WO2000052250A1

WO2000052250A1 - Use of nylon films in home dry cleaning and/or fabric refreshing bags

Info

Publication number: WO2000052250A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/005031
Authority: WO
Inventors: James Insel; Jeffrey Moulton; Carl Altman
Original assignee: Alliedsignal Inc.
Priority date: 1999-03-01
Filing date: 2000-02-25
Publication date: 2000-09-08
Also published as: AU3382400A

Abstract

A process for cleaning and/or refreshing fabrics in a conventional automatic clothes dryer wherein a plastic bag is formed from (a) a blend of at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer, (b) at least one nylon copolymer or (c) a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer. Preferably the nylon homopolymer is nylon 6 and the nylon copolymer is nylon 6/66 copolymer. The process includes placing the fabric in the plastic bag, placing the plastic bag into the drum of the dryer, and rotating the dryer with the introduction of hot air. This invention also relates to bags formed from such blend which are used in a home clothes clearing and/or refreshing process.

Description

USE OF NYLON FILMS IN HOME DRY CLEANING AND/OR FABRIC REFRESHING BAGS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to films for use in clothes dry cleaning and/or refreshing bags for in-home use.

Description of the Prior Art

It has been suggested to provide in-home dry cleaning and/or refreshing of garments and the like by utilizing a conventional home dryer. The garments are placed together with a material which releases a cleaning and/or deodorizing agent into a plastic bag. The bag is placed into a home dryer and the cleaning and/or refreshing agent is released under the action of heat to clean and/or deodorize the garments.

One concern with this technique is the melting or fusing of the bags due to hot spots in the dryer. Although nylon and polyester films in general have been suggested as the type of material for the bags, heretofore a satisfactory bag has not been achieved. It would be desirable to provide a method of using a nylon-containing bag in a home clothes dry cleaning and/or refreshing process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention, there is provided in a process for dry cleaning and/or deodorizing fabrics in a conventional automatic clothes dryer wherein the fabrics are placed in a plastic bag, and the plastic bag is placed into the drum of the dryer, the dryer is rotated and hot air is introduced into the dryer, the improvement wherein the bag is formed of a nylon film composition selected from the group consisting of (a) a blend comprising at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer, (b) at least one nylon copolymer and (c) a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer. In the preferred film of (a), the nylon homopolymer is nylon 6, nylon 66 or a mixture of nylon 6 and 66, and the nylon copolymer is a nylon 6/66 copolymer, nylon 4/6, a nylon 6/12 copolymer or a mixture of such copolymers. Also in accordance with this invention, there is provided a plastic bag for use in dry cleaning and/or refreshing of fabrics contained therein, wherein the bag is formed from a film selected from the group consisting of (a) a blend comprising at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer,

(b) at least one nylon copolymer and (c) a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer, as well as films useful in forming such bags. The preferred nylon homopolymers and copolymers for film (a) are those mentioned above.

The nylon compositions may also contain additives such as heat stabilizers, plasticizers, extrusion aids, pigments, and the like.

The film used to produce a bag useful in the clothes cleaning and/or refreshing process may be printed or coated with water or organic solvent based primers or inks.

In order to still further increase the thermal resistance of the nylon bag it may also be laminated, extrusion coated or coextruded with a variety of materials, including nylon homopolymers, nylon copolymers and blends of nylon homopolymers and copolymers. Preferably, the nylon homopolymers are nylon 6, nylon 66 or a mixture of nylon 6 and 66, and the nylon copolymer is nylon 4/6.

In addition, the bag may be constructed as a laminated structure by laminating a fabric to the films mentioned above.

Bags formed from the above-described nylon compositions, laminations or extrusion coatings are resistant to hot spots in a home dryer, and are soft, flexible and heat stable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect of this invention, the nylon composition used comprises a blend of at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer. Preferably, the nylon homopolymer is selected from the group consisting of nylon 6, nylon 66 and mixtures thereof.

The nylon homopolymers can be prepared in any conventional manner. For example, nylon 6 can be prepared by the condensation of epsilon-caprolactam, and nylon 66 from the hexamethylene diamine (or a salt thereof) and adipic acid.

In the case of nylon 6, the preferred nylon, such polymer typically has a film forming molecular weight, e.g., a number average molecular weight as measured in formic acid in the range of about 15,000 to about 40,000, preferably in the range of about 25,000 to about 35,000. The nylon 6 may be washed, unwashed, or partially washed. The nylon 6 may have balanced end groups, or be monofunctionally or difunctionally terminated. In the case of nylon 66 or other nylons, polymers of film forming molecular weight are preferred.

In this embodiment of the invention, the composition used further comprises at least one nylon copolymer. Examples of such copolymers are nylon 6/66, nylon 4/6, nylon 6/9, nylon 6/10, nylon 6/12, nylon 6/6,9, nylon 66/6,10, nylon 6I/6T, and mixtures of two or more of such copolymers. The preferred copolymer is poly(epsiloncaprolactam-hexamethylene adipamide) copolymer (which is herein also referred to as nylon 6/66 copolymer), which imparts both softness and increased thermal stability to the film. The nylon 6/66 copolymer may be formed by any conventional means known to the art, including but not limited to processes wherein suitable monomeric constituents, i.e. caprolactam, hexamethylene diamine, and adipic acid are reacted to form a copolymer. In a further conventional manner, a salt of hexamethylene diamine, and adipic acid is added to caprolactam, and these constituents are reacted to form a copolymer.

The relative proportion of nylon 6 to nylon 66 components in the copolymer may vary widely, with the proportion of nylon 6 segments comprising any amount between 0.1% to 99.9% of the nylon 6/66 copolymer structure. The nylon 6/66 copolymer may be either a block type copolymer or a random type copolymer.

Preferably the nylon 6 segments of the nylon 6/66 copolymer comprises between 10% and 35% by weight, most preferably the nylon 6 comprises between 20% and 30% by weight of the nylon 6/66 copolymer, with the nylon 66 segments comprising the remaining amounts.

The nylon 6/66 copolymer preferably has a number average molecular weight as measured in a 95% sulfuric acid solution, in the range of about 15,000 to about 40,000, preferably in the range of about 20,000 to about 35,000. The nylon 6/66 copolymer may be washed, unwashed or partially washed.

Other preferred nylon copolymers include nylon 6/12 which may be formed from 1,12-dodecanedioic acid and hexamethylenediamine or their salts and nylon 4/6 which is the polycondensation product of 1 ,4-diaminobutane and adipic acid or their salts. Of the other nylon copolymers mentioned above, nylon 6/9 is the polycondensation product of hexamethylenediamine and azelaic acid or their salts; nylon 6/10 is the polycondensation product of hexamethylenediamine and azelaic acid or their salts; nylon 6/6,9 is the polycondensation product of hexamethylenediamine and azelaic acid, or their salts, with epsiloncaprolactam; nylon 66/6,10 is the polycondensation product of hexamethylenediamine and azelaic acid or their salts with hexamethylene diamine, and adipic acid or their salts. Other copolymers include polyphthalamides which are formed from the reaction of aromatic acids, such as isophthalic or terephthalic acid, with aliphatic diamines, such as hexamethylenediamine, such as nylon 6I/6T, which is a copolymer of hexamethylenediamine, isophthalic acid and terephthalic acid.

In forming the film compositions used in this invention, the relative ratio of the nylon homopolymer to the nylon copolymer may be varied over a broad range so that the nylon homopolymer comprises between about 0.01% to about 99.99% of the sum of the weights of the nylon homopolymer and nylon copolymer of the film composition. It is to be understood that the relative ratio of the nylon homopolymer to the nylon copolymer in a composition may be purposely varied and selected so to produce a film having particular desired physical properties. Preferably, the compositions comprise from about 40 to about 80%) by weight of nylon homopolymer and correspondingly from about 60 to about 20% by weight of nylon copolymer, and more preferably about 55 to about 75% by weight of nylon homopolymer and correspondingly from about 45 to about 25% by weight of nylon copolymer, especially where the nylon homopolymer is nylon 6 and the nylon copolymer is nylon

6/66.

Films formed from blends of nylon 6 and nylon 6/66 copolymer are presently preferred. Such films are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent 5,206,309 to Altman, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. Also preferred are films formed from a blend of nylon 6, nylon 66 and nylon 6/66, and films formed from a blend of nylon 6, nylon 6/66 and nylon 6/12.

In an alternate embodiment of this invention, the films can be formed only from a nylon copolymer, such as nylon 6/66 and nylon 6/12, or the other copolymers mentioned above, and mixtures thereof, with the nylon 6/66 being presently preferred. In an other alternate embodiment of this invention, the films can be formed from a blend of a relatively high melting point nylon polymer and a relatively high melting point nylon polymer. Preferably, the relatively low melting point nylon polymer is nylon 6, and the relatively high melting point nylon polymer is nylon 6,6. These may be blended in any desirable ratio.

The films of this invention may contain conventional additives such as coloring agents (e.g., dyes or pigments), lubricants, mold release agents, flame retardants, fibrous and particulate fillers and reinforcing agents, ultraviolet and other light stabilizers, heat stabilizers, extrusion aids, plasticizers, nucleating agents, and other conventional additives.

Films of this invention may also be laminated or coextruded with a relatively high melting temperature films before being fabricated into home dryer bags. These high temperature films may comprise nylon homopolymers such as nylon 66, copolymers such as nylon 4/6 or polyphthalamides, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, or fluoropolymers. The lower melting temperature film would still be used as the heat seal layer of the multilayer structure.

Films of this invention may also be primed and extrusion coated with a material selected from the group of nylon homopolymers, nylon copolymers or mixtures thereof, before being fabricated into home dryer bags. The nylon homopolymers include nylon 6 or nylon 66 while the nylon copolymers include nylon 4/6. The lower melting temperature film would still be used as the heat seal layer of the structure.

The films of this invention may also be laminated to fabrics, which may enhance the feel or perception of the bag to the user. Such laminated structures may be produced by laminating a fabric to the films described above, using an adhesive. Examples of such fabrics are woven and non- woven fabrics. Such fabrics may be formed from natural or synthetic fibers, and non-limiting examples include cotton, cellulose, polyester and nylon, and blends thereof. The fabric and film may be laminated together using any conventional adhesive.

Blending or mixing of the constituents which comprise the film compositions may be by any effective means which preferably results in uniform dispersion. All of the constituents may be mixed simultaneously or separately by a blender, kneader, roll, extruder, or the like in order to assure a uniform blend of the constituents. In the alternative, the nylon homopolymer and the nylon copolymer may be blended or mixed by mixer, blender, kneader, roll, extruder, or the like in order to assure a uniform blend of the constituents and resultant mixture is melt-kneaded with the remaining constituents in an extruder to make a uniform blend. A common method is to melt-knead a previously dry-blended composition further in a heated extruder provided with a single-screw, or in a heated extruder provided with a single-screw, or in the alternative, a plurality of screws, extrude the uniform composition into strands, and subsequently chop the extruded strands into pellets. In an alternative and preferred method, the dry-blended composition is provided to a film forming apparatus which comprises a heat extruder having at least a single screw, which heated extruder melts the constituents of the dry-blended composition and forms a film therefrom through a film die.

The film compositions may be formed into films by conventional methods using conventional film forming apparatus. Conventional methods include the production of films by blown film techniques, by extruding the film through a film forming die and optionally casting the film, calendering, and forming a film forming composition into a billet and subsequently skiving a film from a billet. In one of these methods a film forming composition is melt blended in an extruder to form an extrudate which is then extruded through a film forming die onto a casting roll. In another method, the film forming apparatus may be one which is referred to in the art as a blown film apparatus and includes a circular die head through which the film composition is forced and formed into a film bubble, which is ultimately collapsed and formed into a film. The films may optionally be stretched or orientated in any direction if so desired. In such a stretching operation, the film may be stretched in either the direction coincident with the direction of movement of the film being withdrawn from the casting roll, also referred to in the art as the machine direction, or in a direction which is perpendicular to the machine direction, and referred to in the art as the transverse direction, or in both the machine direction and the transverse direction.

The films formed by any of the above methods may be of any thickness desired and includes those which have thicknesses less than 100 mils. Preferably, the films have a thickness in the range of about 0.1 mil and about 10 mils; most preferably the films have a thickness between about 1 mils and about 5 mils. While such thicknesses are preferred as providing a readily flexible film, it is to be understood that other film thicknesses may be produced to satisfy a particular need.

The above-described films are characterized by being soft and flexible as well as heat stable, so that bags formed from these films have the same attributes which are particularly desirable in bags used in the home clothes dry cleaning and/or refreshing processes. These films may be formed into bags by any conventional technique. For example, when made by a blown film process the bubble could be collapsed and one end heat sealed, leaving the other end open. Alternatively, a flat cast film can be centerfolded and the sides and one end heat sealed. It should be understood that other techniques can be used to form the bags. These bags may be provided with conventional closing means which are used to enclose the contents prior to use.

In accordance with this invention, bags formed from the above-described films are used in a process of cleaning and/or refreshing fabrics, especially clothes, such as in a typical home dryer. The clothes are placed in the bag together with one or more cleansing and/or refreshing agents and the open end(s) of the bag is secured. The cleansing agent may be incorporated into a carrier, such as a non- woven fiber sheet. The bag is then placed into the drum of a conventional automatic clothes dryer. When the clothes dryer is started, the drum is rotated and hot air is introduced in the dryer. The amount of time which the bag remains in the dryer is dependent upon a number of factors, such as the amount of clothes, their degree of cleaning and/or refreshing (deodorizing) required, the effectiveness of the cleansing agent, the temperature in the dryer and similar considerations. Typical times may range, for example, from about 5 minutes to about 40 minutes at air temperatures in the range of about 50 to about 200 °C, for example.

The bags can be used with any conventional clothes dryer, such as electric, natural gas or propane gas dryers.

By using films formed from the compositions disclosed herein, such as a blend of nylon homopolymer and nylon copolymer, preferably a blend of nylon 6, nylon 66 and nylon 6/66, to form the clothes bags the bags are resistant to hot spots which may occur during the operation of the dryer. As a result, the bag material does not melt during the clothes cleaning and/or refreshing operation in the dryer. In addition, the films of this invention are soft and flexible, as well as heat stable.

EXAMPLES

In the following examples, all references are to percentages by weight, based on the weight of the total composition, unless otherwise specifically stated.

In the following examples, the nylon 6 used was a homopolymer resin from AlliedSignal Inc. which had a number average molecular weight of about 25,000 and balanced end groups. The nylon 66 resin was Vydyne 66H-Q271 from Solutia Inc. The nylon 6/66 copolymer was Vydyne 76HF Q294 from Solutia Inc. which is a random copolymer having a ratio of nylon 6 to nylon 66 groups of approximately 25:75. The nylon 6/12 resin was Grilon CR9 from EMS-Chemie AG which is a random copolymer having a ratio of nylon 12 to nylon 6 groups of approximately 10:90. The compositions optionally incorporated a minor amount of titanium dioxide, which was used to impart color and opacity to the film as well as nucleating agents such as talc and lubricants such as stearic acid, stearyl alcohol, or stearamides.

Example 1 (Comparative)

A comparative film based on nylon 6 homopolymer (99.7%) and titanium dioxide (0.3%), as indicated in Table 1 , The composition was formed by first dry blending the constituents, and then supplying them to the feed throat of a 2 inch single screw extruder equipped with a general purpose mixing screw having a length over diameter ratio, "L/D", of 24/1. This extruder composed four heating zones which were maintained at the following temperatures in the respective zones: zone 1 = 238 °C, zone 2 = 254 °C, zone 3 = 254 °C, and zone 4 = 254 °C . The pressure in the extruder was 2200 psi. The extruder was operated to produce approximately 30 pounds per hour of the composition; the screw rotational speed was approximately 50 rpm. The extrudate exiting the extruder was then forced into a conventional film forming die head of the "coathanger" type, which had a die gap of 0.030 inches, and a width of 19 inches. The die head was maintained at a temperature of 250 °C, the rate of film production was approximately 78 feet/minute. The extruded film was contacted with a casting roll whose temperature was maintained at approximately 90 °C, and a heat set roll maintained at approximately 20 °C, both rolls were driven at the same speed. A finished film having a width if 12 inches and a thickness of approximately 2 mil was produced therefrom.

The physical properties of the film were evaluated in both the machine and transverse directions on non-heat aged samples in accordance with the ASTM D 882- 83 test protocol, reported in pounds per square inch (psi). In addition the melting temperature of the film was determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) for both the onset of and the maximum of the melting endotherm, reported in °C . The results of these tests are reported in Table 2. Table 1

Table 2

Examples 2-4

The constituents used to form the compositions according to Examples 2 through 4 are listed in Table 1. For each composition, the constituents were processed under similar conditions as in Example 1, although the films produced had final widths of 60 inches and a thickness of 3 mil. The physical properties of the individual constituents were evaluated as in Example 1 and the results are also reported in Table 2.

Examples 5 and 6

The constituents used to form the compositions according to Examples 5 and 6 are listed in Table 3.

The composition was formed by first dry blending the constituents, and then supplying them to the feed throat of a 4.5 inch single screw extruder equipped with a general purpose mixing screw having a L/D of 30/1. This extruder composed of six heating zones which were maintained at the following temperatures in the respective zones: zone 1 = 275 °C, zone 2 = 265 °C, zone 3 = 265 °C, zone 4 = 268 °C, zone 5 = 270 °C, and zone 6 = 270 °C . The pressure in the extruder was 1700 psi. The extruder was operated with a screw rotational speed was approximately 30 rpm. The extrudate exiting the extruder was then forced into a conventional single component blown film forming die to form a tube, and had a blow up ratio of 2.3. The die head was maintained at a temperature of 240 °C . The extruded film was cooled by an air ring which supplied a contact air temperature of approximately 14 °C. A film having a width if 65 inches and a thickness of approximately 3 mil was produced therefrom.

The physical properties of the film were evaluated as in Example 1 and the results are reported in Table 4.

Table 3

Table 4

Example 7

The constituents used to form the composition according to Example 7 are listed in Table 5. For this composition, the constituents were processed under conditions similar to Example 1 , although the film produced in Example 7 had a final width of 45 inches and a thickness of 2 mil.

The physical properties of the film are reported in Table 6. Table 5

Table 6

In addition to softness and heat resistance of the bag, it is also desirable that the bag be non-flammable. Two testing protocols were used to determine the flammability of some of the Examples of this invention. The two testing protocols used for classification were 16 CFR 1611 (CS 192-53) "Flammability of Vinyl Plastic Film" and 16 CFR 1500.44 of the Federal Hazardous Substance Act for rigid and pliable solids. The results of 16 CFR 1611 (CS 192-53) testing are reported in bum rate (inches per second) in Table 7, where a material is considered to be non- flammable under this protocol if the bum rate does not exceed 1.2 inches per second.

The results of 16 CFR 1500.44 testing are reported in bum rate (inches per second) listed in Table 8, where a material is considered to be non-flammable under this protocol if the bu rate does not exceed 0.1 inches per second.

Table 7

Table 8

It may be observed by the comparison of the test results as reported on Tables 2 and 4, particularly in contrast to the results observed with the comparative Example 1 , that films used in this invention are of significantly reduced stiffness, as determined by tensile modulus, while still maintaining excellent high temperature stability, as determined by a peak melting point greater than 200 °C.

It may also be observed by the comparison of the test results as reported in Tables 6 that other copolymers (such as nylon 6/12) may also be used to reduce the tensile modulus of the bag without significantly impacting the strength. In addition, these copolymers may reduce the effects of moisture on the mechanical properties of the cleaning and or refreshing bags, which is important when comparing a film both before and after it has been exposed to elevated temperatures experienced during the drying process. This is tme in the case of Example 7 because the nylon 6/12 has one half of the reported moisture uptake of the homopolymer nylon 6, and would therefore be expected to show less variation in tensile modulus as a result of the heating cycle, which will remove moisture from an equilibrated bag. It is known that moisture uptake by nylon results in a reduction in the tensile modulus, or stiffness, of the material.

It will be understood that the foregoing description and examples are by way of illustration only, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. In a process for dry cleaning and/or refreshing fabrics in a conventional automatic clothes dryer wherein fabrics are placed in a plastic bag, the plastic bag is placed into the drum of the dryer, the dryer is rotated and hot air is introduced into the dryer, the improvement comprising forming said bag from a nylon film composition selected from the group consisting of (a) a blend comprising at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer, (b) at least one nylon copolymer and (c) a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said nylon film is formed from a blend of at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said nylon homopolymer is selected from the group consisting of nylon 6, nylon 66 and mixtures thereof.

4. The process of claim 2 wherein said nylon copolymer is selected from the group consisting of nylon 4/6, nylon 6/9, nylon 6/10, nylon 6/66, nylon 6/12, nylon 6/6,9, nylon 66/6, 10, nylon 6I/6T, and mixtures thereof.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said film is formed from a blend of nylon 6 homopolymer and nylon 6/66 copolymer.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein said blend comprises from about 40 to about 80 weight percent of nylon 6, and correspondingly from about 60 to about 20 weight percent of nylon 6/66 copolymer.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said blend comprises from about 55 to about 75 weight percent of nylon 6, and correspondingly from about 45 to about 25 weight percent of nylon 6/66 copolymer.

8. The process of claim 5 wherein said nylon 6/66 copolymer comprises from about 10 to about 35 percent by weight of nylon 6 segments and correspondingly from about 90 to about 65 percent by weight of nylon 66 segments.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein said nylon 6/66 copolymer comprises from about

20 to about 30 percent by weight of nylon 6 segments and correspondingly from about 80 to about 70 percent by weight of nylon 66 segments.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein said film is formed from a blend of nylon 6, nylon 66 and nylon 6/66.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein said film is formed from a blend of nylon 6, nylon 6/6 and nylon 6/12.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein said nylon film is formed from a nylon copolymer.

13. The process of claim 12 wherein said nylon copolymer is selected from the group consisting of nylon 6/66, nylon 4/6, nylon 6/9, nylon 6/10, nylon 6/12, nylon 66/6,10, nylon 6I/6T, and mixtures thereof.

14. The process of claim 12 wherein said nylon copolymer is selected from the group consisting of nylon 6/66, nylon 6/12 and mixtures thereof.

15. The process of claim 12 wherein said copolymer is nylon 6/66.

16. The process of claim 1 wherein said nylon film is formed from a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein said relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer is nylon 6 and wherein said relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer is nylon 66.

18. The process of claim 1 wherein said film is laminated or coated with a relatively high melting temperature film.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein said relatively high melting temperature film is selected from the group consisting of nylon homopolymers, nylon copolymers, polyesters and fluoropolymers.

20. The process of claim 1 wherein said film is coated with a material selected from the group consisting of nylon homopolymers, nylon copolymers or mixtures thereof.

21. The process of claim 1 wherein said film is laminated to a fabric.

22. A plastic bag adapted for use in dry cleaning and/or refreshing of fabrics contained therein, said bag being formed from a nylon film selected from the group consisting of (a) a blend comprising at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer, (b) at least one nylon copolymer and (c) a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer.

23. The bag of claim 22 wherein said bag is formed from a film comprising a blend of at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer.

24. The bag of claim 23 wherein said bag is formed from a film comprising a blend of nylon 6 and a nylon 6/66 copolymer.

25. The bag of claim 24 wherein said blend comprises from about 40 to about 80 weight percent of nylon 6, and correspondingly from about 60 to about 20 weight percent of nylon 6/66 copolymer.

26. The bag of claim 25 wherein said blend comprises from about 55 to about 75 weight percent of nylon 6, and correspondingly from about 45 to about 25 weight percent of nylon 6/66 copolymer.

27. The bag of claim 23 wherein said nylon 6/66 copolymer comprises from about 10 to about 35 percent by weight of nylon 6 segments and correspondingly from about 90 to about 65 percent by weight of nylon 66 segments.

28. The bag of claim 22 wherein said bag is formed from a blend comprising nylon 6, nylon 66 and a nylon 6/66 copolymer.

29. The bag of claim 22 wherein said bag is formed from at least one nylon copolymer.

30. The bag of claim 29 wherein said nylon copolymer is selected from the group

consisting of nylon 6/66, nylon 6/12 and mixtures thereof.

31. The bag of claim 29 wherein said bag is formed from a nylon 6/66 copolymer.

32. The bag of claim 22 wherein said nylon film is formed from a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer.

33. The bag of claim 32 wherein said relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer is nylon 6 and wherein said relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer is nylon 66.

34. The bag of claim 22 wherein said film is laminated or extrusion coated with a relatively high melting temperature film.

35. The bag of claim 22 wherein said film is coated with a material selected from the group consisting of nylon homopolymers, nylon copolymers or mixtures thereof.

36. The bag of claim 22 wherein said film is wherein said film is laminated to a fabric.

37. A nylon film adapted for use in forming bags useful in the dry cleaning and/or refreshing of fabrics contained therein, said film being selected from the group consisting of (a) a blend comprising at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer, (b) at least one nylon copolymer and (c) a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer.

38. The nylon film of claim 37 wherein said film comprises a blend of at least one nylon homopolymer and at least one nylon copolymer.

39. The nylon film of claim 38 wherein said film is formed from at least one nylon copolymer.

40. The nylon film of claim 37 wherein said film is formed from a blend of at least one relatively low melting point nylon homopolymer and at least one relatively high melting point nylon homopolymer.