How to Make a Straw Atomizer

drinking straws

Atomizers are generally used to spray perfume, but they can also be used with water or almost any other liquid substance. Atomizers are also used to spray glass cleaners by infusing air with a pump. In this example, we are going to make an atomizer by using our breath as the air pump.

Things You'll Need

• Drinking straw
• Scissors
• Glass filled with water

Instructions

1. Hold a straw upright in a vertical position.

2. Measure approximately 2/3 of the way up the straw.

3. Cut a horizontal slit into the straw but not all the way through.

4. Bend the straw at a right angle and put the short end into a glass of water. Leave about 1/4 inch of the opening of the short end of the straw above the surface of the water.

5. Blow hard through the long straw until a spray of water comes out the other end.

Tips & Warnings

• Making an atomizer is a good science project for grade school children. You can teach them how blowing through the long part of the straw relieves pressure on the smaller piece of straw, allowing water to rise and fill up the space.

• Do not try using this atomizer with any toxic liquid in case of accidental ingestion.

References

• Google Books