DE102020120291A1 - Cleaning cloth with an absorbent non-woven material and method of manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a cleaning cloth made of a flat, non-woven fleece material with an underside and an upper side, comprising absorbent natural fibers and synthetic melt-binding fibers, wherein at least one side of the cleaning cloth has a coating that does not cover the entire surface in some areas, characterized in that the cleaning cloth has an embossing on at least one side having raised unembossed areas and depressed embossed areas and a method of manufacture.

Description

The invention relates to a cleaning cloth made of a flat, non-woven fleece material with an underside and an upper side comprising absorbent natural fibers and synthetic melt-binding fibers, with a region-wise, not full-surface coating being provided on at least one side, which gives the cleaning cloth increased cleaning power.

A large number of cleaning articles, e.g. for surface cleaning, in particular for household cleaning, and also for skin cleaning, in particular for facial cleaning, are known in the prior art.

A cleaning cloth is eg in the WO 2017/081285 described, which deals with the design of the coating lines.

Likewise is from the WO 03/104544 A1 a cleaning wipe with a structured coating application is known, whereby the pattern density of the coating application is made comparatively uniform.

Proceeding from this state of the art, it is the object of the present invention to provide a cleaning cloth which, while at the same time having a good cleaning effect, provides sufficient absorption surfaces and provides particularly good gliding properties even on rough floors.

The invention solves this problem with a cleaning cloth having the features of claim 1 and a method having the features of claim 14.

A cleaning cloth or cleaning article or wiping cloth, the terms being used synonymously, in the context of the invention is intended in particular to mean cleaning articles for cleaning surfaces or objects (surfaces), such as in particular cleaning cloths, for example for household purposes or floor cleaning, but also in the kitchen or sanitary area , as well as for cleaning panes and windows etc. In addition, cosmetic cleaning articles such as, in particular, cosmetic pads and cosmetic tissues should also be included. Depending on the intended use, the cleaning articles can differ in terms of shape, size or thickness. The cleaning cloth is particularly preferably a floor cleaning cloth, ie a cleaning cloth which is intended for floor cleaning.

• - 35 Gew.-% bis 75 Gew.-%, vorzugsweise 50 Gew.-% bis 75 Gew.- % Naturfasern, insbesondere Baumwolle
• - 15 Gew.-% bis 60 Gew.-%, vorzugsweise 20 Gew.-% bis 45 Gew.- % synthetische Schmelzbindefasern
• - 0 Gew.-% bis 35 Gew.-%, vorzugsweise 5 Gew.-% bis 35 Gew.-% synthetische Mikrofasern

According to the invention, the cleaning cloth comprises a flat, non-woven fleece material with an underside and an upper side, which is liquid-storing due to natural fibers. The non-woven material can be understood as the material from which the towel essentially consists. By liquid-storing or absorbent is meant that the non-woven material can absorb liquid, whereby the non-woven material can typically also release liquid again when wiping and cleaning. The fleece material is in the form of a fiber mixture. This means that the fleece material consists of different fibers that are mixed together and are not present separately from one another. According to the invention, the fleece material or the fiber mixture comprises at least absorbent natural fibers and synthetic melt-binding fibers. The fleece material or the fiber mixture can also contain other fiber materials, in particular synthetic microfibers. The fleece material or the fiber mixture can preferably include:

• - 35% to 75% by weight, preferably 50% to 75% by weight, of natural fibers, in particular cotton
• from 15% to 60%, preferably from 20% to 45%, by weight of melt-bonding synthetic fibers
• - from 0% to 35%, preferably from 5% to 35%, by weight of synthetic microfibers

• Naturfasern: 8 - 40 mm, bevorzugt 10 - 35 mm, besonders bevorzugt 12 - 30 mm
• Schmelzbindefasern: 30 - 60 mm, bevorzugt 45 - 55 mm Mikrofasern: 15 - 50 mm, bevorzugt 30 - 45 mm

The above three fiber materials are typically staple fibers. The length of the individual fibers is preferably as follows:

• Natural fibers: 8-40 mm, preferably 10-35 mm, particularly preferably 12-30 mm
• Melt binding fibers: 30 - 60 mm, preferably 45 - 55 mm Microfibers: 15 - 50 mm, preferably 30 - 45 mm

The natural fibers or natural fibers are naturally occurring and not chemically modified fibers or fibers consisting of natural polymers that have not been chemically modified. The natural fibers are absorbent. Cellulose and in particular cotton are particularly preferred here, since cotton has a good storage and absorption capacity for liquids. Alternatively, other natural fibers can also be used, such as flax, abacá, hemp or ramie.

The fusible binder fibers and microfibers according to the invention do not contain any naturally occurring polymers, such as cellulose in particular, and are also not based on naturally occurring polymers, which the term “synthetic” is intended to express.

According to the invention, synthetic fusible binding fibers are also provided in the fiber mixture. They can be brought into a melted and (partially) flowable state by the influence of heat, which enables partial embedding and bonding of other fibers. Thus, the fusible bonding fibers can give the cleaning sheet strength required for wiping and cleaning. The fusible binding fibers are preferably bicomponent fibers. These typically consist of a low-melting polymeric component and a higher-melting polymeric component, which preferably have a sheath-core arrangement. The jacket is formed by the low-melting component. The core is formed by the higher melting point component. The terms "lower" and "higher" are to be understood with reference to the respective other polymeric component.

The fusible bond fibers can be made from polyesters, polyolefins (such as polypropylene or polyethylene), polyamides, or blends thereof. The melt-binding fibers preferably consist of polyesters, in particular polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene terephthalate-coisophthalate. The latter copolymer has a melting point of 110 °C, which is significantly lower than that of PET (approx. 255 °C). The shell described above could therefore be formed by the copolymer. The core described above could then be formed from the PET.

Another advantage of the cleaning cloth results from the preferably provided synthetic microfibers. The microfibers allow the cleaning cloth to pick up dirt better and improve its cleaning performance.

The microfibers can have a fiber fineness of 1 dtex or less, in particular 0.9 dtex or less. The finer the fibers, the better the cleaning performance of the cleaning cloth. The microfibers can be made of a polyester, a polyolefin (such as polypropylene or polyethylene), or a polyamide.

The microfibers preferably consist of a polyester, in particular polyethylene terephthalate.

According to the invention, the strength is further significantly improved in that the cleaning cloth has an embossing with raised, unembossed areas and lower-lying embossed areas on at least one side. Embossing creates unembossed areas between the embossed areas that are less dense. The embossing further strengthens the surface, making it more difficult for fibers to be pulled out. Furthermore, the lower-lying, embossed areas prevent the wiper from adhering to the surface to be cleaned over the entire surface, which reduces friction and consequently leads to improved sliding properties of the wiper. In the unembossed areas, the high liquid absorption of the fiber mixture is fully retained. The fusible binding fibers and the embossing therefore serve to make the cleaning cloth stable and resistant, so that it remains intact when wiping and cleaning and has good sliding properties. Underlying is to be understood as meaning a region that is set back or pressed into the material with respect to the unembossed surface.

Another advantage of the cleaning cloth according to the invention is that it can be produced comparatively inexpensively and has a high proportion of renewable and biodegradable material in the form of natural fibers, in particular cotton.

In order to further improve the cleaning performance, the invention provides that the cleaning cloth has an abrasive coating. The abrasive coating is usually applied to the fleece material, for example using a gravure printing process. The abrasive coating can be applied to only one side or to both sides of the fleece material. Furthermore, the abrasive coating is preferably in the form of strips or lines, with the strips or lines advantageously also being able to be patterned, for example grid-like patterned. The height of the abrasive coating can be 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm, preferably 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm, which can be measured using a microscope. The height here means the extent of the coating perpendicular to the direction of the areal extent of the cleaning cloth. Furthermore, the abrasive coating can be a synthetic polymer (plastic) such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), an amorphous polyalphaolefin (APAO), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVAC), a polyamide (PA), an olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-O), a crosslinked olefin-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-V), a thermoplastic copolyester (TPE-E), a urethane-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-U), a thermoplastic copolyamide (TPE-A ), a thermoplastic styrene block copolymer (TPE-S), a styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene polymer (SEBS), styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) or styrene-ethylene-propylene-styrene (SEPS) or from one such polymer exist. In particular, the abrasive coating comprises or consists of ethylene vinyl l acetate (EVA). The material of the abrasive coating also preferably has a Shore A hardness of 50 to 100, in particular 70 to 100, determined according to DIN 53505:2000-08 and 35 ISO 868:2003(E).

As already mentioned, the cleaning cloth essentially consists of the fleece material. Along with the aforementioned abrasive coating, the cleaning cloth then mostly consists of the non-woven material, the abrasive coating, optionally a liquid detergent (in the case of a pre-moistened cleaning cloth) and optionally a suture material (if the cleaning cloth is sewn as described below) to make it into a To assemble cleaning articles, for example, interacts with a wipe holder.

Nonwovens can be produced comparatively easily and cheaply. The fleece material is usually reinforced by needling using high-pressure water jets (spunlace process). This can reduce the tendency to fuzz on the surface. In addition, the nonwoven material is normally consolidated by partial melting of the fusible bonding fibers. The tear strength of the fleece material can thus be adjusted.

In particular, it can be provided that the embossed areas take up at most 50% of the total area of the embossed side, in particular at most 40%, more particularly at most 30% and in particular at least 6%, in particular at least 8% and more particularly at least 10% and more particularly at least 15% %. In this way it can be achieved that, on the one hand, a sufficient strengthening of the surface is achieved by the embossed areas and, on the other hand, a sufficient area of unembossed areas is provided, which allow liquid absorption in a particularly advantageous manner. In this way, a good balance between liquid absorption and sliding properties of a corresponding fleece material and a cleaning cloth made from it is provided.

Furthermore, the embossing of the fleece material is preferably designed as a pattern. According to this particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the fleece material therefore has an embossed pattern. As a result, the strength and the lubricity of the cleaning cloth can be significantly improved, which can be of particular importance for floor cleaning applications, but also when other rougher surfaces, such as wood surfaces, are to be cleaned. The pattern order ensures a defined provision of the embossing. The embossing pattern is preferably designed in the form of a lattice, a diamond, a rod or a honeycomb. In particular, the rod-shaped design of the embossing pattern is preferred in the present case, or the design of embossing lines in a non-continuous manner.

The non-woven material is usually provided with the embossed pattern essentially over its entire extent. The embossed pattern can be formed, for example, by indentations on the side of the fleece material intended for cleaning, the indentations being made in the fleece material, for example, with a corresponding embossing roller. In particular, the embossing pattern is created in the fleece material by means of a hot calender. A particularly durable embossing can be achieved in this way.

The embossing and the coating have a synergistic effect and complement each other in terms of their cleaning properties. It can particularly preferably be provided that the embossed areas and/or the coating are arranged in patterns, in particular patterns distributed uniformly over the entire page.

The embossing and the coating are particularly preferably arranged on the same side of the fleece material, so that the abrasive properties are combined with the good sliding properties.

More particularly preferably, the embossing and coating are not formed as congruent patterns and in particular are not formed from parallel lines. This ensures that the coating does not lose its effect because it comes to rest in larger areas in the embossing and thus no longer rises above the base area. The coating should not be more than 30%, in particular not more than 20%, in particular not more than 10%, in particular not more than 5%, in particular not more than 3% of its proportion in an embossing line. In this way the effect of the coating would be overridden or at least reduced. The embossing can also preferably be in the form of a line, for example in the form of a lattice, with the lines preferably being in the form of rods or dashed or dash-dotted. With regard to the pattern of the embossing and the design of embossing lines, what is stated below with regard to the pattern and line design for coating can also apply.

Provision is particularly preferably made for the fleece material to have a thickness of 1.5 to 7 mm, in particular 2 to 4 mm, in the area of the raised areas, ie in the area of the non-embossed areas, at a pressure of 0.5 kPa. The Fleece material can also have a thickness of 0.1-0.6 mm, in particular 0.1-0.3 mm, less in the area of the lower-lying embossed areas at a pressure of 0.5 kPa compared to the raised areas. This means that the depth of the lower-lying embossed areas in relation to the thickness of the raised areas can be 0.1-0.6 mm, in particular 0.1-0.3 mm, at a pressure of 0.5 kPa. The values given for the thickness refer to the dry, single-layer (i.e. not laid together or on top of one another) fleece material. The thickness of the non-woven material can be determined using a specific measuring pressure of 0.5 kPa on a probe area of 25 cm ² . In particular, a DMT thickness gauge from Schröder can be used. Otherwise, the thickness can be determined based on DIN EN ISO 9073-2: 1995.

The cleaning cloth, in particular the fleece material, can be essentially rectangular in shape and have a length of 10 cm to 60 cm and a width of 10 cm to 60 cm. As a surface wipe, it can advantageously have a length of 18 cm to 40 cm, in particular approximately 30 cm, and a width of 18 cm to 40 cm, in particular approximately 30 cm. As a floor wipe, it can advantageously have a length of 40 cm to 60 cm, in particular approximately 43 cm, and a width of 10 cm to 20 cm, in particular approximately 13 cm. The preferred strip-like shape of the floor wiping cloth fits the wiping cloth holders of conventional wiping mop systems. In the case of floor wipes for wipe holders, provision can be made for the material of the cleaning cloth to be doubled at least in some areas on the two shorter sides and sewn or welded to form pockets into which a wipe holder can then engage.

Further preferred embodiments can be given with regard to the density of the coating and/or embossing. The coating density and/or embossing density should be determined using an imaginary grid, whereby a grid with parallel, equidistant, perpendicular lines with an edge length of 7 mm of each grid square is understood to mean such an arrangement of lines in which a group of parallel, equidistant lines is intersected by a second set of parallel, equidistant lines forming right angles. In the resulting grid, on which the cleaning cloth can be placed as desired, i.e. there is no preferred direction of the grid, at least 5 grid squares per 25 cm ² should have a first degree of coverage of coating and/or embossing of at least 15% and thus a high degree of coverage and at least 5 grid squares per 25 cm ² have a second degree of coverage of coating and/or embossing of at most 8% and thus a comparatively low degree of coverage. By definition, only those grid squares that lie completely in the area of the cleaning cloth are to be used for the determination. Grid squares that are cut by the border line (edge) of the cleaning cloth are not taken into account when considering the grid squares to be counted.

The statement "per 25 cm ² " is understood as a reference value. In the evaluation, the entire side surface of the cleaning cloth is considered. In the case of cleaning cloths with a smaller or larger dimension deviating from 25 cm ² , the number of grid squares determined on the first side surface of the cleaning cloth with the first and second degree of coverage is correspondingly normalized and converted to 25 cm ² .

The degree of coverage is understood to mean the area covered by the coating and/or embossing within a grid square, based on the area of the grid square. For the evaluation of the degree of coverage of the coating and/or embossing in relation to the respective grid squares, any evaluation method, e.g.

In this way, a cleaning cloth can be provided which, due to areas with a relatively high degree of coverage due to a high coating density and/or embossing density, in particular a high coating density and/or embossing density on coating lines and/or embossing lines, has a good cleaning effect on soiling and good sliding properties . On the other hand, such a cleaning cloth offers a sufficient absorption or holding surface for the components released from the surface to be cleaned, such as dirt particles or moisture, due to a likewise large number of areas that only have a small degree of coverage. Such absorption or receiving surfaces can then also simultaneously have a certain softness compared to hard surfaces if, for example, a household towel is to be implemented.

The coating and/or embossing of the cleaning article preferably includes coating lines and/or embossing lines. A full-surface coating of the cleaning cloth in the sense of a continuous, area-wide, uninterrupted application is not provided. In addition to coating and/or embossing in shape of coating lines and/or embossing lines, however, partial areal coatings and/or embossing or punctiform coatings and/or embossing can also be provided.

According to the invention, however, such coatings and/or embossing that deviate from the linear coatings and/or embossing should also be taken into account when determining the degree of coverage. That is, the respective degrees of coverage result from the coatings arranged in the respective grid squares, independently of their design.

However, exclusively flat or exclusively homogeneously distributed punctiform coatings and/or embossing are not in accordance with the invention. Linear coating and/or embossing (coating line/embossing line) means in particular an element in which a line width of at least 0.2 mm is provided and the line has a length that is at least five times the line width.

In principle, the linear coatings and/or embossing can have both straight lines and curved lines, as well as intersecting straight or curved lines. In principle, the lines can be either continuous or interrupted at least in certain areas, provided the line remains clearly recognizable as such. In other words, dashed (rod-shaped), dash-dotted or dotted coating lines are also conceivable within the meaning of the present invention. In particular, the broken points may not be longer than ten times, in particular no longer than eight times, in particular no longer than six times, in particular no longer than four times the line width of the line adjacent to the broken point. Grid, honeycomb or diamond-shaped patterns consisting of coating lines and/or embossing lines are particularly preferred.

In particular, it is provided that the coating and/or embossing covers the cleaning cloth and here in particular the first side surface (top or bottom) essentially over its entire extent, i.e. not just special areas such as the middle or outer area of the cleaning cloth. It is therefore preferably provided that the coating and/or embossing extends over the entire at least first side surface of the cleaning cloth, with individual areas of the cleaning cloth, such as the central or edge area, depending on the pattern provided, being within the scope of the present invention in terms of pattern density may vary. It is also conceivable to apply different patterns in some areas of the cleaning cloth than in other areas. For example, a different coating or embossing can be provided in the central area than in the edge area.

Provision can furthermore be made for the coating and/or embossing to be distributed uniformly or non-uniformly over the surface of the cleaning article.

Preferably only the first side face is coated and/or embossed. According to another embodiment, however, both side surfaces can also be coated and/or embossed. Accordingly, the cleaning cloth has a coating and/or embossing on the first and second side surface. This means that the cleaning cloth can be used by the user for more intensive cleaning processes, regardless of the orientation of the cleaning cloth.

The coating features and/or embossing features can be designed differently or the same in terms of their geometric shape and/or their dimensions on the upper and lower edges. The various properties of the cleaning article, such as the degree of coverage, frictional force, absorption properties, etc., can be taken into account and implemented by adjusting the coating and embossing patterns.

The line width of the coating line and/or embossing line can be at least 0.2 mm, in particular at least 0.4 mm, in particular at least 0.5 mm and more particularly at least 0.6 mm. The line width should preferably be at most 2.0 mm, more particularly at most 1.6 mm, more particularly at most 1.2 mm, more particularly at most 1.0 mm. The length of the embossing and/or coating line in relation to the line width should in particular be at least 5 times, preferably at least 6 times, more preferably at least 8 times and more preferably at least 10 times the line width.

Preferably, the entire coating is raised above the top surface of the nonwoven material.

The weight per unit area of the coating can be at least 5 g/m ² , in particular at least 10 g/m ² , more particularly at least 15 g/m ² and more particularly at least 20 g/m ² . The basis weight should preferably be limited to an upper limit of 50 g/m ² , more particularly to a maximum of 30 g/m ² and more particularly to a maximum of 25 g/m ² .

The coating is preferably homogeneous in its composition. Preferably are no abrasive particles added to the coating. Alternatively, however, abrasive particles can also be provided.

The coating lines are preferably applied by means of a roller which has an engraving corresponding to the pattern (total of the individual patterns).

The cleaning cloth can have one or more layers with respect to the non-woven material and is in particular a fiber material, in particular a non-woven material, with respect to all layers. The fleece materials also include in the other layers, if provided, natural fibers, in particular cellulose-based fibers such as cotton or viscose, and synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers, preferably polyester bicomponent fibers and / or preferably polyester microfibers, polypropylene fibers or mixtures thereof .

In the case of a voluminous configuration of the cleaning article, in particular if the products involved are rather cotton-like, such as in particular cosmetic pads, in particular also in the case of multi-layer fleece material, the fleece material preferably has a weight per unit area of at least 80 g/m ² , more preferably of at least 100 g/m 2 . m ² , more preferably at least 150 g/m ² , more preferably at least 200 g/m ² , more preferably at least 260 g/m ² , more preferably at most 350 g/m ² , more preferably at most 320 g/m 2 m ² on. In the case of a more cloth-like design of the cleaning article, the basis weight can preferably be at most 100 g/m ² , preferably at least 30 g/m ² and particularly preferably at least 40 g/m ² .

The cleaning cloth is intended in particular as a disposable item for single use, ie as a one-way product. In principle, however, cleaning cloths are also conceivable, for example in the household sector, which can be washed or cleaned, ie are designed as reusable items.
The cleaning cloth can be made up dry by the manufacturer or pre-moistened. In the second case, it can be pre-moistened with cleaning liquid and packaged moisture-proof by the manufacturer. It can therefore be used immediately without the need for additional liquid, which is particularly advantageous if cleaning liquid is not readily available, such as when traveling etc.

The presentation may be provided as a single unit or with a plurality of cleaning towels in a package, in which case it is preferably reclosable. This applies to both dry and pre-moistened containers.

In the present way, a cleaning cloth can be provided which has particularly favorable properties with regard to abrasive properties, absorption properties and sliding properties.

1. i. Bereitstellen einer Fasermischung umfassend oder bestehend aus Naturfasern und synthetischen Schmelzbindefasern sowie optional synthetischen Mikrofasern.
2. ii. Verfestigen der Fasermischung durch Vernadelung mittels Hochdruckwasserstrahlen (Spunlace-Verfahren) sowie durch partielles Schmelzen der Schmelzbindefasern, wobei ein flüssigkeitsspeicherndes Vliesmaterial des Reinigungstuches gebildet wird.
3. iii. Prägen des Vliesmaterials, so dass das Vliesmaterial mit einem Prägemuster versehen ist. Vorteilhafterweise erfolgt die Prägung dabei mittels Heißkalander.
4. iv. Aufbringen einer abrasiven Beschichtung auf das Vliesmaterial.
5. v. Optional Ausbilden von zwei Taschen zur Befestigung an einer Reinigungsvorrichtung, insbesondere einem Wischmopphalter, wobei die Taschen durch Vernähen des Vliesmaterials oder durch Ultraschallschweißen des Vliesmaterials ausgebildet werden.

Finally, the invention relates to a method for producing a cleaning cloth for cleaning objects and/or surfaces. The procedure includes the following steps:

1. i. Providing a fiber mixture comprising or consisting of natural fibers and synthetic fusible fibers and optionally synthetic microfibers.
2. ii. Strengthening of the fiber mixture by needling using high-pressure water jets (spunlace method) and by partial melting of the melt-binding fibers, with a liquid-storing fleece material of the cleaning cloth being formed.
3. iii. embossing the nonwoven material so that the nonwoven material is provided with an embossing pattern. The embossing is advantageously carried out by means of a hot calender.
4. IV. Application of an abrasive coating to the fleece material.
5. v. Optional formation of two pockets for attachment to a cleaning device, in particular a mop holder, the pockets being formed by sewing the fleece material or by ultrasonic welding the fleece material.

To carry out the individual steps, it is possible to use conventional techniques known per se to those skilled in the field of textile production, in particular nonwoven production, such as the use of embossing rollers (with reference to step iii.), the screen printing process or the gravure printing process (with reference to step iv.) are used. A thread made of a natural material such as in particular cotton or a synthetic thread (plastic thread) can be used as the suture material for sewing the fleece material. The proposed method can also be used to produce the preferred embodiments of the cleaning cloth (and combinations thereof) described in the present application. The cleaning cloths produced according to this method therefore optionally have the features of the previously described preferred embodiments of the cleaning cloth according to the invention.

• 1 bis 4 eine Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen Reinigungsartikels.

Further features and details as well as advantages of the invention result from the graphic representation and the following description of the cleaning article according to the invention. Show in the drawing:

• 1 until 4 a representation of a cleaning article according to the invention.

1 shows one side of a cleaning cloth according to the invention in a preferred embodiment. The cleaning cloth is intended as a floor wipe. There is a ruler on the cleaning cloth to show the proportions. Can be seen in 1 especially the abrasive coating of the cleaning cloth. This consists of a material commonly used as a hot-melt adhesive, namely ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). The abrasive coating is designed in the form of lines, with the coating lines being patterned in the form of a grid. The abrasive coating can further improve the cleaning performance of the cleaning cloth, which can be particularly advantageous when stubborn dirt is to be removed.

the 2 until 4 show further preferred embodiments of floor cleaning cloths according to the invention in the upper half of the figure. These are in addition to those already associated with 1 described abrasive coating also provided with an embossing pattern. The course of the embossing pattern is in the lower half of the picture 2 until 4 additionally shown in the form of (not true to scale) technical drawings. The patterns are formed by indentations on the side of the cleaning cloth intended for contact with the floor and are embossed into the wipe cloths by means of corresponding rollers. The embossing pattern 2 is referred to herein as diamond-shaped. The embossing pattern 3 is referred to here as rod-shaped (also dashed or dash-dotted), although as can be seen from the figure, punctiform embossings are also included. The last embossing pattern shown as an example 4 is referred to herein as honeycomb.

As can be seen from the figures, the embossing patterns are designed to be comparatively fine or close-meshed.

So the side length is the in 2 shown diamonds in reality only about 2.4 mm. The lengths of the "sticks". 3 is in reality only about 3.2 mm or 4 mm. The side lengths of the combs out 4 are in reality only about 6 mm. With a full-surface, ie distributed over the entire surface embossed pattern as in the 2 until 4 shown, the gliding ability of the floor wipes can be improved.

Embodiment of a cleaning article according to the invention

In a preferred embodiment, the cleaning cloth consists of a nonwoven material consisting of a fiber mixture of natural fibers (e.g. cotton) and polyester-based bicomponent fibers as synthetic fusible binding fibers. This fleece material is strengthened in that a connection of the fiber mixture is obtained by partial melting of the bicomponent fibers. The surface is also strengthened by water jet needling.

In order to obtain a product according to the invention, the fleece material is further embossed by subsequent thermal calendering. In addition, an abrasive material is only partially applied to the material in such a way that there are large, uncoated areas in which the cloth has unhindered contact with the floor during the cleaning process.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• WO 2017/081285 [0003]
• WO 03/104544 A1 [0004]

Claims (15)

Cleaning cloth made of a flat, non-woven fleece material with an underside and an upper side, comprising absorbent natural fibers and synthetic melt-binding fibers, at least one side of the cleaning cloth having a region-wise, not full-surface coating, characterized in that the cleaning cloth is embossed with raised figures on at least one side unembossed areas and deeper embossed areas. cleaning cloth after claim 1 , characterized in that the fleece material comprises a fiber mixture with the following three components: - 35% by weight to 75% by weight natural fibers, in particular cotton - 15% by weight to 60% by weight synthetic melt-binding fibers - 0% by weight -% to 35% by weight synthetic microfibers cleaning cloth after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the natural fibers are cotton fibers. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the proportion of the embossed areas takes up at most 50% of the total area of the embossed side, in particular at most 40%, more particularly at most 30% and in particular at least 6%, in particular at least 8% and more particularly at least 10%, more particularly at least 15%. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the embossed areas and/or the coating are arranged in patterns, in particular patterns distributed evenly over the entire side. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the embossing and the coating are arranged on the same side of the fleece material. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the embossing and/or the coating are linear. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the embossing and the coating are formed as non-congruent patterns and are in particular not formed from parallel lines. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fleece material has a thickness of 1.5 - 7 mm, in particular of 2 - 4 mm, in the area of the raised areas at a pressure of 0.5 kPa. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the non-woven material in the area of the lower-lying embossed areas at a pressure of 0.5 kPa has a thickness of 0.1 - 0.6 mm, in particular 0.1 - 0.3 mm, has less thickness compared to the raised areas. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coating has a coating height when measured microscopically of at least 0.1 mm, in particular at least 0.2 mm and in particular at most 0.8 mm, more particularly at most 0.6 mm and more in particular has a maximum of 0.4 mm. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coating is polymer-based and is formed from a material with a Shore A hardness of at least 50, in particular at least 70 and in particular at most 100. Cleaning cloth according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cleaning cloth is pre-moistened. Process for the production of a cleaning cloth for cleaning objects and/or surfaces, the process comprising the following steps: - i. Providing a fiber mixture comprising or consisting of natural fibers and synthetic melt-binding fibers, - ii. Solidification of the fiber mixture by needling using high-pressure water jets (spunlace method) and by partial melting of the melt-binding fibers, with a liquid-storing fleece material of the cleaning cloth being formed, - iii. embossing the non-woven material so that the non-woven material is provided with an embossed pattern, - IV. Application of an abrasive coating to the fleece material. procedure after Claim 14 , characterized in that the method comprises a further step, in which two pockets for attachment to a cleaning device, in particular a mop holder, are formed, the pockets being sewn together of the fleece material rials or by ultrasonically welding the nonwoven material.

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