Banana Peels to Heal Bruises

"Holding a banana peel over a bruise for 10-30 minutes will remove it's color!" 

Between work, hobbies and wrangler to two kids, I've had my fair share of bruises. So having seen this idea pin several times on pinterest I decided to give it a try. Despite testing it several times, it never once worked for me. Some of the pins suggest doing it right after you get hit, others seem to say it will fade already developed bruises, however if you bang your knee on a table and put a banana peel on it, and a bruise doesn't form - was it the peel or were you just not going to develop a bruise? I tested it both on newly hit areas, and bruises I already had, yet it didn't do a thing for me. (Other than making me looking silly, holding banana peels to my legs) 

Having looked up the contents of the banana peel, I was hoping perhaps there was some high content of some mineral or vitamin known to help the skin, and in turn people assumed it would help with bruises. However despite having vitamins like Manganese and Potassium, it has a much higher fiber and water content compared to an actual banana (source) In that case, why not just use an actual banana? 

Type in "How to get rid of bruises" on pinterest (or even google) will pull up dozens of different methods. I've personally tested out the banana peel method, but I'm going to list below some of the other ways they say you can fade a bruise:

• Listerine
• Bananas
• Vinegar
• Milk
• Hand Sanitizer
• Leeches 
• Onions
• Eat Pineapple, Parsley

Unfortunately - most of these will not work. That's not how bruises work. They are caused by bleeding under the skin. About the only one I can see being effective on that list is the leeches, but I don't know of anyone who happens to keep a jar of those handy around anymore. Anything else is just being placed on the surface of the skin, and won't have much of an impact on how fast the blood will fade.

There are some more traditional methods that you can try to help lessen the coloring and pain, such as icing the area and taking an NSAID or tylenol; however as I was researching various methods I came across one that seems to actually work faster than just time : Kinesio tape, also known as KT tape.

The interesting thing about this, is that there are well documented photos showing how well it works. 

from the blog Ride. Write. Repeat.

In fact because of how the tape is applied, you can see where the tape was aiding in the healing process. After searching details on this method, I found countless photos and examples of people with kinesio tape to help heal bruises. The way the tape works on your skin, the tension involved and how it pulls up on the skin; allowing the blood to better disperse. Though it might seem a bit overkill if you're just trying to heal a small bruise on your knee or arm, if you're facing a far more serious and painful bruise, this is the method I'd turn to. Leave the banana peels in the garbage. 

Activated Charcoal to Prevent Hangover

"Simply take 2-4 pills of charcoal after a night of drinking to prevent a hangover!" 

I ordered a bottle of charcoal for another pinterest project to test out, but when looking things up online I found there are actually many different remedies that call for charcoal. One was to use it to prevent hangovers. Sound enough idea, if it's good enough to use in a hospital for absorbing chemicals, surely it'll work on alcohol too right?

So I decided to take one for the team this past Saturday and test it out. One bottle of wine later, I took 3 charcoal pills and went to bed. Come morning, I was hungover. In fact I was SUPER hungover. Far worse than I would normally be after having a bottle of wine.

So what went wrong? Well research actually shows this isn't a good remedy to prevent a hangover. There's a great write up done on this by Mark Rucker, who wrote about the science behind why this doesn't work. The short of it is that charcoal seems to have ZERO affect on the blood level of alcohol in your system, so it won't really prevent a hangover.

The best way to prevent a hangover is still the old standby of not drinking too much, and making sure you are staying hydrated; try having a glass of water for each alcoholic drink you have.

And if you DO find yourself with a hangover, the best remedy in treating it is hydration, and eggs. Not only is the protein in eggs helpful, they contain a large amount of cysteine, which helps break down the hangover causing toxin called acetaldehyde.

Foot Shape to Reveal Your Heritage

I'm sure we've all seen this one make the rounds all over the internet, from Pinterest to Facebook. But there are so many problems with this I don't even know where to start. 

First off, this really only seems to address European decent. What about Asian, or African, or you know, the various North or South Americas? Second off, the shape of one's feet can vary from family member to family member. Just in our family alone, I have "Egyptian," my husband has "Greek," but our kids? One is apparently Egyptian, the other is Germanic.

The truth is: the shape of your feet can't really tell you what your ethnic roots are any more than saying the shape of your hands can. There has been studies done to see if toe length can show genetic traits, and the ruling is no, the shape of your toes really aren't a good indicator of genes, let alone something like your 'roots' or heritage. Where as genetics and heritage can play a role in certain bone structure, it really isn't a good indicator when it comes to your feet.

Home Remedies for Stretch Marks

"Uncover Stretch Mark Remedies with Things Already in your Home: Its unbelievable the simple stuff that are stretch mark remedies." 

I could narrow this down to one of the dozens, if not hundreds of home remedies for stretch marks, but instead I'll make it easier on everyone.

The truth is: there is no home remedy for stretch marks. Not.a.single.one. Not coconut oil, not vinegar, not mustard oil, shea butter, or drinking a lot of milk.

You see, it all comes down to what stretch marks are. They are essentially tears in your skin, causing thick, discolored scar tissue to build up between. Stretch marks occur in the the resilient middle layer that helps the skin retain its shape. They come in various sizes and degrees, and the truth is, pretty much every single person on the planet has them (yes, even men). When they first form they are dark hues, often red and purples, but after they heal they will fade to become closer to your normal skin tone, often times lighter, and possibly shinier than the surrounding skin, depending on the severity of the marks.

Unlike some scars which are only on the top layer of skin, these run so deep that nothing you apply--from creams to oils--is going to fix that. The only proven way to treat stretch marks is with various medical procedures ranging from prescription retinoids, to lasers treatments, to surgery to literally remove the damaged skin.

But what about prevention? I'm sure any woman who has been pregnant has been given various solutions to preventing stretch marks. Unfortunately not a single study has been able to prove any of these actually aid in preventing stretch marks. At the end of the day, rubbing a bit of shea butter in you skin might not help, but it won't hurt. Just don't be surprised if you end up with stretch marks by the time those 9 months are up.

How To Get Rid of Telemarketer Calls

"Life Hack to stop telemarketers! don't know if it works, but hey !! its worth a try !! Those pesky pesky people !" 

We've all been there: your phone rings, you pick it up expecting someone important, and instead you hear "How much are you paying for cable each month? Would you like to save $100 on your monthly bill?!"

According to this little life hack all you have to do is press 9 and be instantly added to that company's do not call list! Let's get real, chances are if you're on the line with a live telemarketer, all they are going to hear is an annoying press of a button on their line. They aren't going to know what button you are hitting. If it's a robocall, 9 might work, but so might 2. Each system is set up differently, and some don't even have the option of opting out like this.

The only way to really assure you're removed from the annoying call lists is to make sure you file your number with the national "Do Not Call" list (which you can sign up for here). However that only covers legitimate telemarketers - scammers don't seem to care if your number is on the list or not. So how can you prevent scammers from calling you?

If you know your number is on the Do Not Call list, let the telemarketer know and tell them you wish to be removed from the list. If they call again, ask for the company's name, phone number, and location. If they are scammers this is often all it takes for them to remove you from the list, but that information (if they are willing to give it to you) can be filed here to submit a complaint to the FTC. If it's a robocall, you can try to smash buttons until you get to a menu. Sometimes at the end of the call, there will be an option to "opt out" of their calls. It completely depends on the way their systems are set up though.

However, personally, I just don't answer calls from numbers I don't know. You can also Google phone numbers and find out if it's a scam, telemarketer, collections agency, etc. Another great idea is if a number won't leave you alone, and you're using a cell phone, you can simply add the number to a block list directly on your phone. It won't ring through, and instead send the annoying caller straight to voice mail. 

Hydrogen Peroxide to Diagnose and Cure Ear Infections

"Amazing Ear Infection remedy. You'll know if there is an infection and treat it at the SAME TIME. Pinning and reading later need to check this out." 

I'm laid up on the sofa today with vertigo from an ear ache, so in the name of science I turned to pinterest to research home remedies (of course, by "science" I actually mean ridiculous home remedies I can test and research).

So, does putting a simple solution of hydrogen peroxide in your ear let you know if you have an infection, as well as treat said infection? NOPE. 

You see, hydrogen peroxide is just simply water with an extra oxygen molecule to it - H202. Now that's not to say it's the same as water, simply altering or adding various single molecules to things can change them drastically. But that's not the case with things like hydrogen peroxide. 

But why does it bubble when you add it to a cut? Because of a simple thing called catalase. Pretty much everything from fruits and veggies to human tissue contains this enzyme. When exposed to the peroxide, it causes the H202 to break up, and allows the extra oxygen molecule to free itself, causing the bubbles. Ta-DA! Even if you're ears are clean and free of infection, chances are good the peroxide will still bubble and foam, so that's really not a good way to test for an infection. Want to test this out? Pour a small amount in a glass and use it as a mouthwash, and enjoy as your mouth fills with bubbles! Just be careful not to choke or gag!

But how about the second claim? Will it at least treat an infection if you have one? Maybe, but it's not likely. Results are mixed as to if this works or not.  It's important to realize that there are various causes for ear infections, from viruses like those that cause colds, to allergies, not to mention bacterial infections which require antibiotics (peroxide is NOT recommended for killing bacteria, as it doesn't kill everything and can actually cause scar tissue to form, something you don't want in your ears). What it is quite good for though, is helping with ear wax removal - in fact ear wax drops are typically nothing more than mineral oil and peroxide. So all-in-all, you can put peroxide in your ears, but it's not going to let you know if you have an infection, and it's most likely not going to cure anything. It's not uncommon for a lot of earaches to only last a few days on their own, so if you find relief using this trick (or warmed oil, which is also a common ear ache treatment) then go for it. However if your ears aren't better after a few days then it's time to seek professional help. 

Fire Glass - Amazing Flammable Glass to Replace Wood

"Fire glass produces more heat than real wood, and is also environmentally friendly. There is no smoke, it's odorless and doesn't produce ash. You are able to stay toasty warm without cutting down trees and the specially formulated glass crystals give off no toxic deposit.."  

I actually stumbled across this on a buzzfeed article about pinterest (I will just come out and say it, if you want bad pinterest ideas, buzzfeed is a hotbed of them) and knew right away that couldn't be right. I searched pinterest curious to see how often this is actually pinned, and was floored that the above image has been repinned nearly 5,000 times from one pin alone.

A quick Google search later and sure enough, I found the website for Fire Glass. Pulled directly from their FAQs: 

"Fire Glass is tempered glass that is used in fireplaces and fire pits to increase vibrancy, reflection and color. Tempered glass is tumbled and polished to prevent sharp edges and injury. The glass is designed for gas fire pits and gas fireplaces to tolerate high temperatures without melting, burning or discoloring when used as recommended. The glass does NOT create toxic fumes, smoke, ash, or soot... You can use fire glass with both propane and natural gas. "

What does all that mean? It's not a "flammable glass". It's a filler used in gas or propane fireplaces and fire pits; instead of lava rocks or fake wood, you add Fire Glass. The glass itself isn't flammable and won't do anything if you try to set it on fire. It's not a replacement for real wood in a wood burning fire pit. It is quite pretty and I can see the appeal, but unless you have a gas burning pit, it's not going to do anything.

Iodine and Baby Oil Hair Remover

"1Tbsp of iodine 2% 1 Cup of baby oil Rub your hairy area with the mixture and let set for only 5 minutes. Then gently wipe away with a damp cloth. Viola!!!! NO MORE HAIR!"

I've had a lot of people asking about this one. My first step was try to locate the source of this image. I was unable to find the source though so if anyone knows, please let me know. But right off the bat, the leg shape, muscle tone, as well as the hair growth made me believe this was a man's leg. Not that men can't and don't remove leg hair, but if you look closely you'll also notice a rather large scar running down the knee of the hairless leg.  We often see similar ideas where an image of one thing is used to promote a completely different idea, like the spray paint light bulbs, brown sugar for hair straightening, coffee for hair remover, and the fake tan from cocoa powder, just to name a few of the ones this blog alone has disproven. 

Which leads me into why I don't believe this is even remotely plausible as a pin. You see, it's common for surgeons to scrub an area before surgery with iodine. If iodine was such a remarkable hair remover, why would they bother doing pre-op shaving? Anyone who has had surgery on an area with hair growth can tell you that the area is shaved before hand. Wouldn't doctors, of all people, look for time-saving methods and skip the shaving if iodine could double as an antiseptic AND hair remover? 

Not only that, but a lot of results when you google iodine and mineral oil pulls up people talking about how back in the days of bottle brown tans, this was one of the go to tanning methods. If it worked as a hair remover, I think it would be more commonly known today, and I also doubt a lot of men back in the day would have used it as often as they did. Anyone who has used iodine can attest to how it stains the skin, however the hairless leg seems oddly void of any kind of staining. 

And finally, chemically, there is NOTHING in these two that would cause such a reaction as hair loss. 

But in the name of science, and because I know you love proof, I tested this pin out just for the blog. Since it's summer though, my legs get shaved regularly, so I brought in a stand in for this pin. Meet the other half of "us" here at Don't Pin That, and my editor in chief, Tay.

Tay, bless him, is hairy. Very much like the original image. So who better to test this pin out? 

Tay was a good sport spending his father's day evening letting me test this out. I mixed up the mixture and then tucked a towel under his leg incase it dribbled onto the sofa, and applied it.

Then we waited. The pin says 5 minutes, but since there was a bottle of wine and an episode of Conan to catch up on, it turned out to be more like 15 for us. Gently rubbing it away didn't do much, so I then scrubbed. The hair however, remained firmly attached to his leg: 

His very yellow stained leg I might add. 

So there you have it. No, this doesn't work. There's no way this would work chemically or even logically. I have no idea what the source of the original image is, but it's not from some miracle iodine hair remover. 

Have an idea you want us to look into? Contact us! We're on facebook and twitter - leave a message, an pin, or just say hello. 

Freezing Candles to Prolong Burning and Preventing Drips

"freezing candles not only makes them burn slower, but can prevent them from dripping" 

This was a really interesting pin to test out. My original theory on this was honestly it wasn't going to make  difference, assuming that any temperature change freezing the candle would have made would quickly fade once it was brought out into a room of steady 70* temperature and lit. In fact, googling brought up a handful of sites that also agreed with this theory.  

As soon as I saw this pin I went to my drawer of candles and was ready to test it out. Yes, I really do have an entire dresser drawer dedicated to candles. Despite what you might read on pinterest, crayons and Crisco are no replacement for good candles. Unfortunately when going through my stash, I realized I mostly have hundreds of tea lights, larger scented decorative candles, and only two matching unscented plain wax votive candles. I wanted uniformity, candles of the same brand, same size, and unscented, with out coloring to assure nothing would get in the way of results. I would have liked to have had at least a half dozen to assure clear results, but I decided to test this out regardless.

One candle was left in the drawer at room temperature, while the other one was left in the freezer for a week. I pulled out the candle and wrote "Frozen" on it, to assure the candles wouldn't get mixed up, and then placed them both on the same style of dish on my china hutch. They both lit just fine and I decided to check back in 30 minutes to see how they were doing. 

(Room temperature on the left, frozen on the right) 

I was amazed to see after the first 30 minute mark that the frozen candle appeared to be burning slower - the ring of melted wax was much smaller than it was on the room temperature candle. This was actually starting to look promising! 

However, when I checked back again in another 30 minutes, the tides had changed. The frozen candle still had a smaller area of melted wax, but had clearly burnt down faster than the room temperature candle. I kept checking back every 30 minutes, and it became clear that the frozen candle was actually burning faster then the room temperature one was, by quite a lot. 

You can see here the candles, side by side, after just about 2 hours of burning.

So I'm going to say this is a bad idea, most other articles on this I've read have said that it doesn't do anything as far as extending the life of the candles and how fast they burn, and if my test is a sign of anything, it actually makes them burn far faster. Honestly though I WILL be testing this out again with a larger amount of candles, the sheer difference in burning just the two candles makes me think this can't be a fluke. And drips? Yeah that's a no. The frozen candle ended up spewing and dripping wax so badly that I'm glad I had set it on a dish before lighting it. The room temperature candle didn't drip and didn't leak at all, though it also didn't burn down as far a the frozen candle did.

Color Code on Tubes Warns of Danger

"Good to know! Learn how to read the markings on all tubes so you can check what you are using before you use it." 

Imagine if at a glance, you could see how natural that toothpaste you're about to use really is? According to this image and others like it, it's as simple as that. On the tops of most tubes you will find an colored square, usually of only a handful of colors: red, blue, green, and black. Are these really secret markers allowing you to tell just how natural that cream or toothpaste is? 

Nope, not at all. If anyone has seen shows like "How It's Made", you probably already can guess the answer. Those "color code" makers are actually just color markers to let the sensors know where to cut and crimp the tubes in manufacturing, nothing more. In fact it's already been busted by snopes. And as they say, if you really want to know what's in the produce you're using, reading the ingredients label might be a tad more helpful. 

I Fear The Day.. By Einstein (Meaningful Misquotes #3)

I'm sure we've all seen this one. Its usually pinned or shared on facebook, sometimes with an image of young teens bent over their phones, not talking with each other unless it's through text messages. People who pin it will often comment things like "SO TRUE!" 

The problem is of course, there is no record of him saying this. Einstein has to be one of the most misquoted historian figures of all times (along with such people as Plato). The quote unfortunately can not be traced back to him, and is not found in The Ultimate Quotable Einstein by Alice Calaprice, who is a renowned Einstein expert. 

A bit of research also pulled up this collection of tweets from Waldo Jaquith where he was able to track down the original source of the quote, and it appears to have originated from a downloadable (and questionable) app for your phone. The app in no way sites it sources for the quote, so I'd be pretty skeptical about ANY quotes from this app. 

Mother Spoon - Electronic Sensor Spoon Shares Your Recipe

"Basically what happens is that you and your mom buy your own pair of Motherspoon and register onto a dedicated platform for file sharing. So when you mom cooks her recipe and uses the spoon to taste her food, the sensor laden spoon picks up the ingredients and deciphers the recipe. When put on its cradle, the spoon loads the recipe to the sharing platform so that you can access it, even if you live miles apart."

I was honestly surprised by how many times I've seen this pinned, with people wondering where to buy it. Because you can't, as it's just a concept design. In fact as aesthetically pleasing as the spoon is, I'd venture a guess that unless something happen technology wise, this will always just remain a concept. We just don't have sensor technology today that would even come close to doing what this spoon is reported to do, and even if we did the cost alone would make it out of the reach of most people. 

You can read more about the spoons over at Yanko Designs, which just for the record, is a site mostly of unmade concept designs. So if you come across a pin that came from Yanko, chances are it's not a real item. 

(Yet Another) Mountain Dew Glow Stick Hoax

"How to make a homemade glow stick - baking soda, mountain dew, peroxide, starbursts, and dish soap"

This takes the original hoax of making Mountain Dew glow and adds even more pointless items. I honestly started laughing when they added two Starbursts, as if somehow a mixture of gelatin, HFCS, and red dye is going to aid in this. In case you're curious, you can see the video here: 

Just like in our last post about the ever popular Mountain Dew Glow Stick, the basic idea is you add certain things to the Mountain Dew (notice how both video has the use of peroxide in them? We'll come back to that in a bit.) and after a bit of shaking, it glows, just like a glow stick. Why? Well what they don't show you is the contents in the bottle; in both videos the bottle already contain some liquid, which is generally believed to be Mountain Dew. In all likelihood however, it's probably a nice mixture of glow stick chemicals. Once the peroxide is added (which is also used in glow sticks, that is what is in the glass vial you break to activate them) it starts to glow. You can read a step by step guide in making your own glow sticks over at Wikihow (with actually glow stick chemicals), which again, uses peroxide. 

Soap to Deter Squirrels From Your Yard and Garden

"Irish Spring and a cheese grater. Apparently squirrels hate the smell of the soap, so they'll stay out of your garden. "

I saw this on Pinterest last week and was rather curious. After a bit of a search on gardening forums, the majority of them say it doesn't seem to work. It's been tried on everything from squirrels to deer and even rats, but for the most part it doesn't work as much of a deterrent. I also wonder about the effects of having shaved soap in my flower beds or garden as I wonder if the various additives could affect the plants at all. 

Over at the source of the image, The Cape on the Corner, I decided to ask and see how it was working for her. She let me know that she didn't believe it was all that successful for her, but she only tried it once. 

So what can you do if you're being harassed by squirrels? My biggest suggestion is to try to set up a squirrel feeder if you can. Generally if they have a steady source of food, they'll leave everything else alone. If that's not something you're interested in, the Humane Society has some great suggestions on what you can use around your house and on your plants to prevent squirrel damage.

Plato's Popular Quotes (Meaningful Misquotes Quote #2)

Ah yes, this quote. I'll be frank, I'm not usually one for inspirational quotes, but this is one of the few I honestly really like. I've seen a lot of quotes on Pinterest that are attributed to Plato, and a friend was asking about another quote which sent me searching. Turns out a lot of Plato's quotes that you see on Pinterest aren't actually Plato's... go figure.

Over at Quote Investigator, O'Toole looks at the history of this quote. Turns out the first record of it was in 1897, and was penned by a man named John Watson who published under the name of Ian Maclaren:

“IAN MACLAREN,” along with other celebrities, was asked to send a Christmas message to an influential religious weekly in England. He responded by sending the short but striking sentence: “Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle.” No message is more needed in our days of stress and storm, of selfish striving and merciless competition.

I'm sure we've all seen this one as well on Pinterest and on Facebook.

But at Honey and Locusts, John actually traces down the original text from Plato:

“Laws are made to instruct the good, and in the hope that there may be no need of them; also to control the bad, whose hardness of heart will not be hindered from crime.” [Book IX]

Which when broken into layman's terms sounds kinda like the quote we've all seen, but knowing how Plato thought seems to actually push the quote into a different direction. As John says in his post about the Plato quotes:

"While it’s true that Plato did say something vaguely similar in, I think the paraphrase misrepresents what Plato was really saying. The “good” need the law, both for instruction in what is right, and for the restraining of the “bad'"

So there you go. I'm sure there are probably dozens, if not hundreds of quotes on the internet that are miscredited, this is merely one of many. But if you're interested in reading more of Plato's work, you can either download a free copy over at Archive.org or buy it on Amazon.

Honey and Milk Pore Strips

"homemade pore stripes without gelatin or eggs. 1 tbsp honey mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp milk, microwave ten seconds or until warm (not hot) and apply to area with cotton ball or makeup brush. Let dry 15 minutes and peel off." 

I'm sure we've all seen a couple different ways to make homemade pore strips on Pinterest. Everything from gelatin to school glue seems to be mentioned. I've been meaning to test some of these out, but I've been wanting to wait until I  get a decent microscope so I can examine them closely enough to see if they really do work. 

However, this is one I don't even need to test to say it won't work. The pin suggestions a simple mixture of milk and honey. Looking over the link it goes to, the website suggests all it takes is 1 tablespoon of honey with 1.5 tablespoons of milk, microwave for 10 seconds, then dab onto your face where you need to clear your pores. Within 15 minutes it should set up into a hard layer that can be easily peeled off.

The problem? Honey doesn't set up like that, especially when mixed with milk. The only thing this will accomplish is a leaving your face a big gooey mess. Honey can and will solidify over time, but ironically as soon as you heat it up, it's going to go back to being liquid. Add liquid to that and place on a warm face, and there is no way this is going to set up enough to clear your pores. 

On the other hand, honey has been used as a skin treatment for thousands of years, and I personally love it as a face scrub (mix equal parts sugar and honey for a great DIY exfoliant), but a pore strip? I don't think so.

Tennis Ball to Unlock Your Car

"Use a tennis ball to unlock your car door. Brilliant."

A fan sent this asking how true this pin was. Fortunately, it's not true at all. It's a common urban legend that has been making the rounds of youtube for some time now. I'm pretty sure if it was doable, thieves everywhere would rejoice, because it's a lot easier to get away with carrying a tennis ball than it is the special picks or master keys. (and also far more legal..)

I did a bit of research, and multiple sources (source 1, source 2) basically said it was undoable. And the masters of mythbusting themselves have even tried it, so if they can't get it to work, chances are no one can either. Chances are good that in the video, as she was doing it, someone was off-camera with a keyless entry remote and pushed the unlock button as she pressed on the tennis ball.

Baking Soda and Vinegar Instead of Helium to Inflate Balloons

"No helium needed to fill balloons for parties.....just vinegar and baking soda!"

This is a pin that if anyone took middle school science class, they shouldn't be pinning. Why? Because you can't just make up helium. Can you use baking soda and vinegar to fill balloons? Sure. But it's not going to float like helium will. You're better off just blowing them up with your own breath, unless you are planning on using it as a science experiment for kids. Which, come to find out, is what the image is actually depicting. 

A quick search and I found the source of the image. Over at the blog Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, she writes about a common trick of using vinegar and baking soda to fill a balloon, showing off the gas the chemical reaction produces. In fact, she has even added a disclaimer on the post explaining that this will not produce helium. Helium is a naturally occurring gas, you can't just make it. It's number 2 on the periodic table of elements, meaning it's lighter than air (which is primarily made up of heavier oxygen and nitrogen), which is why when you fill a balloon with helium, it floats instead of sinking like if it were filled with air. (The only reason an air balloon sinks in the first place is because you're loading it up with compressed molecules, making it heavier than the air around it.) The gas produced from baking soda and vinegar, however, is your run of the mill carbon dioxide. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air, it won't float. In fact, technically it will be heavier than if you simply filled it normally with air.

So there you have it, this is a great experiment for the kids, but don't think this is going to magically replace helium in balloons.