GB2452477A

GB2452477A - Hand laundry system

Info

Publication number: GB2452477A
Application number: GB0716037A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Matthew Samuel Grey
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-08-16
Filing date: 2007-08-16
Publication date: 2009-03-11
Also published as: GB0716037D0

Abstract

The hand laundry system includes a plastic or rubber bag 1 with a single aperture 2 and a separate plastic cylinder 3 with a removable bung 4 and an elasticized cord 5. The bag may be sealed watertight by the cylinder, bung and cord. The cord may also be used to attach the cylinder to the removable bung.

Description

1 2452477

RAND LAUNDRY SYSTEM

The invention relates to a flexible plastic bag with a removable plastic cap designed to be used for washing clothes by hand.

It is very difficult to wash clothes whilst away from established infrastructure and washing machines. Traditional methods normally employ either standing water sources or plastic washbowls; both of these methods are time consuming and inefficient, In both instances individual items of clothing must be washed and rinsed separately. A washbowl affords very little space in order to effectively manipulate the clothes and enable them to be washed or rinsed properly. Rinsing clothes in a washbowl is particularly problematic; the water used to rinse the clothes must be replaced repetitively throughout the process, while ringing the clothes is inconvenient, damaging and time consuming. Detergents are aggressive towards the skin over prolonged periods of contact and plastic washbowls are often impractical from the point of view of being packed into a back pack.

To overcome this, the present invention proposes a plastic/rubber bag with single aperture and separate plastic cylinder with removable bung and elasticised chord.

Accordingly the invention proposes a water tight plastic bag with a single elastic aperture at its top. Several items of clothing that require washing are then put into the bag via the elastic aperture, followed by detergent and water. The bag's aperture is then sealed by a purpose made cap. The cap comprises of a cylinder and removable bung and elasticised chord, which ensures a watertight seal between cylinder and bag The clothes are then washed by placing the bag on a flat surface and kneading them through the wall of the bag; much the same as how clothes would be hand washed in a basin. When the clothes are sufficiently clean the bung in the cylinder is removed thereby creating a reinforced aperture in the top of the bag. The bag is then suspended and the dirty, soapy water allowed to drain out. When as much water as possible has been removed from the bag, it is grasped at the opposite end to its aperture and swung several times through 360 degrees. This process uses centrifugal force to remove the rest of the water and detergent from the clothes. The purpose of leaving the cylinder in the neck of the bag is to stop the clothes from coming out of the bag during the swinging process. While the bung is removed from the cylinder fresh water is poured into the bag, the bung is then replaced and a similar process repeated. The bag is placed on a flat surface and the clothes are rinsed in the clean water by kneading them through the wall of the bag. The bung is then once again removed and the water drained in the manner previously described above. The clothes can now be removed from the bag by removing the plastic cylinder in the neck. The clothes are then hung up to dry as normal.

The system is an all in one integrated process. ft allows all of the clothes that require washing to be washed and rinsed at the same time and in the same process. It saves significantly on water. It protects the user from exposure to detergent. Due to the fact that is a sealed unit the process is mess free and contained. The system is very light weight and will pack away to fit into a carry bag no bigger than a persons fist It is ten times faster than traditional methods of hand washing clothes A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 shows a general view of the Wash System Explorer Multi 300.

A flexible plastic bag 1 with an aperture in its neck 2. Clothes for washing are inserted into the bag 1 via the aperture 2. A plastic cylinder 3 with a bung 4 attached to it with a cord 5. In order to seal the bag the cylinder 3 is inserted into the bags' aperture. The cord 5 is passed around the neck of the bag and tightened against the cylinder 3 by using a barrel pinch 6. The hung 4 is then inserted into the cylinder 3 thereby making the bag watertight.

Claims

I. A plastic/rubber bag with single aperture and separate plastic cylinder with removable bung and elasticised chord.
2. A plastic/rubber bag with single aperture according to claim 1 that may be sealed watertight by using the separate plastic cylinder with removable bung and elasticised chord, also according to Claim I.
3. A plastic cylinder and removable bung according to Claim 2, in which the removable bung is used to seal the cylinder so that it is watertight.
4. An elasticised chord according to Claim 2 that is used to create a watertight seal between the cylinder and plastic/rubber bag, also according to Claim 2.
5. The same elasticised chord according to claim 4 that is also used to attach the cylinder to the removable bung, according to Claim 1.