CZ20013156A3 - Method for treating articles made of fabrics - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for treating a fabric article with the following steps: placing the fabric article in a container having an opening and at least one wall that defines an interior void space. Then the temperature and relative humidity of the air within the interior void space of the container are raised to a predetermined first temperature and a predetermined first relative humidity for a predetermined first period of time. Finally, at least one of the temperature or the relative humidity of the air within the interior void space of the container are changed at the end of the first period of time to a predetermined second temperature and a predetermined second relative humidity for a predetermined second period of time.

Description

Method of treatment of fabric products

Technical field

The present invention relates to methods of treating articles of fabrics with a non-immersion cleaning method. The temperature and relative humidity of the air are controlled in this multi-stage process according to the invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some fine fabrics are not suitable for conventional home cleaning methods by immersion. Household washing machines, which provide excellent cleaning results for most substances used in today's society, may, under certain conditions, precipitate or otherwise damage silk, cloth, wool or other delicate fabrics. Customers have the term dry cleaning to clean these fine fabrics. Unfortunately, dry cleaning usually involves immersing the substances in various hydrocarbon and halohydrocarbon solvents that require special handling and this solvent must be recycled, making the process unsuitable for domestic use. Thus, dry cleaning has traditionally been limited to commercial cleaning methods, which is less convenient and more expensive or domestic washing methods.

Attempts have been made to obtain domestic dry-cleaning systems that combine cleaning and recovery of fabrics in a domestic manner, by a laundry-immersion process with the benefits of dry-care fabrics. One such domestic method of cleaning and reviving garments comprises a substrate sheet containing various liquid and gelling cleaners and a plastic bag. The garments are placed in a bag along with the sheet and then rotated in a drum in a conventional clothes dryer. In a conventional commercial embodiment, a plurality of disposable flat sheets comprising a cleansing / refreshing agent and a single disposable plastic bag are provided in the package.

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Unfortunately, these prior art methods often include only one stage in terms of temperature and relative humidity. This means that the tumble dryer is set to the appropriate temperature and time. The moisture in the bag is then a function of the moisture in the bag and the temperature setting. However, once the time and temperature have been selected, a one-stage process is set. In addition, when a conventional tumble dryer is used, the customer is often limited to those temperature conditions that are preset by the manufacturer and which are adapted to dry the fabrics, not to clean and recover them. These conditions given by the manufacturer are often suboptimal with respect to one or more of the following characteristics: wrinkle removal, deodorization, and possibly perfume deposition.

Moreover, these domestic methods are intended for use in conventional fabric dryers or similar devices. These devices are often not readily available, are often uneconomical and in many countries clothes dryers are simply not necessary. For example, in many warm tropical areas, people typically do not own clothes dryers because their clothes can be dried outdoors by hanging in the sun all year long. In those regions of the world where people typically do not own clothes dryers, products that require heating devices, such as clothes dryers, have little or no value.

In the art, steam cabinets with high steam loads are also used to treat fabric products. Unfortunately, these high temperature and high relative humidity processes can have negative effects on fabric articles. In addition to the harmful effect on the substances, a drying step is often required, which even adds additional stains to the substances. This drying step also requires additional time and energy and often leads to undesirable precipitation. Finally, steam cabinets are typically waste as far as steam is concerned, since this is only water.

Thus, there is a need to develop a domestic method of immersion-free cleaning and recovery, and cleaning and animation compositions for use therein that provide acceptable cleaning without the need for a tumble dryer.

Unexpectedly, it has now also been discovered that by regulating the temperature and relative humidity in the vessel during a domestic cleaning and recovery process without immersion, the dry-cleaning process cleans the fabrics, gets rid of creases and revives. The present invention provides such methods for purifying and recovering fabrics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating at least one fabric article, wherein a) the fabric article is placed in a container having an opening and at least one wall that defines an interior void, b) increasing the temperature and relative humidity of the air in the interior void of the vessel to a predetermined first temperature and the predetermined first relative humidity for a predetermined first time and c) at least the temperature or relative humidity of the air in the interior void of the vessel is changed to a predetermined second temperature and a predetermined second relative humidity for a predetermined second period.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, the substances are contacted with the aqueous composition before being placed in the container according to step a) below.

In another preferred aspect of the present invention, steam is used to increase the temperature and relative air humidity in the interior void of the vessel, and more preferably the valve remains open at all times. In another aspect of the invention steam is introduced into the interior void of the vessel, which comprises water or perfume.

In yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of treating fabric articles, wherein a) the fabric article is placed in a container having an opening and at least one wall that defines an inner void space, introducing ozone for a specified period of time and (c) at least the temperature and / or relative humidity of the air in the inner void of the vessel is changed to a predetermined second temperature and a predetermined second temperature at the end of the first period

· * * * * * * * · · · · · · · · · · ··· ··· ·· ··· second relative humidity for a predetermined second period. The ozone can be generated by an ozone source, such as an ultraviolet lamp or even a high voltage source, within the interior of the empty space of the container. The amount of ozone that exists inside the vessel is typically between 0.5.10 ^-4 and 200.10 ^-4 %, more preferably between 0.5.10 ^-4 and 50.10 ^-4 %, more preferably between 0.5.10 ^-4 and 20.10 ^-4 %. Values less than 0.5 x 10 ^-4 % are not preferred because they would not provide a sufficient bleaching performance and as a result would not provide a sufficient bleaching performance related performance.

The present invention provides beneficial effects against the known art by defining optimal process steps in the cleaning and reviving of delicate fabrics for the domestic cleaning process without immersion. The methods of the invention may be carried out in any appropriate container such as a plastic bag, cabinet, cabinet or tumble dryer.

Unlike many of the foregoing methods, the methods of the invention comprise at least two different stages, preferably three stages. Surprisingly, it has been found that the optimum conditions for removing the odor of articles from fabrics are different from those required to remove wrinkles. Similarly, deposition of perfume on a fabric article requires a third set of conditions for optimal performance. In the multi-stage methods of the invention, temperature, relative humidity, or both, can be adjusted and controlled. One step of the method may also include introducing ozone into a container to neutralize odor-causing chemicals on the articles of matter to be purified and revived.

The present invention further provides a method of delivering an active ingredient, for example, a perfume to the substances to be treated. At the same time, the methods of the invention minimize the amount of steam delivered so that no active ingredients are wasted. Finally, the methods of the invention are intended to supply only a sufficient amount of steam to achieve a method of treating fabrics without the need for further mechanical drying.

The invention will be described in detail below.

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The present invention provides a method of cleaning and animating articles of fabrics in a domestic manner without immersion. These methods require at least two steps, preferably three. These methods can be carried out in any suitable apparatus in which the temperature and relative humidity can be adjusted and controlled. In another aspect of the invention, one of the process steps comprises introducing ozone into a vessel for neutralizing odor-causing chemicals on articles of matter being purified and animated.

The warm, humid environment inside the vessel gasses the malodorous components by steam distillation and moistens and soils the substances. This wetting of the fabrics may cause the preformed crease to be removed, and since the articles of the fabric are suspended in the container, no new crease is formed. Appropriate selection of the amount of steam, specifically the amount of water used in the process and, importantly, proper ventilation of the vessel in the present process can minimize the precipitation of the substances. In addition, if the container is not vented, the escaping odorous materials removed from substances that are not trapped by the filter, if present, may undesirably be deposited thereon again.

Relative humidity is a term well known to those skilled in the art of fabric care. As used herein, relative humidity means the ratio of the actual amount of water vapor in the air to the largest amount possible at the same temperature.

Temperature and relative humidity controllers are well known to those skilled in the art. They are passive and active controllers. An active regulator, as used herein, means a regulator that subtracts the supply and supply of feed materials to a device that is controlled and adjusts the device based on the feedback received. A passive controller, as used herein, means a controller that turns the device on and off or opens and closes a device based on a predetermined setting, such as time. For example, a passive temperature regulator would turn on the heater or close the valve to raise the temperature in the environment and after some time the heater would turn off or open the valve. In contrast, an active temperature regulator reads the temperature and, for example, if the temperature is too low, it will increase the power of the heater or close the valve to raise the temperature.

Method: Many aspects of the appearance of the product have to be taken into account to properly clean and revive the fabric. Specifically, the article of fabric should at least be substantially free of odor or crease after cleansing and recovery. It is preferred that the product be perfumed, which gives it a pleasant scent, and should be free of local stains. The methods of the invention require at least two steps designed to remove odor, crease and / or deposition of perfume on the article of fabric. Furthermore, a manual stain removal method is performed to remove local stains, but this stain removal method is performed outside the apparatus. The conditions for each of these process steps are described in more detail below.

While the process steps of the invention may be carried out in any appropriate order, the first step will be deodorization, deodorization. Deodorization must be distinguished from odor masking, which involves applying a pleasant odor to the fabric to mask or mask odors on the fabric. As used herein, deodorization involves the actual removal or neutralization of odor-causing chemicals. When the odor-causing components are removed or neutralized, the article of the substance should have little or no remaining odor. This process step may be carried out with odor neutralizing ozone, or with high temperatures and ventilation and / or entrapment by a filter that removes odor causing components. The advantage of using ozone as a bleaching system is that this component provides overall satisfactory color safety, especially on cellulosic substances, reducing odor, removing stains, as well as disinfecting the products treated with it.

The deodorizing step is described herein as the first step for convenience. It is understood that the deodorization step and the crease removal step can be performed in any order. If a perfume deposition step is used, this step must necessarily follow the deodorization step so that the perfume is not removed from the fabric immediately after it is deposited thereon.

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Thus, if the deodorizing step is a first step, the first temperature should be at least 45 ° C, preferably at least 60 ° C, most preferably at least 70 ° C, and the first relative humidity should be at least 20% by weight. At these relatively high temperatures, the odor-causing chemicals from the fabrics are stripped off and then preferably removed from the container by a valve. More preferably, the valve comprises a filter such that the malodorous components do not enter the environment around the container. When the first temperature and the first relative humidity are reached, the process time, i.e. the first time, may be from 2 minutes to 20 minutes, preferably 5 minutes to 15 minutes, even more preferably from 8 minutes to 12 minutes.

The deodorization step described above may be supplemented or even replaced by treatment of the articles of matter with ozone, preferably at room temperature. The use of ozone to neutralize odor-causing chemicals and to disinfect clothes, such as medical coats, is well known in the art. In particular, see published German Application 24 33 909 and published French Application 2059 841. Both are incorporated herein by reference. For the purposes of the methods described herein, ozone may be introduced into the vessel from any appropriate source, such as an ultraviolet lamp. One or more ozone sources may be used and may be located at any convenient location or adjacent to the outside of the vessel. The ozone source shall be sized according to the volume of the container, taking into account the surface area of products from substances to be cleaned and freshened. Those skilled in the art will know what type and size of equipment to use for a given container.

The second step of the present invention relates to the removal of wrinkles that require relatively high temperature and relative humidity. Good air circulation is preferred for the degree of wrinkle removal, but is not necessary. For the second stage, i.e., the de-crease stage, the second temperature should be greater than Τ 'defined by the equation T = 60 - (0.17.RH ₂ ), where RH ₂ represents the second relative humidity in percent by weight. Preferably, RH ₂ is at least 50%, preferably at least 75%, more preferably at least 85% and even more preferably at least 90% by weight. The second temperature is preferably less than 90 ° C, more preferably less than 80 ° C and most preferably less than 70 ° C. If the second temperature and the second relative humidity are reached, the processing time, i

• · * • · · · • · • · • · 9 9 9 9 • · · • ···· · • · • • • • • • • 9 9 9 9 9 9 • · · • · · 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

means a second time, it can be from 2 minutes to 20 minutes, preferably from 5 minutes to 15 minutes and even more preferably from 8 minutes to 12 minutes.

Finally, a third stage is preferred, which comprises gradually cooling the inner void. As the temperature drops, the amount of vapor that the air retains, decreases in the air, and when the air is saturated with the vapor, the vapor begins to condense. Naturally, the vapors will condense to the articles of fabrics inside the bag and as these articles are dried, active ingredients such as perfume will remain on them. As discussed briefly above, the process steps of the invention are designed to deliver the active ingredients without undue impact and without saturation to the point where they need further drying. Preferably, during the third step of the process, the temperature in the inner void is lowered to a third temperature, the third temperature being less than 45 ° C, preferably less than 40 ° C, more preferably less than 35 ° C. This third stage may last for a third time, which may be from 2 minutes to 20 minutes, preferably from 3 minutes to 10 minutes, even more preferably from 3 minutes to 5 minutes.

As discussed in more detail below, steam within the container is preferably a cleaning or refreshing agent. The cleansing recovery agent may be added to the container directly, through the substrate sheet, in a cartridge or other devices known to the skilled artisan. The cleaning and refreshing agent is preferably present in a cartridge which is introduced into the interior void of the container and the cleaning and refreshing agent is released from the cartridge into the interior void of the container.

Apparatus: The methods of the invention may be carried out in any appropriate apparatus. These devices require a container that essentially closes the fabrication of the substances to be cleaned and revived. By substantially closed is meant that the articles of fabric are enclosed in the container, but that the container may and preferably will contain one or more valves. The container must have an opening to allow the insertion of the fabric articles and preferably has a hook, a hanger or other device to which the fabric articles will hang. Dresses suspended in the treatment facility may also be loaded with or

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stretched to improve wrinkle reduction. Suspension loads and tensioning devices will be well known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the dress to be treated is mechanically tensioned after placing in the container and before starting the method. This tension or so-called dress tension helps to release wrinkles during processing. Preferred tensioning systems include loading staples as well as low-lowering compatible or removable tensioning systems, the system comprising tensioning devices such as a rope. The latter systems have the advantage that no additional weight is added to the cleaning and reviving device, as well as the possibility of adjusting the tensioning force and direction as desired. Preferably, these systems are mounted within the container to the bottom thereof. One example of this system is a roller blind that is conventionally used as a sun filter in cars and is commercially available from Halfords. This system means a roller blind that can be stretched or folded by means of a roller twine mechanism. Only a slight modification of this system is needed to adapt to the tension of the dress. One preferred adaptation involves attaching the housing of the system to the bottom of the device and securing one or more clamps on the other side so that it is fastened by the clamps to thereby stretch or stretch the garments in the device. The string tension may also be adjusted to the desired tension force for the garment. The terminal size can vary, so more than one terminal can be connected to this system. Yet another variation includes only one clamp that moves along or partially along the tensioning system located on the opposite side of the fastening system.

The container preferably has only one wall having an egg shell-like shape. It has been found that the steam and subsequently the active ingredients preferably condense in the corners and along the sharp edges of a more conventional rectangular cabinet. This does not mean that the methods of the present invention cannot be carried out in rectangular rooms; But the less the room has sharper edges and corners, the more effective it is. Both rooms and wardrobes and clothes bags are suitable for use in the present invention. The container may also be a conventional tumble dryer, but these devices usually do not have humidity controllers or have the ability to program more ♦ · ·

stepwise method in terms of both temperature and humidity. Thus, some other programming and controllers may be used in the methods of the invention.

In addition to the at least one wall that defines the interior void space, the containers of the present invention preferably comprise a valve and / or filter, a heating element capable of heating liquids to form vapors and which can heat dry air, moisture delivery devices and an air circulation device such as a fan. More preferably, the vessel further comprises an active temperature controller that is capable of changing and maintaining the air temperature in the interior void of the vessel, a passive humidity controller that is capable of changing and maintaining the relative humidity of the air in the interior void of the vessel, and / or is a cooler. Even more preferably, the air circulation device is a fan and the fan inlet is in the interior void of the vessel so that at least a portion of the air in the interior void of the vessel is circulated. For optimal deodorization, the air velocity around the dress is preferably between 0.05 and 10 m / s, more preferably between 0.1 and 5, most preferably between 0.5 and 2 m / s. Preferably, there is also a filter in or adjacent to the outside of the container.

Water and the active ingredients, i.e., the cleansing and refreshing agent, may be added to the container by any suitable means. The composition may be poured into the bag, poured into a container that feeds the heating element / humidifier, into a canister that is used for injecting the composition, or the absorbent substrate saturated with the composition may be placed in the bag. Substrates and compositions suitable for use in the methods of this invention are described in more detail below. It is to be understood that other methods of adding active ingredients to a container will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of this invention.

Detergent / Recovery Agent: The detersive / recovery agent preferably comprises water and optionally a member selected from the group consisting of surfactants, perfumes, preservatives, bleaching agents, cleaning aids, shrinkage reducing agents, organic solvents and mixtures thereof. Preferred organic solvents are glycol ethers, especially methoxypropoxypropanol, ethoxypropoxy

• 4 4 4 4 · • · 4 4 • ’· • · • · · • 4 4,444 · 4 • 4 4 4 4 • • 44 · • 4 4 • 44 4 * • ·

propanol, propoxypropoxypropanol, butoxypropoxypropanol, butoxypropanol, ethanol, isopropanol and mixtures thereof. The precipitation reducing agents suitable for use in the present invention are selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol, all isomers of propanediol, butanediol, pentenediol, hexenediol, and mixtures thereof. More preferably, the precipitation reducing agents are selected from the group consisting of neopentyl glycol, polyethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, 1-octanol, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the surfactant is a nonionic surfactant, such as an ethoxylated alcohol or an ethoxylated alkylphenol, and is present in an amount of up to 2% by weight. by weight of the cleaning / refreshing agent. Typical cleaning / refreshing compositions of the present invention may comprise at least 80 wt. % water, preferably at least 90%, more preferably at least 95% wt. water.

The examples below set forth the specific ranges for the individual components of the preferred cleaning / refreshment composition for use in the present invention. A more detailed description of the individual components of the cleansing / refreshing agents, i.e., organic solvents, surfactants, perfumes, preservatives, bleaching agents and cleaning aids, can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368, issued Aug. 4, 1998, to You; spol. The full disclosure of Youa et al. is incorporated herein by reference. The cleaning / refreshing compositions are further described in accompanying U.S. Patent Application No. 08/789171, filed Jan. 24, 1997, by Trinhem et al. Full description of Trinha et al. is incorporated herein by reference. Clotting agents for use in the present invention can be found in the accompanying US Provisional Application No. 60/097,596, entitled Cleansing Agents, which reduce the clotting of substances, which was filed by Strang and Siklosi on August 24, 1998. The full description of Strang and Siklosi is here incorporated by reference.

Pre-treatment composition: In one embodiment of the present invention, a cleaning / refreshment composition may be used to pre-treat the materials prior to placing them in the container defined in step a) of the present invention. In fact, it has been found that this pretreatment of fabrics is highly effective for removing dirt, such as horse sludge, as well as creamy or palatine smelly stains that adhere to a portion of fabric articles, such as underarms. Furthermore, this pretreatment is also effective in improving deodorization as well as removing wrinkles on the treated fabrics. Thus, a method of treating fabrics is obtained, wherein the fabrics are contacted with a cleaning / refreshing agent as defined herein before being placed in the container defined in step a). The contacting preferably occurs by spraying the substances with a hand sprayer commercially available under the designation 7292458 for 1000ml and 7292457 for 500ml from VEL or aerosol spray, such as aluminum aerosol cans with polyethylene coating and a pressure resistance of 1.8 MPa as commercially available from Boxal of Algoup Wheaton. Suitable can valves are aluminum can spray valves from Seaquist. Preferably, the cans are filled with propellant with nitrogen at a pressure of 10 bar for the initial fill pressure, wherein the cans are filled with a pretreatment agent up to 60% of the total volume of the can. A typical description of such spray dispensers can be found in WO 96/04940, page 19, line 21, to page 22, line 27. Optionally, a cyclodextrin, especially β-cyclodextrin such as β-hydroxypropylcyclodextrin or β- may be used to improve deodorization. a methylated cyclodextrin, while to improve creasing removal a lubricant such as D5 cyclomethicone from Dow Coming or a diester quaternary ammonium compound such as di (tallow-oxyethyl) dimethylammonium in a cleaning / refreshing agent. Typical amounts of such cyclodextrins are from 0.01, preferably from 0.1, to 5% by weight.

Substrate: In one embodiment of the present invention, the cleansing / refreshing composition may be releasably absorbed in an absorbent substrate, hereinafter referred to as a substrate. The substrate releasably comprises a composition. Releasably comprises means that the composition is effectively released from the substrate on the soiled fabrics as part of the method of cleaning and refreshing the fabrics of the present invention. This release is mainly due to the volatilization of the composition due to the heat from the supplied heat source.

The substrate may exist in any desired form such as powders, flakes, chunks and the like. However, it is highly preferred that the substrate exist in the form of inte13

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a cushion or leaf that essentially retains its integral integrity throughout the process. The substrates and sheets of the present invention are sometimes referred to in the literature as carriers or as 2-sheets with absorbed carrier; it is understood that all labels refer to liquid absorbent materials that can be used on conventionally conveyed liquids. These substrates are described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., Incorporated herein by reference. The production of these sheets does not form part of the invention and is already described in the literature. See, for example, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,009747 to Viazmensky et al., Issued Apr. 23, 1991, and No. 5,292,581 to Viazmensky et al., Issued Mar. 8, 1994, incorporated herein by reference.

This substrate is intended to contain a sufficient amount of a cleaning / refreshing agent to be effective for its intended purpose. The capacity of the substrate for such a composition will vary according to the intended use. The size of the substrate should not be so large that it is not suitable for the user. Typically, substrate sizes will be sufficient to provide a macroscopic surface area (both sides of the substrate) of at least 360 cm ² , preferably in the range of 360 cm ² to 3000 cm ² . For example, a general rectangular substrate may have dimensions (in the x direction) from 10 to 35 cm and (in the y direction) from 18 cm to 45 cm.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the substrate will be either a dark material or is coated with a dark material such as a black fabric. It is well known that dark materials absorb heat better than whiter materials. Thus, a dark substrate would tend to absorb more heat and gasify more cleansing and refreshing agent when, for example, solar radiation is used as an additional heat source.

As discussed herein, the substrate may optionally be coated with a fibrous, preferably heat resistant, and most preferably hydrophobic cover sheet, as described in detail in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., Incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the accompanying U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 077,556, filed March 11, 1998, to Wise et al., Discloses certain improvements to the cover sheets of the present invention. The full description of Wise et al. is here

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incorporated by reference. Suitable combinations of cover sheets as described by You et al. with the improvements described by Wis et al, according to the requirements of the manufacturer, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Stain Cleaner: The user of the method can obtain various stain cleaners for use in the optional stain pre-cleansing method of the present invention. These compositions are used to remove localized stains from the substances to be treated, either before or after the cleaning and recovery process of the present invention. The stain remover must necessarily be compatible with the substance being treated. That is, no significant amount of dye should be removed from the fabric during stain treatment, and the stain cleaning agent should not leave any visible stains on the fabric. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, stain cleaners are obtained which are substantially free of materials that leave visible residues on the treated fabrics. This means that the preferred compositions are formulated to contain the highest possible amount of volatile materials, preferably water, typically 95%, more preferably 97.7% by weight, and surfactant in amounts of 0.1 to 0.7% by weight. . A preferred stain cleaning composition will also contain a cleaning solvent such as butoxypropoxypropanol (BPP) in a small but effective amount, typically 1 to 4%, preferably 2% by weight.

Preferred methods and compositions for cleaning stains are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., Incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, staining methods and compositions are described in U.S. Patent No. 5,630,847, issued May 20, 1997 to Roetker. The entire disclosure of the Roetker patent is incorporated herein by reference.

Treatment member: In one embodiment, a treatment member is provided that assists in removing localized stains from the fabrics. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the stain cleaning composition is provided in a dispenser, such as a bottle, and the dispenser has a tip that serves as a treatment member. Then this member

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For treatment, the absorbent base material may be, for example, a natural or synthetic sponge, an absorbent cellulosic sheet or pad or the like. There may be many protrusions for contact with and outside this base material. Specific examples of members for treatment can be found in U.S. Patent No. 5,789,368 to You et al., Incorporated herein by reference.

A stain absorbing member: A stain absorbing member, sometimes referred to herein as a stain catcher, can optionally be used in any of the pretreatment staining procedures of the invention. The stain scavenger may be any absorbent material that absorbs the liquid composition used in the pretreatment stain. Disposable paper towels, cloth towels such as BOUNTY ™ branded towels, clean rags, etc. can be used. However, in a preferred method, the stain retainer is specifically designed to suck or draw liquid compositions away from the stained area. One preferred type of stain catcher consists of a nonwoven pad, such as thermal bonded fabric (TBAL). Another highly preferred type of stain scavenger for use in the present invention comprises a polymeric foam, wherein the polymeric foam comprises a polymerized water-in-oil emulsion, sometimes referred to as poly-HIPE. The production of polymeric foam is described extensively in the patent literature. See, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 5,260,345, DesMarais, Stone, Thompson, Young, LaVon, and Dyer, issued November 9, 1993, U.S. Patent No. 5,550,167, DesMarais, issued August 27, 1996, and U.S. Patent No. 5,201,199. No. 5,650,222, DesMarais et al., Issued July 22, 1997, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Typical conditions for forming polymeric foams of the present invention are described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/042,418, filed March 13, 1998, by TA DesMarais et al., Entitled Absorbent Materials for Distributing Aqueous Liquids, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. . A further description of the conditions for forming polymer molds for use in the present invention is described in the accompanying U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/077,955, filed March 13, 1998, by TA DesMarais et al. the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The various stain scavengers described herein and described in the references incorporated herein by reference preferably comprise a liquid impervious backing sheet. The backing sheet may be made, for example, of a thin layer of polypropylene, polyethylene and the like. The backing sheet provides protection for the surface on which the stain retainer rests from the stain cleaning agent. For example, stain cleaning methods are typically performed on a hard surface, such as the top of a table. The stain catcher is placed on a table and the fabric to be treated is placed on the stain catcher. The stain cleaner is applied to the contaminated area of the fabric and then drawn to the stain retainer. In the absence of the backing sheet, the stain cleaning agent is soaked onto the top of the table, which may damage it.

The following examples further illustrate the invention but are not intended to limit it.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

He did

Two jackets of an extraordinary large man, exposed to a cigarette blaze and creased using standardized methods, are placed on clothes hangers. The jacket is then hung inside a plastic bag having two coplanar flat ends (top and bottom) with side walls cylindrical and slightly arched out near the center. For illustrative purposes, we can imagine the bag as an egg shell with the top and bottom cut off. The container has a door for inward access and is closed by a zipper. A small slot near the bottom of the bag serves as a valve and this valve remains open all the time during processing.

On the inside of the bag is a fan, a heating element, a thermocouple, and a container that is in fluid communication with the heating element. About 100 to 125 ml of a composition comprising about 99 wt. % water and 1 wt. of perfume is poured into the container and the door is closed. / • ·

The external on / off switch is turned on at the start of the fabric recovery process. The switch is connected to a programmable microprocessor that regulates the multi-stage process. First, the temperature is raised to 70 ° C with a relative humidity of about 50% by weight. This is achieved by running the fan and heater element with a small amount of cleaning and refreshing agent in contact with or without the heater element. This first stage lasts 10 to 15 minutes. In the second stage, the temperature is lowered to 50 ° C and the relative humidity is increased to more than 95% by weight. This is achieved by introducing a vaporized cleaning and recovery agent. The fan continues to run during this second stage, which takes 7 to 9 minutes.

Finally, with the fan running, the heating element is turned off and the inside of the bag is naturally cooled to 45 ° C in less than 10 minutes. The fan turns off automatically and the indicator light indicates that the process is complete. The jackets are removed and are virtually wrinkled, deodorized and ready to wear.

Example 2

Two extra-large man jackets exposed to cigarette smoke and creased using standardized methods are placed on clothes hangers. The areas with the most crease are pre-treated with a hand spray commercially available under No. 7292457 from Vel and containing demineralized water so that the creased areas are slightly moistened but not allowed to soak. The jacket is then hung inside a plastic bag having two coplanar flat ends (top and bottom) with side walls cylindrical and slightly arched out near the center. For illustrative purposes, we can imagine the bag as an egg shell with the top and bottom cut off. The container has a door for inward access and is closed by a zipper. A valve exists near the bottom of the bag, but this valve remains closed when ozone is present in the bag.

On the inside of the bag is a fan, an ultraviolet lamp, a heating element, a thermocouple, and a cartridge with a cartridge that contains a cleaning and refreshing agent. The reservoir is in fluid communication with the heating element. The cleansing and refreshing composition comprises about 100 to 125 ml of the composition containing about 99 wt. % water and 1 wt. perfume. The cartridge is connected to the cartridge and the door is closed.

The external on / off switch is turned on at the start of the fabric recovery process. The switch is connected to a programmable microprocessor that regulates the multi-stage process. First, the ultraviolet lamp turns on to produce ozone. This lamp remains on for 10 minutes. Optionally, the fan runs during the first stage. In the second step, the temperature is raised to 50 ° C and the relative humidity is raised to more than 95% by weight. This is achieved by supplying a vaporized cleaning and refreshing agent. The fan is allowed to run in the second stage, which takes 7 to 12 minutes.

Finally, with the fan running, the heating element is turned off and the inside of the bag is naturally cooled to 45 ° C in less than 10 minutes. The fan turns off automatically and the indicator light indicates that the process is complete. The jackets are removed and are virtually wrinkled, deodorized and ready to wear.

Example 3

Cleaning and revitalizing agents

While the cleansing and refreshing compositions of the present invention may contain only water and perfume, they may also include other fabric care ingredients. For example, cleaners / refreshers for the substances of the present invention for use in the methods described herein are prepared as follows:

% by weight

blade: cartridge: emulsifying agent (Tween 20) * 0.5 0 perfume 0.5 0.5 KATHON ^it 0.0003 0 sodium benzoate 0.1 0 water for replenishment

polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monoalurate available from ICI Surfactans

Other preferred compositions for use in the methods of the invention are as follows.

component: % by weight: range (% by weight): water 99.0 95.9 to 99.9 perfume 0.5 0.05 to 1.5 surfactant * 0.5 0.05 to 2.0 ethanol or isopropanol 0 optimally by 4 % solvent (eg BPP) 0 optimally by 4 % hydrogen peroxide 0 optimally by 4 %

The pH ranges from 6 to 8.

-.Μη

• · • · · • Á · • • 9 • 9 9 99 9 · 9 9 9 9 9 9 • · · · · · 9 9 9 · 9 9 9 • · 9 99 9 9 99 9 99 9 • 9 99 9

Example 4

Means for cleaning skvm

Skvm cleaning compositions for use in the present invention preferably with the aforementioned delivery device and TBAL or poly-HIPE skvm foam scavenger are prepared as follows: component: anionic agent (wt.%) hydrogen peroxide 1,000 amino-tris (methylenephosphonic acid) * 0,0400 butoxypropypropanol (BPP) 2,000 NH ₄ coconut E ^ 0.285 dodecyldimethylamine oxide 0,031 magnesium chloride 0.018 magnesium sulfate 0.019 hydrotropic agent, perfume, other minority components 0.101 preservative Kathon 0.0003 water (deionized or distilled) 96.5 target pH 6.0

* Hydrogen peroxide stabilizer

To minimize the potential deterioration of the dye as mentioned above, the pre-treatment compositions with a hydrogen peroxide-containing skvm containing anionic or nonionic surfactant in an amount (by weight of the composition) that is less than the amount of hydrogen peroxide. Preferably, the weight ratio of surfactant to hydrogen peroxide is in the range of 1:10 to 100

1: 1.5, most preferably from 1: 4 to 1: 3.

Claims (36)

PATENT CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A method for treating articles of fabrics, characterized in that: (a) the article of fabric is placed in a container having an opening and at least one wall defining an interior void; (b) increasing the temperature and relative humidity of the air in the inner void of the vessel to a predetermined first temperature and a predetermined first relative humidity for a predetermined first period; and (c) in the interior of the vessel at the end of the first period, at least the temperature and / or relative humidity of the air is changed to a predetermined second temperature and a predetermined second relative humidity for a predetermined second period. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the substance is contacted with the pretreatment composition before it is placed in the container of step a). 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the contacting is performed by spraying. The method of claim 1, wherein steam is used to increase the temperature and relative humidity of the air in the interior void of the vessel. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the temperature in the inner void to be raised to a third temperature, wherein the third temperature is less than 45 ° C, preferably less than 40 ° C, more preferably less than 35 ° C. Deň: 32 ° C. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the vessel further comprises: a) heating element, (b) a moisture delivery device, preferably a passive humidity controller capable of changing and maintaining the relative humidity of the air within the interior void of the vessel; (c) a fan and / or filter; and (d) air circulation equipment. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the vessel further comprises an active temperature controller capable of varying and maintaining the air temperature in the interior void of the vessel. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the vessel further comprises a passive humidity controller capable of varying and maintaining the relative humidity of the air within the interior void of the vessel. 9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the valve remains open at all times. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein steam containing water and optionally perfume is introduced into the interior void of the vessel. 11. The method of claim 6 wherein the air circulation device is a fan and the fan inlet is within the empty space of the vessel such that at least a portion of the air in the empty space of the vessel is recirculated. The method of claim 1, wherein the first temperature is at least 45 ° C, preferably at least 60 ° C, most preferably at least 70 ° C, and the first relative humidity is at least 20% by weight, preferably at least 50% wt. The method of claim 1, wherein the second temperature is greater than T as defined by T = 60- (0.17.RH ₂ ), wherein RH ₂ is the second relative humidity in percent by weight. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that RH ₂ is at least 50%, preferably at least 75%, more preferably at least 85%, most preferably at least 90% by weight. The method of claim 13, wherein the second temperature is less than 90 ° C, more preferably less than 80 ° C, and most preferably less than 70 ° C. 16. A method for treating articles of fabrics, characterized in that: (a) the article of fabric is placed in a container having an opening and at least one wall that defines the interior void; (b) ozone is introduced into the interior void for a predetermined first period; and c) changing at least the temperature and / or the relative humidity of the air in the inner void of the vessel at the end of the first period to a predetermined second temperature and a predetermined second humidity for a predetermined second period. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the first temperature is at least 45 ° C, preferably at least 60 ° C, most preferably at least 70 ° C. A method according to any one of claims 16 or 17, characterized in that the ozone is generated by an ozone source within the empty space of the container. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ozone source is an ultraviolet lamp or a high voltage source. • ♦ 4 4 4 4 ♦ · · · 4 4 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the ozone provides favorable results on treated substances selected from odor reduction or removal, stain removal, disinfection and mixtures thereof. The method of claim 16, wherein the steam is used to change the temperature and relative humidity of the air in the interior void of the vessel. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that after a second time a cooling step occurs, wherein the temperature in the inner void is allowed to fall to less than 45 ° C, preferably less than 40 ° C and more preferably less than 45 ° C. Deň: 32 ° C. 23. The method of claim 16, wherein the container further comprises: a) heating element, (b) a moisture delivery device, preferably a passive humidity controller capable of changing and maintaining the relative humidity of the air within the interior void of the vessel; (c) a fan and / or filter; and (d) air circulation equipment. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the vessel further comprises an active temperature controller capable of varying and maintaining the air temperature in the interior void of the vessel. 25. The method of claim 23, wherein the vessel further comprises a passive humidity controller capable of varying and maintaining the relative humidity of the air within the interior void of the vessel. • · '· ♦ · * * ······ φ φ · * · 4 · φ · · · · · · · · · 26. A method according to claim 23, wherein the valve remains open at all times. 27. The method of claim 21, wherein steam is introduced into the interior void of the vessel, containing water and optionally perfume. 28. The method of claim 23, wherein the air circulation device is a fan and the fan inlet is within the empty space of the vessel such that at least a portion of the air in the empty space of the vessel is recirculated. Method according to claim 28, characterized in that the air circulation device provides an air velocity around the dress of between 0.05 and 10 ms ^-1 , more preferably between 0.1 and 5 m.s ^-1 , most preferably between 0.5 and 2 ms. ms' ¹ . The method of claim 16, wherein the second temperature is greater than T as defined by T = 60- (0.17.RH ₂ ), wherein RH ₂ is the second relative humidity in percent by weight. The method of claim 30, wherein RH ₂ is at least 50%, preferably at least 75%, more preferably at least 85%, most preferably at least 90% by weight. The method of claim 16, wherein the second temperature is less than 90 ° C, more preferably less than 80 ° C, and most preferably less than 70 ° C. 33. The method of claim 1 or 16, wherein the cartridge containing the cleaning and refreshing agent is introduced into the interior void of the container and the cleaning and refreshing agent is released from the cartridge into the interior void of the container. τ • ♦ • « • · '· • ···· · ·. · • ·· • ·. E. • • · • • • ·· · • » Φ * 9 9 9 t * • · • · · ··· ·· · • · • 9 34. The method of claim 16, wherein the vessel further comprises a filter. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the filter is in close proximity to the fan. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 35, characterized in that the garments are tensioned or under tension before the start of the cycle, preferably by means of one or more tensioning devices.