GB2364069A - Process for cleaning or refreshing fabrics - Google Patents
Process for cleaning or refreshing fabrics Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2364069A GB2364069A GB0015778A GB0015778A GB2364069A GB 2364069 A GB2364069 A GB 2364069A GB 0015778 A GB0015778 A GB 0015778A GB 0015778 A GB0015778 A GB 0015778A GB 2364069 A GB2364069 A GB 2364069A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- bag
- cleaning
- drum
- refreshing
- composition
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 39
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 38
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 35
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 31
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 28
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 229920002457 flexible plastic Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000010412 laundry washing Methods 0.000 claims description 15
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 11
- 239000000443 aerosol Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 abstract description 8
- 238000005108 dry cleaning Methods 0.000 description 17
- 239000012459 cleaning agent Substances 0.000 description 7
- 239000004753 textile Substances 0.000 description 7
- 230000002745 absorbent Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000002250 absorbent Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000002904 solvent Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000009472 formulation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000003960 organic solvent Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004215 Carbon black (E152) Substances 0.000 description 1
- CYTYCFOTNPOANT-UHFFFAOYSA-N Perchloroethylene Chemical group ClC(Cl)=C(Cl)Cl CYTYCFOTNPOANT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000004698 Polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- XSTXAVWGXDQKEL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Trichloroethylene Chemical group ClC=C(Cl)Cl XSTXAVWGXDQKEL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003125 aqueous solvent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 244000309464 bull Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000002939 deleterious effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003599 detergent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001627 detrimental effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008020 evaporation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000008282 halocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 230000036541 health Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229930195733 hydrocarbon Natural products 0.000 description 1
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 230000035515 penetration Effects 0.000 description 1
- -1 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002689 soil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000009987 spinning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 description 1
- UBOXGVDOUJQMTN-UHFFFAOYSA-N trichloroethylene Natural products ClCC(Cl)Cl UBOXGVDOUJQMTN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- D06F—LAUNDERING, DRYING, IRONING, PRESSING OR FOLDING TEXTILE ARTICLES
- D06F43/00—Dry-cleaning apparatus or methods using volatile solvents
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
- C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- C11D17/00—Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties
- C11D17/04—Detergent materials or soaps characterised by their shape or physical properties combined with or containing other objects
- C11D17/041—Compositions releasably affixed on a substrate or incorporated into a dispensing means
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
- C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- C11D2111/00—Cleaning compositions characterised by the objects to be cleaned; Cleaning compositions characterised by non-standard cleaning or washing processes
- C11D2111/10—Objects to be cleaned
- C11D2111/12—Soft surfaces, e.g. textile
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Textile Engineering (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
- Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Accessory Of Washing/Drying Machine, Commercial Washing/Drying Machine, Other Washing/Drying Machine (AREA)
- Detergent Compositions (AREA)
Abstract
A process includes the steps of placing soiled articles into a bag along with a cleaning composition, sealing the bag, placing the bag into the drum of a washing machine, inflating the bag such that it fills the drum and rotating the bag in the drum for a period of time. Also disclosed is a kit for cleaning or refreshing fabrics including a cleaning composition and a bag made from a gas and water impermeable flexible plastic having a means to inflate the bag.
Description
2364069 Improvements in or Relating to Devices This invention relates to a
process for cleaning and/or refreshing soiled fabric articles, and particularly but not exclusively to a process for cleaning and/or refreshing soiled fabric articles by placing said soiled fabric articles, together with a cleaning composition, into a bag, closing and sealing said bag, placing said bag into the drum of a laundry washing machine, rotating said bag for a sufficient time period and removing said fabric articles from the bag as well as a fabric cleaning and/or refreshing kit.
Typically, there are two different methods of cleaning textiles, namely, first, by immersing and agitating the textiles in an aqueous washing medium including detergent, typically in a laundry washing machine, usually referred to as "laundry washing", and, second, in particular for specific kinds of fabrics, by using non-aqueous solvents in a specific process usually referred to as "dry cleaning".
In dry cleaning, various hydrocarbon and halocarbon solvents, such as trichloroethylene or perchloroethylene, have been used as a cleaning medium to dissolve or disperse soils Such solvents typically exhibit a high evaporation rate so that they readily volatilize after their application and can easily be recovered One of the most inconvenient disadvantages of a dry cleaning process is that it is limited to commercial cleaning operations, which employ expensive specialized equipment Thus, the consumer is not able to clean or refresh his garments by himself, which is not only inconvenient, but also costly.
Moreover, the use of organic solvents having such high volatility tends to release vapours, which are deleterious to human health Although there is a strict control of commercial dry cleaning operations, many consumers are reluctant to use such services for ecological considerations.
Various processes for home dry cleaning processes have been proposed in the art U.S Pat No 3,432,253 is directed to a dry cleaning process which involves placing in an air impermeable bag a fabric to be cleaned and a quantity of dry cleaning agent, sealing the bag to confine therein the fabric, the cleaning agent and a quantity of cushioning air to help preventing wear of the fabric to be cleaned, tumbling the bag to cause the cleaning agent to clean the fabric, removing the cleaned fabric from the bag, and removing the cleaning agent from the fabric.
GB 1 598 911 is directed to a method for cleaning garments comprising the steps of placing the fabrics in a perforated flexible bag, sealing the perforated bag and the fabric contained therein in a liquid-impermeable flexible bag containing a dry cleaning solvent, and agitating the second bag and its content in a drum of a domestic washing or drying machine.
U S Pat No 4,336,024 is directed to a home dry cleaning process and formulations useful in such process.
This method comprises the steps of applying to the textile material a quantity of cleaning agent comprising an organic solvent, placing an absorbent sheet in contact with the textile material, covering the surface of the absorbent sheet not in contact with the textile material within an impermeable sheet, forming the impermeable sheet into a closed system encompassing the absorbent sheet and the textile material, in particular forming the impermeable sheet into a bag-like structure, spinning such closed system on the interior surface of the drum of a washing machine to enable the cleaning agent to migrate into the absorbent sheet, and removing the textile material from the closed system.
PCT Application WO 93/23603 discloses a dry cleaning kit for in-dryer use comprising a plastic bag to enclose in vapour-impermeable manner a soiled fabric, and a fabric-cleaning article, comprising a porous substrate sheet impregnated with a gelled cleaning composition, as well as a process for the use of this kit by placing the soiled fabric article and the fabric-cleaning article into the plastic bag, closing and sealing the bag, tumbling the bag in a hot air dryer, and removing the cleaned fabric article from the bag.
U S Pat No 5,865,851 discloses a very similar home dry cleaning process and in particular a specifically useful dry cleaning composition to be used with such process.
A number of U S Patents, in particular U S Pat.
Nos 5,547,476, 5,630,847, and 5,630,848, are directed to an in-home dry cleaning process, as well as to related formulations, comprising the steps of placing the fabrics to be cleaned and the cleaning composition within a flexible plastic bag, closing and sealing the bag, placing said bag in a rotating apparatus, rotating the bag for a specific time period, and removing the fabrics from the bag The preferred rotating apparatus for this process is a hot air dryer However, also a laundry washing machine could be used.
Although these prior art documents illustrate various alternative approaches for home dry cleaning, they still have some shortcomings and limitations.
In particular, none of those processes is specifically designed for the use in the normal washing cycle of a laundry washing machine As the penetration of hot air dryers is still low in most countries, such a specifically designed process and system would be extremely valuable.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a process for home dry cleaning specifically adapted for use with a laundry washing machine and improving effectiveness and reliability of the known processes.
According to the first aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for cleaning and/or refreshing soiled fabric articles by placing said soiled fabric articles, together with a cleaning composition, into a bag, closing and sealing said bag, placing said bag into the drum of a laundry washing machine, rotating said bag for a sufficient time period, and removing said fabric articles from the bag,characterised in that,after having inserted the filled bag into the drum, the bag is inflated to an extent that it will occupy a major portion of the volume of the drum.
Advantageously, the bag is inflated to occupy substantially all of the volume of the drum.
In a preferred embodiment, the bag is inflated by introducing gas into the bag.
In a further preferred embodiment the gas simultaneously serves as a carrier for introducing at least a portion, preferably all of the cleaning composition into the bag.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a fabric cleaning and/or refreshing kit comprising: (a) at least one bag made of gas and water impermeable flexible plastics material having at least one opening to introduce soiled fabric articles, a closing system to close and seal said opening after introduction of the soiled fabric articles, and means to inflate the bag; and (b) at least one cleaning and/or refreshing composition.
In a preferred embodiment of the kit, the means for inflating the bag is a one-way valve adapted to be connected to an air or gas supply.
Advantageously the cleaning and/or refreshing composition is provided in the form of an aerosol or other system comprising a gaseous carrier.
Surprisingly, the inflation of the bag filled with the fabrics to be cleaned, after the insertion of the bag into the drum of a conventional domestic laundry washing machine, allows the dry cleaning process to be run in the normal cycle of the washing machine in a very simple and effective way providing numerous advantages over the prior art processes.
When using a normal washing cycle of conventional laundry washing machines a reduction in the water consumption is achieved without taking any special measures Laundry washing machines normally control the amount of incoming water with the aid of sensors situated at a certain level in the cuvette of the machine As the inflated bag occupies a major portion, and preferably all of the volume of the drum of the laundry washing machine, this level is reached with only a fraction of the water that would be required in the absence of the inflated bag First results have shown that the amount of water consumed was reduced to between 35 and 50 % of the normal water consumption.
When inflating the bag in the drum of the laundry washing machine, the walls of the bag will be pressed to the interior walls of the drum so that both the bag and the drum will rotate integrally This will specifically ensure a very effective tumbling of the fabrics, which is a factor well known for effecting an appropriate cleaning performance, which is sometimes difficult to achieve with the processes of the prior art.
A further advantage of an inflated bag is that it will prevent uneven distribution of the weight load in the drum Finally, maximising the volume of the bag and therefore its surface also maximises a heat transfer from the heated water into the interior of the bag Moreover, using the normal washing cycle of a laundry washing machine with heated water results in a more even heat transfer to the surface of the bag and avoids any "hot spots" which may occur when using a hot air dryer Thus, requirements of the choice for the material of the bag are less restricted, although very similar material as known from prior art can be used, in particular polyethylene.
An important aspect of the present invention is that the bag is formed from a material which is both gas and water impermeable to ensure that the gas remains within the bag to hold the inflated state and maintain the concentration of cleaning agent(s) during the process, and to avoid leakage of water into the bag as this would be detrimental in a dry cleaning procedure.
In the process according to the present invention the bag filled with the soiled fabric articles to be cleaned and/or refreshed will have to be inserted into the drum of the laundry washing machine in a non-inflated (or at least not fully inflated) state in order to allow passing through the bull's eye Although there may be different means to inflate the bag after insertion into the drum which are encompassed by the present invention, a preferred way would be a one-way valve in the wall of the bag which can be connected to an air or gas supply to introduce air or gas into the bag to inflate it to its final state.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the gas to inflate the bag could simultaneously serve as a carrier for introducing at least a portion of the cleaning composition into the bag Thus, the cleaning and/or refreshing composition could be provided for in the form of an aerosol or other system comprising a gaseous carrier By inflating the bag with such gaseous system, loaded with the cleaning and/or refreshing composition, this cleaning and/or refreshing composition could be added to the system in a very effective way, improving the even distribution of the composition within the volume of the bag and onto the fabric articles.
Moreover, adding the cleaning and/or refreshing composition in this specific form will avoid to use the usual means for supplying such composition, namely a support (towellette or others) having absorbed thereon the cleaning and/or refreshing composition This specific way of adding the cleaning and/or refreshing composition would not only permit a more even distribution and allow the cleaning and/or refreshing composition to start acting from the moment of dosage, but will also avoid direct contact of the fabrics with the concentrated compositions as present on the usual support which may cause damages to the fabrics by decoloration, spotting, etc.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, and/or in the claims may, both separately and in any combination thereof, be material for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.
Claims (8)
1 A process for cleaning and/or refreshing soiled fabric articles by placing said soiled fabric articles, together with a cleaning composition, into a bag, closing and sealing said bag, placing said bag into the drum of a laundry washing machine, rotating said bag for a sufficient time period, and removing said fabric articles from the bag,characterised in that,after having inserted the filled bag into the drum, the bag is inflated to an extent that it will occupy a major portion of the volume of the drum.
2 The process according to claim 1, characterised in that the bag is inflated to occupy substantially all of the volume of the drum.
3 The process according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the bag is inflated by introducing gas into the bag.
4 The process according to claim 3, characterised in that the gas simultaneously serves as a carrier for introducing at least a portion of the cleaning composition into the bag.
The process according to claim 4, characterised in that the gas serves as a carrier for all of the cleaning composition.
6 A fabric cleaning and/or refreshing kit comprising:
(a) at least one bag made of gas and water impermeable flexible plastics material having at least one opening to introduce soiled fabric articles, a closing system to close and seal said opening after introduction of the soiled fabric articles, and means to inflate the bag; and (b) at least one cleaning and/or refreshing composition.
7 The kit according to claim 6, characterised in that the means for inflating the bag is a one-way valve adapted to be connected to an air or gas supply.
8 The kit according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the cleaning and/or refreshing composition is provided in the form of an aerosol or other system comprising a gaseous carrier.
Priority Applications (5)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0015778A GB2364069A (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-06-28 | Process for cleaning or refreshing fabrics |
| EP01943622A EP1294974A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | An inflated bag for cleaning clothes |
| PCT/GB2001/002811 WO2002000989A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | An inflated bag for cleaning clothes |
| AU66160/01A AU6616001A (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | An inflated bag for cleaning clothes |
| US10/311,037 US20050283917A2 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2003-10-06 | Inflated Bag for Cleaning Clothes |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0015778A GB2364069A (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-06-28 | Process for cleaning or refreshing fabrics |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB0015778D0 GB0015778D0 (en) | 2000-08-16 |
| GB2364069A true GB2364069A (en) | 2002-01-16 |
Family
ID=9894539
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0015778A Withdrawn GB2364069A (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-06-28 | Process for cleaning or refreshing fabrics |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US20050283917A2 (en) |
| EP (1) | EP1294974A1 (en) |
| AU (1) | AU6616001A (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2364069A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2002000989A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2580590B (en) * | 2019-01-14 | 2021-02-10 | John Lowe David | A footwear washing aid |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3432253A (en) * | 1966-04-27 | 1969-03-11 | Peter Ray Dixon | Fabric cleaning process |
| GB1598911A (en) * | 1978-05-24 | 1981-09-23 | Gomm K | Dry cleaning |
| GB2302879A (en) * | 1995-06-22 | 1997-02-05 | Reckitt & Colman Inc | Home dry cleaning compositions |
Family Cites Families (8)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3568477A (en) * | 1969-02-17 | 1971-03-09 | Peter R Dixon | Drycleaning apparatus |
| US4336024A (en) * | 1980-02-22 | 1982-06-22 | Airwick Industries, Inc. | Process for cleaning clothes at home |
| US5238587A (en) * | 1991-03-20 | 1993-08-24 | Creative Products Resource Associates, Ltd. | Dry-cleaning kit for in-dryer use |
| US5547476A (en) * | 1995-03-30 | 1996-08-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Dry cleaning process |
| US5630848A (en) * | 1995-05-25 | 1997-05-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Dry cleaning process with hydroentangled carrier substrate |
| CA2221635A1 (en) * | 1995-06-05 | 1996-12-12 | Creative Products Resource, Inc. | Dry-cleaning kit for in-dryer use |
| US5951716A (en) * | 1995-06-22 | 1999-09-14 | Reckitt & Colman Inc. | Home dryer dry cleaning and freshening system employing dryer cleaning bag |
| US6024767A (en) * | 1995-06-22 | 2000-02-15 | Reckitt & Colman Inc. | Home dryer dry cleaning and freshening system employing dispensing devices |
-
2000
- 2000-06-28 GB GB0015778A patent/GB2364069A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2001
- 2001-06-26 AU AU66160/01A patent/AU6616001A/en not_active Abandoned
- 2001-06-26 EP EP01943622A patent/EP1294974A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2001-06-26 WO PCT/GB2001/002811 patent/WO2002000989A1/en not_active Ceased
-
2003
- 2003-10-06 US US10/311,037 patent/US20050283917A2/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3432253A (en) * | 1966-04-27 | 1969-03-11 | Peter Ray Dixon | Fabric cleaning process |
| GB1598911A (en) * | 1978-05-24 | 1981-09-23 | Gomm K | Dry cleaning |
| GB2302879A (en) * | 1995-06-22 | 1997-02-05 | Reckitt & Colman Inc | Home dry cleaning compositions |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB0015778D0 (en) | 2000-08-16 |
| US20050283917A2 (en) | 2005-12-29 |
| AU6616001A (en) | 2002-01-08 |
| EP1294974A1 (en) | 2003-03-26 |
| US20050028290A1 (en) | 2005-02-10 |
| WO2002000989A1 (en) | 2002-01-03 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |