Car Racing Soda

Baking Soda, vinegar and an empty bottle is all you need if you’ve got a need for speed!

• ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Vinegar
• Empty plastic bottle
• Hammer & nail
• Single-ply tissue
• Funnel
• Duct tape
• Toy car*

1. Rinse out the bottle and let it dry. If you have a toy car, skip to step 5. Or to make your own car wheels and wheelbase, follow steps 2-4.
2. Trim a straw to length (twice) so it provides enough space for wheels to operate. Glue both trimmed straws near the front and back on the same side of the bottle. Place appropriate-length wooden skewers through both trimmed straws. These will be your front and rear axles. Using a nail and hammer, puncture holes in the center-top area of four plastic bottle caps. These will be your wheels. Fit the bottle cap wheels onto the ends of the skewers.
3. Choose the front and back of your bottle car. Create a small “exhaust” hole in the back, and cover it with tape until the car is ready to go.
4. Don’t forget to decorate your car! That’s a big part of the fun.
5. Duct tape the bottle to the top of your car.
6. Now grab your fuel (Baking Soda and vinegar) and head outside, because this can get messy!
7. Start with a good base of Baking Soda in your bottle. Add the vinegar fast, and cap the bottle even faster — the reaction happens quickly!
8. The combination of vinegar and Baking Soda produces water and carbon dioxide gas. When you have these two substances in an enclosed container, pressure builds up. When the pressure is released on one side, the container moves quickly in the opposite direction. That’s what makes your car go! Shake the bottle back and forth so the Baking Soda and vinegar can mix together. Make sure the exhaust hole is covered, and wait a few seconds so that the carbon dioxide can build up.
9. Put your car down on the ground and remove the tape covering the exhaust hole. The reaction inside the bottle should send your bottle car racing away!
10. Rinse and repeat the process for more racing fun.