US3169264A - Multi-purpose cleaning and washing cloth - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16, 1965 w. WALKER MULTI-PURPOSE CLEANING AND WASHING CLOTH Filed April 9, 1964 F IG. 2

A A v ((0. 4 4 9 1 000000000 40000000 w w w o o ooo m QQQQQ. 2 -30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 IN V EN TOR. WAYNE L. WALKER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,169,264 MULTi-PURPOSE CLEANING AND WASHING CLOTH Wayne L. Walker, 5738 N. Detroit Ave., Portland, Oreg,

Filed Apr. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 358,527 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-118) This invention relates in general to cleaning cloths employed for various household purposes and for similar uses, and also to wash cloths for personal use.

More particularly the invention relates to cloths suitable for use as scrubbing and cleaning aids and for various other purposes, including personal use, for which a rough surface and a soft absorbent surface are desirable.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel composite cloth, suitable for various uses, which will present both a rough, mildly abrasive surface and a soft absorbent surface.

Heretofore there have been several cleaning cloths and scouring pads on the market which have had either one or both faces coated with abrasive elements, such for example as particles of hard, water-insoluble plastic, firmly secured to the strands in the cloth. While such abrasive cloths 'or scouring pads are quite efilcient in removing firmly adhering dirt by attrition, it is then necessary to use a second cloth or sponge for Washing the scoured surface and taking up the removed dirt. A particular object of the present invention is to provide a composite cleaning cloth which will accomplish both operations, namely the scouring or scrubbing action and the washing and dirt absorbing action at the same time, thus saving time by erforming two operations in one.

Another fault found with several abrasively surfaced scouring cloths and pads heretofore has been that they are hard on the hands and often injurious to the finger nails of the user. A further object of this invention is to provide an improved cleaning and washing cloth which will not only not have this objectionable feature but which also will be so soft and pliable and non-injurious to the skin that it will serve very satisfactorily as a scrubbing wash cloth for personal use, for example as a substitute for bath scrubbing brush, or for removing grease stains from the hands.

Some scouring pads and cloths have a tendency to retain some of the dirt themselves with the result that they become unclean and odorous and need to be discarded before they are worn out. An additional object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning cloth or scrubbing wash cloth which can be thoroughly washed and rendered clean and sanitary just as readily and easily as any ordinary wash cloth.

The manner in which these objects and other advantages are attained with the cleaning cloth of the present invention and the preferred form in which the same is manufactured will be briefly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevation showing one side of the composite cleaning and washing cloth with a portion of the near side layer of material torn away to show the rear side layer;

FIG. 2 is an elevation showing the opposite side and similarly with a portion of the near side layer of material in this figure torn away to show the other end, in this case, the rear side layer;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1 but drawn to a considerably larger scale; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation taken from the same side as FIG. 2, but drawn to the same scale as FIG. 3, with a portion of the rear side layer extending beyond the portion of the near side layer for clarity.

3,159,264 Patented Feb. 16, 1965 In brief, the scrubbing wash cloth of this invention comprises two' separate layers of different material secured together only at the outside border of the composite cloth. One of theselayers 10 consists of a piece of soft, porous, moderately heavy cloth, preferably of cotton, and preferably of the type of material used for heavy dish towels, cleaning cloths, etc. This layer of cloth may be of various weaves. It should be very absorbenhcapable of holding any liquid absorbed, but also releasing absorbed liquid when squeezed suificiently or wrung out, and consequently easily washed and dried.

Theother layer 11 of the composite cloth consists of a mesh formed of strong tough threads, preferably of nylon, of suflicient weight to produce a strong but very pliable mesh with the openings in the mesh preferably slightly larger than the openings in ordinary cotton mosquito netting. A strong nylon mesh with openings about inch square has been found to be very satisfactory.

The twolayers 10 and 11 are secured together entirely around the border edge of the composite cloth but are not secured to gether elsewhere. Preferably this is done with overcast stitching, as indicated at 12 in FIG. 4. However, other means for securing and binding the two layers of material together around the border may be used. However, it is less desirable to have a border binding which would be heavy or much less pliable than the body portion of the composite cloth, or a border binding which would be too slow in drying out when the cloth is not in use.

As will be readily understood, the mesh itself absorbs or retains practically no moisture. It provides merely the scrubbing side or moderately rough and abrasive surface desired for one face of the composite cloth. Theother r layer 10, being absorbent and capable of retaining liquid,

serves the-double purpose of washing the surface as it is given the mildly abrasive treatment by the mesh and of absorbing water or other cleansing liquid applied to the surface being cleaned together with loosened dirt dissolved, or may be used as an ordinary wash cloth if no scrubbing is required.

The fact that themesh 11 and the other orbacking layer 10 are attached to each other only at the border allows the sheets to have considerable freedom of motion with respect to each other. This is important since the composite cloth is much more flexible, softer to use, more easily cleaned, and more satisfactory and eflicient in general than would be the case if the mesh were attached to thebacking layer 10 over its entire extent or even at closely spaced intervals.

While a preferred pattern for the mesh with substantially square openings of approximately /a of an inch in size has been illustrated and described it is to be understood that the mesh may be made in various patterns with various sizes and shapes of openings and still function as a satisfactory component for this rnulti-purpose cleaning and washing cloth. Other minor modifications would also be possible without departing from the principle of the invention and it is not intended to limit the invention otherwise than as set forth in the claim.

I claim:

A composite scrubbing wash cloth consisting of a sheet of strong but very pliable nylon mesh, having a surface moderately abrasive in character with substantially square open spaces approximately of an inch on each side, and a companion sheet of soft, heavy, absorbent cotton cloth, the two sheets being of the same size and being connected together only around their common border so as to enable the two sheets to have considerable freedom of motion with respect to each other.

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