Effect:
The effectiveness of two soaps is demontrated. Two identically dirty cloths are shown to the audience. A pinch of Tide is put into a big beaker of water and stirred. One dirty cloth is washed in the solution and comes out clean. A new experimental soap (Super Sudz or some other silly name) is placed into another large beaker. It immediately bubbles and fizzes and foams over. The other dirty cloth is washed in the solution. When it comes out, it is still dirty and full of holes. OOPS!

What You Need:
- two 1 L beakers
- two cloths
- sodium bisulfite
- potassium permanganate
- dry ice
- a small box of Tide detergent
- a large catch basin or tray
- warm water
- a decorated box of Super Sudz
- gloves

What You Do Before the Show:
- Cut holes in one of the cloths.
- Make a solution of potassium permanganate in water and pour in portions all over the two cloths. On standing, the pink colour will turn brown.
- In one beaker, add 500 ml of warm water, add about 20 g of soduim bisulfite and stir until it dissolves.
- In the other beaker add 500 ml of warm water.
- Prepare a soap box to represent your new experimental soap ... call it what ever you want.
- Just before the show make a mixture of several teaspoons of Tide and small chunks of dry ice and put into the new soap box.
- Put a large tray under the two beakers on your stage.

What You Do During the Show:
- When you demonstrate the control soap, Tide, add just a pinch of tide to the first beaker.
- Open the whole cloth for the audience to see how dirty it is.
- Add the whole cloth to the beaker and slosh it around for a bit, then squeeze out the liquid and hold the clean cloth up for the audience to see.
- Then add the Super Sudz soap to the other beaker. It will foam, bubble and fizz all over (thus the tray).
- After it starts to settle down, show the second "identical" cloth to the audience, while keeping it bunched up.
- Then add it to the active soap solution.
- Slosh it around for a while, squeeze it out and open to show what a wonderful job the soap did. OOPS!

What is Happening:
- Potassium permanganate is deep red. On standing in air it goes to manganese dioxide, which is brown. In the presence of sodium bisulfite it is reduced to a colourless form of manganese.
- The dry ice vapourizes in the warm water and makes the soap foam.

Hazards:
- Dry ice is at -78 dec Celsius and can cause severe frost bite.
- Handle the dry ice with insulated gloves.
- Wear rubber/latex gloves while doing the trick.

Patter:
- The Wizard has been asked by a major soap manufacturer, a competitor of Tide, to develop a new improved soap. This will be the first public demonstration.
- "OOPS" and "Back to the Drawing Boards" should be the closing patter.