JPH01148300A - Antifungal method of clothing dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To exhibit a high microorganism removing capability by heating trichlosan to the temperature higher than the clothes temperature in a rotary drum of a clothes drying machine and introducing the vapor thereof into the rotary drum, thereby uniformly adhering the trichlosan to the clothes. CONSTITUTION: A net-like perforated body 16 made of glass fibers impregnated with the trichlosan is disposed in proximity to a heater 7. The trichlosan is heated and evaporated by the heater 7 and the vapor thereof is introduced into the rotary drum 1. The clothes to be dried are housed therein and the vaporized trichlosan diffuses down to the inside of the clothes superposed on each other and comes into contact with the clothes. The clothes are wetted and are deprived of the heat of vaporization in the process of drying and, therefore, the temperature thereof is lower than the temperature of the air which is heated by the heater 7, contains the trichlosan and is introduced into the rotary drum 1. Consequently, the trichlosan deposits and adheres to the clothes. The uniform adhesion of the trichlosan to the clothes is thus made possible and the high microorganism removing capability is exhibited.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for disinfecting clothes in a clothes dryer.

Conventional technology A wide variety of microorganisms adhere to and grow on clothing, but
Among them, vegetative cells such as Durum-negative bacteria, Durum-positive bacteria, and yeast can be reduced to one cell or less per Durum weight of clothing by normal washing and drying with a clothes dryer. In contrast, spores of spore-forming bacteria remain because they are resistant to both heat and desiccation. Furthermore, mold mycelia cling to the fibers of clothing and do not fall off easily, and are also quite resistant to heat and dryness, so they are only slightly reduced by normal washing and drying treatments. These spore-forming bacteria.

Many types of mold are known to be pathogenic, 2 to cause food poisoning, food spoilage bacteria, and clothing deterioration bacteria, and the persistence of these microorganisms can be said to be unsanitary. Additionally, clothes dryers are closed systems when it comes to microorganisms (microorganisms are not volatile, so microorganisms are rarely discharged and removed outside the clothes dryer), so microorganisms cannot be transmitted from one item of clothing to another. (movement) still occurs and it is still unsanitary.

On the other hand, there are relatively few antibacterial agents that have a proven track record for use in items that come into contact with the human body, such as clothing. One of them is triclosan (C12H7C43Q2,2,4,4'-triclosan
-2-hydroxydiphenyl ether molecular weight 289
, rs). This antibacterial agent has a melting point of 66-68℃,
It is solid at room temperature. It is also sparingly soluble in water and soluble in many organic solvents. Because of this property, it is usually used by dissolving it in an organic solvent or suspending it in water together with a surfactant.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, when attempting to use triclosan in a clothes dryer, the above method of use cannot be adopted. This is because organic solvents are dangerous for domestic use, and even if they are mixed with surfactants and dispersed in water, they will only partially adhere to the clothes in the drum of a clothes dryer. This is because only a partial antibacterial effect can be obtained.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to provide a method for preventing bacteria in a clothes dryer, which has a high ability to remove microorganisms by uniformly applying triclosan to clothes.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the method for preventing bacteria in a clothes dryer of the present invention involves heating triclosan to a temperature higher than the temperature of the clothes in the rotating drum, and guiding the vapor into the rotating drum to dry the clothes. It is designed to adhere to clothing by contacting it with the skin.

Function In the present invention described above, since triclosan is vaporized and brought into contact with clothing, triclosan easily diffuses into the overlapping clothing, and as the temperature decreases, it precipitates and adheres to the clothing. For this reason, it can be applied uniformly to clothing.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a dehumidifying type clothes dryer showing an antibacterial method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a rotating drum that accommodates clothes, 2 is a heat exchange type fan, 3 is a shaft of the rotating drum 1 and the fan 2, and 4 is a motor, the rotational power of which is transferred to a belt 6.
6 to the rotating drum 1 and fan 2.

7 is a heater.

8.9 is a circulation path where the rotating drum 1 is rotated by the rotation of the fan 2.
The air inside circulates as shown by the arrow and is heated by the heater 7 along the way. The rear side of the fan 2 (on the right side in the figure) is cooled by contact with the outside air (dashed line arrow), and for this reason, water vapor condenses on the inside (on the left side in the figure) and falls as water droplets, and the drain port 10 Otherwise, it will be discharged outside. Reference numeral 11 is a lid for the clothes input port, reference numeral 12.13 is a dust removal filter, and reference numeral 14.15 is a sealing member for the airtight container.

Now, 16 is a net-like porous body made of glass fiber impregnated with triclosan, and is installed close to the heater 7. Triclosan is heated by the heater 7, evaporates, and is introduced into the rotating drum 1. The clothes to be dried are stored here, and the vaporized triclosan diffuses into the overlapping clothes and comes into contact with them. Since the clothes are wet and lose heat of vaporization during the drying process, the temperature of the clothes is lower than that of the air heated by the heater 7 and introduced into the rotating drum 1 containing triclosan vapor. This causes triclosan to precipitate and adhere to clothing.

The above is an example in which the antibacterial method of the present invention is applied to a dehumidifying clothes dryer, but even in an exhaust type clothes dryer, triclosan can be vapor-deposited and attached to clothes in the same manner as described above. That is, in the exhaust type, the fan is not a heat exchange type, but instead takes in outside air, heats it, and guides it into the rotating drum to dry the clothes. Then, the exhaust gas containing water vapor is directly released to the outside without being cooled and dehumidified. However, if the porous material impregnated with triclosan is heated with a heater in the same way as in the above example, the triclosan will vaporize, diffuse, and come into contact with clothing. However, the mechanism that it cools due to the heat of vaporization, precipitates, and attaches to clothing remains the same.

Further, in the above example, the heater for drying is also used to heat triclosan, but it is also possible to heat triclosan using another heater. The second example is
As shown in the figure. Components that are the same as those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanation will be omitted, and only the different points will be explained. 17 is a heater, 18 is a triclosan-impregnated nonwoven fabric, and 19 is a net that holds down the nonwoven fabric 18.

In this case as well, if the temperature of the triclosan-impregnated nonwoven fabric 18 heated by the heater 17 is set higher than the clothing temperature,
Triclosan evaporates and is dispersed, adhering to clothing. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the clothes must be wet. This is because the reason why the temperature of the clothing is lower than that of the triclosan evaporation section is due to the heat of vaporization of water. In contrast, in the example of FIG. 2, the cloth does not need to be wet. If the temperature of the triclosan-impregnated nonwoven fabric 18 is set higher than the temperature of the clothing, triclosan will be diffused and adhered to the clothing even if the clothing is dry. Therefore, in the clothes dryer of the example shown in FIG. 2, after the drying process is completed, the clothes can be treated with triclosan to prevent germs.

In the above two embodiments, a porous material made of glass fiber or a nonwoven fabric is used to install triclosan inside the clothes dryer, but it is not necessarily necessary to impregnate such a textile product.

However, since triclosan has a melting point of 56 to 68°C, it is usually a liquid when heated and evaporated. Therefore, it must be held in a fibrous or porous material by surface tension, or placed in a container with an opening at the top, otherwise it will be washed away and cannot be used.

Next, FIG. 3 shows the relationship between temperature and vapor pressure of triclosan. Now, suppose you are using a clothes dryer with the configuration shown in Figure 1.
The vapor pressure of triclosan for this type of typical hot air temperature of 120°C and also for a typical drying wet clothes temperature of 56°C is approximately 2 x 10-' s + Hg and I x
10-'w Hg. Therefore, the difference is approximately 2×1
0 = " mm Hg will precipitate and adhere to clothing. Even if other temperature settings are made, the difference in vapor pressure will precipitate.

Next, we investigated the antibacterial properties of triclosan on clothing fibers and found that spore-forming bacteria (Bacillus) that remains after normal washing and drying.
illus 5ubtilis IAM 1211
8), 0.3 ppm (based on fiber weight, the same applies hereinafter), mold (As + pergillns niger
(using IFO4414), growth was inhibited at 3 ppm. Therefore, if triclosan is attached at a concentration higher than this, the antibacterial method of the present invention is effective.

As described above, the antibacterial method for clothes dryers of the present invention heats triclosan and causes its vapor to adhere to clothing, so triclosan can be applied evenly to clothing, demonstrating high microbial removal ability. It is something to do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a dehumidifying clothes dryer showing the antibacterial method according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of an exhaust-type clothes dryer showing the antibacterial method of another embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between temperature and triclosan vapor pressure. 1...Rotating drum, 7,17...Heater. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person 2nd
figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] Triclosan is heated above the temperature of the clothing in the rotating drum,
A method for preventing germs in clothes dryers in which the steam is guided into a rotating drum and comes into contact with the clothes.