat was extinguished and 400 mL cooking oil were added
to the mixture
6. Then, a 375g of powdered charcoal was mixed it into the mixture
7. Lastly, the metal container was set aside to cool down for about 30
minutes
8. Finally, the researches poured the mixture into the container.

 Procedures for the experiment of comparing the branded shoe

polish to charcoal shoe polish.
1. Put enough amount of branded shoe polish on a pair of leather shoes
2. Put enough amount of charcoal shoe polish on another leather shoes.
3. After applying the different shoe polish on the pair of shoes observed the it
in a span of 12 hours and check the shoes every 6 hours.
 CHAPTER 4

Results and Discussion 8

This study was conducted with the aim of making shoes shine with the use

of the organic shoe polish. The researchers want to create an organic shoe

polish that will not only make shoes shiny, but also environmentally friendly

since it won’t be having harmful chemicals.

Findings

Observation
Time

Before application After application 6 hours after 12 hours after

application application

Shininess Dull Shiny Shiny Shiny

The results from both products were similar; both did their job in

making shoe shine. Each product was applied on a pair of shoes.

Subsequently, the researchers brushed the shoe brush till it was shiny. The

results were immediately visible. The shoes then, observed after 6 and 12
 hours for experimentation. After several hours of observation, the shoes

maintained their shininess.

Figure 2. The appearance of the shoe after applying Kiwi shoe polish

Observation Time

Before application After application 6 hours after 12 hours after

application application

Shininess Dull Shiny Shiny Shiny

9 shoe after applying charcoal organic

Figure 3. The appearance of the
shoe polish

CHAPTER 5

Summary Statement

The researchers both tested the product “kiwi” shoe polish and the
organic charcoal shoe polish to see how well it performs. We used a pair of
black shoes and tested it. First, kiwi shoe polish was applied on first pair and
brushed. Before the application of the product, the shoe was dull, but after, it
became visibly shiny. After the researchers tested the “kiwi”, they start
polishing the other pair with the organic charcoal shoe polish. The
researchers observed the pair of shoes after 6 and 12 hours to see how long
the shine lasts, after 12 hours, the shoe was still visibly shiny. The ability of
making black shoes shiny was evident after the experiment, meaning the
product is effective.

Conclusions

10
In conclusion, the organic charcoal shoe polish and kiwi were two
great shoe polishers and had similarities when it came to turning dull shoes
into shinier shoes. After applying product on each shoe, the results were
apparent immediately after brushing the shoes. We let the shoes sit out and
observed them after 6 and 12 hours. The experiment serves as evidence and
the data that the product did their jobs.

Considering that our alternative shoe polish product contained organic

ingredients makes our creation more superior than the generic “kiwi” shoe
cream which mostly contains chemicals that may not be environmentally
friendly. Whereas our product is definitely environmentally friendly because of
the non-chemical, organic ingredients it possesses.

Recommendations

Based on the forgoing findings and conclusion, the researchers would

recommend charcoal as an alternative organic shoe polish, for it has the

same quality like branded shoe polish. But, when it comes to quantity

charcoal shoe polish is easy to produce and very affordable because its basic

materials can be found easily on our household and market and it was proven

by the researchers that it is pure organic and eco-friendly.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY
11

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