De-Muck The Yuck

DE-MUCK THE YUCK

My project is called De-Muck the Yuck!! I wanted to find out if a handmade water filtration system could remove debris from dirty water. I chose this project because I got interested in survival skills and started thinking about how people might need to clean water in an emergency or when they are outside in nature. Clean water is important, so I wanted to test if simple materials could help remove dirt and debris from water. I learned about making filters using simple materials during a mom and sons retreat with my mom and brother. That made me curious about how water filtration works and if I could build one myself.

My question was: Can a handmade water filtration system remove debris from dirty water? To test this, I made my own filter and used dirty water from a marsh and two rivers. I thought my project would show that simple materials can make dirty water look clearer by removing visible dirt and debris.

Before I started, I researched how different materials like sand, rocks, and charcoal can be used in layers to help filter dirty water by catching dirt and debris (National Geographic Kids, n.d.). Then I used that information to build my filter. I made my filter using a plastic bottle. I cut the bottle and turned the top upside down into the bottom to make the filter shape. Inside the bottle, I added the layers. I used cotton balls at the bottom, then sand, then charcoal that I collected from our wood stove and crushed, then pebbles, small rocks, and medium rocks on top.

For my experiment, I collected three different dirty water samples: marsh water, river water sample 1, and river water sample 2. I poured each sample through the same filter and looked at how the water changed before and after filtering. I paid attention to whether the water looked clearer and if there was less visible dirt and debris.

To make it a fair test, I used the same filter every time. The only thing I changed was the type of dirty water I tested.

My results showed that my handmade water filter made all three dirty water samples look clearer after they were filtered only one time. After each sample went through the filter, there was no visible debris and dirt in the water. This showed that the filter was able to trap the dirt and debris.

My results matched my hypothesis because I thought the filter would make the water look cleaner, and it did. The different layers worked together to catch different sizes of debris. The larger rocks and pebbles helped stop bigger things like leaves and larger pieces of dirt. The sand, charcoal, and cotton helped catch smaller particles. The charcoal also helped make the water look less cloudy.

One thing I noticed was that the filter got dirtier as I used it more. That makes me think the filter might not work as well after filtering a lot of dirty water. If I kept going with this project, I would want to test how many times the filter can be used before it stops working as well.

Overall, my project showed that a handmade filter can make dirty water look clearer and remove visible debris to make the water ready for boiling.

My results are important because they show that a simple handmade water filter can make dirty water look a lot clearer using materials that are easy to find. It shows that even a hand made filter can remove visible dirt and debris. From this project, I learned that each layer in the filter has a job. The rocks and pebbles help catch bigger debris, and the sand. charcoal and cotton help catch smaller dirt particles and that charcoal makes water less cloudy.

I also learned that the filter changes as it gets used. After filtering more water, the filter got dirty, which could mean it might not work as well over time.

One of the most important things I learned is that clearer water does not always mean safe water. My project showed that the water no longer had debris and dirt in it and it looked better after filtering. This would prepare the water for the next steps, like boiling to make it safe to drink.

If I extended my project, I would test how many times the filter can be used before it stops working well. I would also like to try different materials, like using clothing you might have in an emergency instead of cotton balls. I would also want to find a way to test for bacteria or water quality, because clear water does not always mean safe water.

I would like to thank my mom for taking me to a mom and sons retreat, where I learned about survival skills and got the idea for my project. That is what made me interested in clean water and water filtration.

I would also like to thank my dad for taking me on the snow machine so I could collect the dirty water I used for my project. Even though my dad brought me to get the water samples, I built the filter, chose my materials, tested the water filter, made my observations, and explained my results by myself.

Webpages:

National Geographic Kids. (n.d.). Water wonders. Retrieved from https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/books/article/water-wonders

Wilderness Awareness School. (n.d.). How to make a survival water filter. Retrieved from https://wildernessawareness.org/articles/how-to-make-a-survival-water-filter/

Design Tool:

Canva. (n.d.). Canva [Graphic design tool]. Retrieved from https://www.canva.com/

Personal Experience:

Mom and Sons Retreat. (2025). Survival workshop. Personal educational experience.