DE202020005541U1 - Disposable wipes for cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

Disposable wipe for cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces, comprising at least two non-woven layers, characterized in that the first non-woven layer contains or consists of> 30% by weight natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers and <70% by weight synthetic fibers and the second Non-woven layer contains or consists of 5 to 95% by weight natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers and at least 5% by weight synthetic fibers, the second non-woven layer having a greater absorption capacity for liquid than the first non-woven layer and wherein the first and second non-woven layers pass through each other a thermal treatment are connected.

Description

It is known that all kinds of germs thrive on surfaces, especially when they are in a warm and / or humid environment. Regular cleaning and / or disinfection of these surfaces is essential in public as well as private areas in order to carefully remove dirt and germs and to ensure the cleanliness of the respective surface. Of course, this is especially important in places like schools, swimming pools, restaurants and cultural institutions where large numbers of people meet regularly, and in places like hospitals and doctor's offices where sick people and people with weakened immune systems can be found. Regular and effective cleaning of surfaces, especially in bathrooms and kitchens, is also necessary in the private sector in order to effectively remove germs and prevent them from spreading.

To clean or disinfect surfaces, a cleaning agent or disinfectant is often applied to a nonwoven, which is then used for cleaning, the nonwoven being washed after cleaning. This is in need of improvement in several ways. On the one hand, it is possible that you forget to wash the nonwoven thoroughly and instead just rinse it out under running water, whereby germs remain on the surface and can spread. Even if the wash is not carried out immediately, the germs on the surface of the nonwoven will spread if it is temporarily stored in the washing machine until the next start of a wash cycle. In this way, the nonwoven actually intended for cleaning even poses a risk of dragged-out contamination or a source of contamination.

This problem is countered in the prior art by providing disposable wipes which are provided for cleaning or disinfecting surfaces and are therefore pre-soaked with an antimicrobial impregnating agent.

It is known that corresponding pre-soaked disposable wipes should comprise several layers of nonwoven fabric, which are usually composed differently. On the one hand, this causes sufficient stability of the wipe and, on the other hand, in the case of layers of differently composed nonwovens, if the nonwovens are selected accordingly, it can ensure that, for example, a first layer offers good liquid absorption, while a second layer offers good liquid release.

For example, a multi-layer, disposable wipe comprising a cleaning layer, an absorbent layer and a barrier layer is disclosed in US Pat U.S. 5,090,832 described. The cloth further comprises an encapsulated cleaning agent which soaks the cleaning layer after the capsule has been broken.

the U.S. 4,298,649 describes a disposable floor wipe with two different layers of thermoplastically processed polypropylene, one layer of which is said to have absorbent properties due to the foaming of the polypropylene. The two layers are connected to one another by means of a heat and pressure treatment.

the WO 02/36339 A2 describes a multi-layer pre-soaked wipe, the at least two layers of which contain a mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers. The wiping cloth comprises at least one cleaning layer and one layer that serves as a liquid reservoir.

A similar approach for a multilayer, disposable floor wipe is shown in US Pat EP 1 212 478 A1 tracked. An antimicrobial property is given to the floor wipes by the addition of preferably silver particles.

A problem with multilayer wipes is that the individual layers have to be connected to one another for adequate stabilization of the wipe. This is because the connection of the layers, which can be made, for example, by sewing, pressing or welding, reduces the absorption capacity of the wipes for liquid, so that the range of the pre-soaked wipes, i.e. the area that is effectively wetted or cleaned with a pre-soaked cloth can also be reduced.

The problem of reducing the range by welding the layers becomes apparent in the US 2019/0246865 A1 thematized, which reveals a multi-layered disposable floor wipe, which should offer an optimized liquid discharge by dispensing with welding of the ends.

Object of the invention

It is the object of the present invention to provide an alternative multi-ply disposable wipe for cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces, which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages known from the prior art and in particular has a number of interconnected layers compared to conventional wipes increased range.

General description of the invention

The invention solves this problem with the features of the claims and in particular with a disposable wipe for cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces, comprising at least two layers of non-woven fabric, the first layer of non-woven fabric being> 30% by weight natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers and <70% by weight .-% contains or consists of synthetic fibers and the second nonwoven layer contains or consists of 5 to 95% by weight natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers and at least 5% by weight synthetic fibers, the second nonwoven layer having a greater absorption capacity for liquid than the first Non-woven layer and wherein the first and the second non-woven layer are connected to one another by a thermal treatment.

For the purposes of the invention, a nonwoven layer is understood to mean a flat textile structure which is made up of fibers of the same type or of different types.

It has been shown that the combination of fleece layers according to the invention gives the disposable wipe according to the invention impregnated with an impregnating agent, despite the connection of the fleece layers, a comparatively long range when cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces. This is surprising since multilayer wipes known from the prior art, the different layers of which are connected to one another e.g. by welding, sewing or pressing, show a significant decrease in the range when cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces. The absorption capacity of a wipe for impregnating agent therefore decreases significantly as a result of the connection of the individual fleece layers. Nevertheless, it is necessary for sufficient stability of the wipe.

In the context of the present invention, it has now surprisingly been found that a targeted selection of the composition of the nonwoven layers of a disposable wipe, even if these are connected to one another, still results in a reduced range of the soaked wiper compared to unconnected nonwoven layers. The extent of the reduction in the range, ie the decrease in the storage capacity of impregnating agent, due to the connection of the fleece layers is, however, significantly lower, at least by a factor of 2 and preferably by a factor of 3-6, than in the case of multilayer wipes known from the prior art Fleece layers were connected to one another. In various experiments with different multilayer wipes known from the prior art, a connection between the layers (e.g. a thermal connection by welding the layers or a mechanical connection by pressing the layers) resulted in a decrease in the range during cleaning and / or disinfection of surfaces averaging 20-30% compared to cleaning with corresponding wipes, the layers of which were not connected to one another. In the case of a wipe according to the invention whose at least two layers of nonwoven material were connected in the same way, the reduction in the range when cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces was, however, only 5-10%. This “range” is understood to mean an area, the surface of which is sufficiently wetted or contacted with the impregnating agent contained in the wipe when wiping with the respective wipe. As can be seen from the experiments mentioned, the disposable wipe according to the invention is characterized by a range that is barely reduced compared to a multi-layer wipe, the identically composed layers of which are not connected to one another, with good stability of the wipe.

The disposable wipe according to the invention offers both a good liquid absorption capacity, ie a good storage capacity for impregnating agents, as well as a good liquid discharge capacity, even with nonwoven layers that are welded to one another or connected to one another in some other way. The latter is achieved in particular through the composition of the first nonwoven layer, which makes direct contact with the surface to be cleaned when the wipe is used and can therefore also be referred to as a “cleaning layer”. The good liquid absorption capacity or storage capacity is achieved in particular by the second nonwoven layer of the disposable wipe according to the invention. The second fleece layer is arranged parallel to the first fleece layer on the latter and is not in contact with the surface to be cleaned when the wipe is used. The second fleece layer stores the impregnating agent and transfers it to the first layer, the one to be cleaned, during the cleaning of surfaces with the wipe according to the invention Contacted area, from. Due to its function as a reservoir for impregnating agents, the second fleece layer is also referred to as the “storage layer”. It has a greater absorption capacity for liquid than the first nonwoven layer, for example an absorption capacity which is at least a factor of 2 or at least a factor of 3 or 4 greater.

Both the first nonwoven layer and the second nonwoven layer of a disposable wipe according to the invention contain natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers. “Natural fibers” are understood to mean all fibers of natural origin that can be used directly without any further chemical conversion reactions. “Regenerated fibers”, on the other hand, are fibers that are produced from naturally occurring, renewable raw materials using chemical processes.

The natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers contained in the first nonwoven layer and / or the natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers contained in the second nonwoven layer are preferably selected independently of one another from the group consisting of viscose fibers, modal fibers, lyocell fibers, cellulose fibers, cuprofibers, cotton fibers, jute fibers, hemp fibers and flax fibers and any mixtures thereof.

In addition to natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers, the first nonwoven layer of a wipe according to the invention also contains synthetic fibers, the proportion of which in the first nonwoven layer is <70% by weight. The synthetic fiber content in the first nonwoven layer is preferably 10 to 60% by weight, in particular 15-50% by weight, more preferably 20-40% by weight and particularly preferably 30-35% by weight. This synthetic fiber content is lower than in the cleaning layers of wipes known from the prior art and it is attributed in particular to the inventive ratio of natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers that the loss of range resulting from the thermal connection of the fleece layers is significantly less than in the prior art Technology known wipes that have a cleaning layer with a different ratio of natural or regenerated fibers to synthetic fibers.

The synthetic fibers contained in the first nonwoven layer are preferably made of PLA (polylactic acid). The proportion of PLA in the first nonwoven layer is preferably 10 to 60% by weight, in particular 15-50% by weight, more preferably 20-40% by weight and particularly preferably 30-35% by weight.

Natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers contained in the first nonwoven layer are in particular viscose fibers and cellulose fibers. These are preferably contained at least 50% by weight in the first nonwoven layer, more preferably at least 60% by weight and most preferably about 60 to 70% by weight or 65 to 70% by weight.

In embodiments which have been found to be particularly preferred, the first nonwoven layer has a composition of 60 to 70% by weight viscose fibers and 30 to 40% by weight PLA and preferably does not contain any further constituents.

The weight per unit area of the first (non-impregnated) fleece layer is approx. 50 to 70 g / m ² , depending on the proportion of PLA and the choice of natural fiber / regenerated fiber. In the preferred embodiment, in which the first nonwoven layer consists of 60 to 70% by weight viscose fibers and 30 to 40% by weight PLA, the weight per unit area of the first nonwoven layer is approximately 57 g / m ² .

The natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers contained in the second nonwoven layer are in particular also viscose fibers and / or cellulose fibers, in particular cellulose fibers, since these have an excellent storage capacity for impregnating agents. The viscose fibers and / or cellulose fibers are preferably contained in the second nonwoven layer to the extent of 50 to 95% by weight, more preferably 60 to 85% by weight and most preferably 65 to 85% by weight.

In addition, according to the invention, the second nonwoven layer also contains at least 5% by weight of synthetic fibers. The synthetic fibers can in particular be selected from the group comprising fibers with or made of polyethylene (PE), polyesters, in particular PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and polypropylene (PP).

According to a preferred embodiment, the synthetic fibers contained in the second nonwoven layer are or comprise bicofibers. Bicofibers (“bi-component fibers” or “bicomponent fibers”) are composite fibers that comprise a core made of a first material and a sheath made of a second material, the first material having a higher melting point than the second material. The first material can particularly preferably be PET and the second material PE. These fibers are particularly suitable for the thermal treatment with which the at least two nonwoven layers of the invention Disposable wipes are connected to one another, since the jacket material begins to melt due to the increased temperature, while the first material from which the core is made does not yet melt or at least not to the same extent and thus the stability is preserved by the higher-melting core.

In particular, the second nonwoven layer comprises 65 to 95% by weight, in particular 75 to 95% by weight, cellulose fibers and 5 to 35% by weight, in particular 5 to 25% by weight, bicofibers or consists thereof.

The weight per unit area of the second (non-impregnated) fleece layer is approx. 120 to 150 g / m ² , depending on the proportion and choice of natural fibers / regenerated fibers and synthetic fibers. In the preferred embodiment, in which the second nonwoven layer consists of 75 to 95% by weight cellulose fibers and 5 to 25% by weight bicofibers, the weight per unit area of the second nonwoven layer is approximately 130 to 140 g / m ² .

According to the invention, the first and the second nonwoven layer are connected to one another by a thermal treatment. The thermal treatment is preferably a welding of the fleece layers, either at points or over the entire surface of the fleece layers. The thermal treatment is particularly preferably an ultrasonic welding. In the case of spot welding, this can be done, for example, at selected positions, e.g. regularly spaced apart positions of the fleece layers, or alternatively in a diamond shape, with rhombuses being created from individual weld spots. However, any further arrangement of welding points is also possible.

The disposable wipe according to the invention is preferably already pre-soaked, i.e. in particular the second non-woven layer is impregnated with an impregnating agent. Alternatively, a non-impregnated disposable wipe according to the invention can, however, also contain an impregnating agent encapsulated in a liquid-impermeable shell, the shell being designed to break or burst under the application of pressure, thus allowing the impregnating agent to be released into the surrounding fleece layers. This ensures that the disposable wipe does not lose impregnation agent before it is used for cleaning and / or disinfection, e.g. by partially drying out, or that the impregnation agent is subject to unwanted oxidation processes over time, especially when stored for a long time. In this embodiment, the user only needs to break the liquid-impermeable cover immediately before the intended cleaning of surfaces with the wipe according to the invention by exerting slight pressure, for example by pressing between the fingers or with the hand, so that the impregnating agent emerges and the at least two Can wet nonwoven layers.

The impregnating agent contained in the disposable wipe according to the invention preferably contains at least one compound with antimicrobial properties. Furthermore, the impregnating agent can contain all ingredients contained in conventional impregnating agents, in particular water, oil, preservatives, surfactants, emulsifiers, skin care ingredients, moisturizing ingredients and any combinations of these.

Optionally, the disposable wipe according to the invention also contains a third fleece layer, which is preferably impermeable to liquids and can therefore function as a barrier layer. This third non-woven layer is preferably arranged on the side of the second non-woven layer opposite the first non-woven layer and connected to the second non-woven layer by a thermal treatment. The third fleece layer consists in particular of plastic, preferably of polypropylene (PP). Optionally, the third nonwoven layer can have fastening means, e.g. tapes, buttons, hooks, a zip fastener or, in particular, a Velcro fastener, or be connected to these, by means of which the wiper according to the invention can be fastened to a wiper device. Alternatively, the third non-woven layer can also serve as a counter-layer for the aforementioned fastening means, which does not have these fastening means itself, but can be brought into engagement with them, for example by attaching a Velcro fastener arranged on a wiping device to the third non-woven layer or one arranged on a wiping device Hook or button engages in an eyelet arranged on the third fleece layer.

Optional further fleece layers can be arranged between the second and the third fleece layer.

Detailed description of the invention

The invention will now be described in more detail using two exemplary embodiments.

Example 1: Determination of the range of a disposable wipe according to the invention with nonwoven layers welded according to a diamond-shaped welding pattern

To determine the range of a preferred disposable wipe according to the invention, three layers of non-woven fabric were first ultrasonically welded to one another according to a diamond-shaped welding pattern, ie weld points spaced from one another in a diamond-shaped arrangement were set at defined intervals and held the individual layers of non-woven fabric together. The three fleece layers had the composition given in Table 1: Table 1: Composition of the three fleece layers (W1) 3rd fleece layer 100% by weight PP (35 g / m ² ) 2nd fleece layer 85 wt .-% cellulose fibers, 15 wt .-% bicofibers, (135 g / m ² ) 1st fleece layer 65% by weight viscose fibers, 35% by weight PLA, (57 g / m ² )

The wipe according to the invention (hereinafter referred to as W1) was compared with three wipes not according to the invention (W2, W3 and W4) with regard to its range. The wiping cloth W2 did not contain any PLA in the first nonwoven layer, but a mixture of viscose fibers and PET fibers (30% by weight viscose fibers, 70% by weight PET fibers). The 2nd and 3rd fleece layers were composed identically as in W1 and the layers were welded in an identical way with a diamond-shaped weld pattern as in W1.

The wiper W3 contained three layers of fleece with exactly the same composition as the wiper according to the invention W1. However, the three fleece layers were not welded in the surface, but only thermally or manually connected to one another at the edge to hold the layers together. W3 should therefore represent a reference for an unwelded wiper.

The wipe W4 contained three layers of fleece with exactly the same composition as the wipe W2. However, the three fleece layers were not welded in the surface, but only thermally or manually connected to one another at the edge to hold the layers together. W4 should therefore also represent a reference for an unwelded wiper.

All four wipes W1, W2, W3, W4 were soaked with the same impregnating agent and used in an identical manner to clean the floor. While the wipes W1 and W2 had exactly the same dimensions, the wipes W3 and W4 were used in a smaller wipe size. This difference was taken into account in the amount of impregnating agent used, so that roughly the same amount of impregnating agent per area of wipe was used in all wipes. Table 2 below lists the parameters of the wipes used and the results obtained with them with regard to the range of the wipes. Table 2: Determination of the range of an impregnated wipe W1 according to the invention in comparison with the wipes W2, W3 and W4 not according to the invention W1 W2 W3 W4 Wiper area [m ² ] = cloth size [m ² ] 0.06 0.06 0.026 0.026 Total drinking quantity [g] 134.85 139.5 58,435 60.45 absolute range [m ² ] 24.69 10.57 17.50 12.50 Range / wiper area [m ² / m ² ] 411.5 176.2 673.1 480.8 Loss of range / wiper surface due to joining [%] 39 63 - - Range / drinking quantity [m ² / g] 0.18 0.08 0.30 0.21 Loss factor range / drinking quantity by combining [%] 39 63 - -

As can be seen in Table 2, both wipes W1 and W2 have a smaller relative range compared to the reference wipes W3 and W4, in which the individual layers were only held together at the edges, due to the diamond-shaped welding of the individual fleece layers. However, the composition according to the invention has the effect that the range is reduced significantly less (around 39% less) compared to a wipe with a different composition (with a lower proportion of natural or regenerated fibers and a higher proportion of synthetic fibers). The range of multi-layer wipers welded with a diamond-shaped welding pattern with a composition according to the invention and <70% by weight synthetic fiber content in the cleaning layer is around the factor compared to multi-layer wipes welded in the same way without a composition according to the invention, i.e. with a higher synthetic fiber content in the cleaning layer 2.25 increased.

An analogous experiment was carried out with spot-welded wipes, in which the spot welds were distributed over the surface of the wipes at regular intervals. This is sketched in example 2.

Example 2 Determination of the range of a disposable wipe according to the invention with layers of fleece welded according to a checkerboard pattern

To determine the range of a preferred disposable wipe according to the invention (W5), three fleece layers were ultrasonically welded to one another at points by setting point-like welding points that held the individual fleece layers together, the point-like welding points being arranged in a checkerboard pattern with each imaginary in the center A spot weld was arranged in the field. The three nonwoven layers had the composition given in Table 1 above, i.e. the wiper according to the invention W5 differed from the wiper according to the invention W1 from Example 1 only in the type of welding of the nonwoven layers.

The range of the wipe W5 according to the invention was compared with a wipe W6 which had a composition not according to the invention, but whose layers were welded in an identical manner (the wipe W6 did not contain PLA in the 1st nonwoven layer, but a mixture of viscose fibers and PET fibers (30% by weight viscose fibers, 70% by weight PET fibers), the second and third nonwoven layers having the same composition as in W5), and compared with the reference wipes W3 and W4 from Example 1.

All four wipes W3, W4, W5, W6 were soaked with the same impregnating agent and used in an identical manner to clean the floor. While the wipes W5 and W6 had exactly the same dimensions, the wipes W3 and W4 were used in a smaller wipe size. This difference was taken into account in the amount of impregnating agent used, so that roughly the same amount of impregnating agent per area of wipe was used in all wipes. Table 3 below lists the parameters of the wipes used and the results obtained with them with regard to the range of the wipes. Table 3: Determination of the range of an impregnated wipe W5 according to the invention in comparison with the wipes W6, W3 and W4 not according to the invention W5 W6 W3 W4 Wiper area [m ² ] = cloth size [m ² ] 0.06 0.06 0.026 0.026 Total drinking quantity [g] 134.85 139.5 58,435 60.45 absolute range [m ² ] 23.55 8.61 17.50 12.50 Range / wiper area [m ² / m ² ] 392.5 143.5 673.1 480.8 Loss of range / wiper surface due to joining [%] 42 70 - - Range / drinking quantity [m ² / g] 0.17 0.06 0.30 0.21 Loss factor range / drinking quantity by combining [%] 42 70 - -

As can be seen from Table 3, both wipes W5 and W6 have a smaller relative coverage compared to the reference wipes due to the welding of the individual layers of non-woven fabric W3 and W4, in which the individual layers were only held together at the edges. However, the inventive composition of the nonwoven layers has the effect that the range is significantly less reduced compared to a wipe with a different composition (with a different proportion of natural / regenerated fibers to synthetic fibers in the first nonwoven layer). The range of multi-layer wipes with a cleaning layer composition according to the invention, welded in a punctiform welding pattern, is increased by a factor of 2.8 compared to multi-layer wipes welded in an identical manner without a cleaning layer composition according to the invention.

The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, in the examples and in the claims can be essential both individually and in any combination for the implementation of the invention in its various embodiments.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed 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

• US 5090832 [0005]
• US 4298649 [0006]
• WO 0236339 A2 [0007]
• EP 1212478 A1 [0008]
• US 2019/0246865 A1 [0010]

Claims (7)

Disposable wipe for cleaning and / or disinfecting surfaces, comprising at least two non-woven layers, characterized in that the first non-woven layer contains or consists of> 30% by weight natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers and <70% by weight synthetic fibers and the second Non-woven layer contains or consists of 5 to 95% by weight natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers and at least 5% by weight synthetic fibers, the second non-woven layer having a greater absorption capacity for liquid than the first non-woven layer and wherein the first and second non-woven layers pass through each other a thermal treatment are connected. Disposable wipe after Claim 1 , characterized in that the synthetic fibers contained in the first nonwoven layer are made of PLA. Disposable wipe after Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers contained in the first nonwoven layer and / or the natural fibers and / or regenerated fibers contained in the second nonwoven layer are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of viscose fibers, modal fibers, lyocell fibers, cellulose fibers, cuprofibers, cotton fibers , Jute fibers, hemp fibers and flax fibers and any mixtures of these. Disposable wipe according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the synthetic fibers contained in the second nonwoven layer are or comprise bicofibers, the bicofibers comprising a core made of a first material and a sheath made of a second material, the first material being a higher one Has melting point than the second material. Disposable wipe after Claim 4 , characterized in that the first material is PET and the second material is PE. Disposable wipe according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is pre-soaked with an impregnating agent or contains an impregnating agent encapsulated in a liquid-impermeable shell, the shell being designed to break under the action of pressure and to release the impregnating agent. Disposable wipe according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a liquid-impermeable third non-woven layer, the third non-woven layer being arranged on the side of the second non-woven layer opposite the first non-woven layer and connected to the second non-woven layer by a thermal treatment.