Cleaning method, washing machine, tableware cleaning machine and toilet stool

Abstract

The invention provides a cleaning method capable of extracting the effect brought by the interaction between fine bubbles and a surfactant and improving the cleaning efficiency, and a washing machine, a tableware cleaning machine and a toilet using the cleaning method. In the cleaning method, washings, tableware, or toilets are cleaned with fine bubble water containing 1 * 105 or more nanobubbles having a particle diameter of 500 nm or less per 1 ml, and in the fine bubble water, the ratio of the number of nanobubbles having a particle diameter in the range of 100 nm + / -30 nm to the number of nanobubbles having a particle diameter of 500 nm or less is 50% or more.

Description

[0001] The invention is a divisional application of the following application. The original application information is as follows:

[0002] International Application Number: PCT / JP2018 / 000832

[0003] Application number: 201880004925.X

[0004] Date of entering the Chinese national phase: June 10, 2019

[0005] Invention Title: Cleaning method, washing machine, dishwashing machine and toilet Technical Field

[0006] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a cleaning method, a washing machine, a dishwashing machine, and a toilet. Background Art

[0007] In recent years, microbubbles with particle sizes ranging from tens of nanometers to several micrometers, called microbubbles and nanobubbles, have attracted attention, and a technology for cleaning objects using microbubble water containing a large number of microbubbles has been proposed. Here, for example, when cleaning oil stains, surfactants such as detergents are generally used. However, in the previous structure, the interaction between microbubbles and surfactants has not been fully verified, and the effect of the interaction between microbubbles and surfactants has not been fully derived.

[0008] Prior art literature:

[0009] Patent Literature:

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-43103 Summary of the invention

[0011] Problems that the invention will solve

[0012] Therefore, a cleaning method capable of improving cleaning efficiency by bringing out the effect of interaction between fine bubbles and surfactant, and a washing machine, a dishwasher and a toilet using the cleaning method are provided.

[0013] Means for solving problems

[0014] The cleaning method of this embodiment is a cleaning method for cleaning a cleaning object using a cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid is a mixture of fine bubble water and a surfactant, wherein each 1 ml of the fine bubble water contains 1×10 5 At least 100 micro bubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less.

[0015] The washing machine, the dishwasher, and the toilet of the present embodiment use a cleaning method in which a cleaning object is cleaned using a cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid is a mixture of fine bubble water and a surfactant, wherein each 1 ml of the fine bubble water contains 1×10 5 At least 100 micro bubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing in a graphical form the distribution of the number of fine bubbles according to the particle diameter contained in the fine bubble water used in the cleaning method according to one embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing in a table the relationship between the particle size and the number of fine bubbles contained in the fine bubble water used in the cleaning method according to one embodiment.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing in a table the evaluation results of the cleaning performance for the cleaning method according to one embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing in a graphical form the evaluation results of the cleaning performance of the cleaning method according to one embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a fine bubble generator used in a cleaning method according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 6 is along Figure 5 The X6-X6 line shows a cross-sectional view of a micro-bubble generator used in the cleaning method according to one embodiment.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a measurement system for measuring the number distribution of fine bubble water according to particle size used in a cleaning method according to an embodiment.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing in a graphical form the results of measurement of fine bubble water used in the cleaning method according to one embodiment by a measurement system.

[0024] Fig. 9 This is a diagram schematically showing the interaction between fine bubbles and a surfactant in a cleaning method according to an embodiment (part 1).

[0025] Fig.10 This is a diagram schematically showing the interaction between fine bubbles and a surfactant in a cleaning method according to an embodiment (part 2).

[0026] Fig.11This is a diagram schematically showing the interaction between fine bubbles and a surfactant in a cleaning method according to an embodiment (part 3).

[0027] Fig.12 This is a diagram schematically showing the interaction between fine bubbles and a surfactant in a cleaning method according to an embodiment (Part 4).

[0028] Fig.13 This is a diagram schematically showing the interaction between fine bubbles and a surfactant in a cleaning method according to an embodiment (part 5).

[0029] Fig.14 It is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a washing machine according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0031] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment is a cleaning method for cleaning an object to be cleaned using a cleaning liquid formed by mixing fine bubble water and a surfactant, that is, a surfactant solution. The fine bubble water contains 1×10 5 More preferably, the fine bubble water contains 1×10^5 or more fine bubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less per ml. 5 In this embodiment, the surfactant can be a surfactant of natural origin such as soap, or a synthetic surfactant contained in a synthetic detergent, etc. The soap and synthetic detergent can also be in any form of solid, liquid, or powder.

[0032] Fine bubble water refers to water or solution containing a large number of fine bubbles with a diameter of nanometer level. That is, the fine bubble water used in the cleaning method of this embodiment contains a large number of fine bubbles with a particle size of nanometer level compared to tap water. For example, it is possible to locally reduce the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path through which liquids such as water flow, so that the liquid passing through the flow path is rapidly decompressed, thereby causing the dissolved air in the liquid to precipitate and produce fine bubbles. In addition, for example, it is also possible to mix external air into liquids such as water passing through the flow path at a high speed to produce fine bubbles.

[0033] like Figure 1As shown, the fine bubble water used in the cleaning method of this embodiment is set so that the maximum peak value P1 of the distribution of the number of fine bubbles according to the diameter, that is, according to the particle size, of the fine bubbles with a particle size of 500nm or less falls within the range of 100nm±70nm, more preferably within the range of 100nm±50nm, and further preferably within the range of 100nm±30nm. In this case, the maximum peak value P1 of the distribution of the number of fine bubbles according to the particle size appears near the particle size of 80nm.

[0034] In addition, the second peak P2 appears near the particle size of 140nm, and the third peak P3 appears near the particle size of 110nm. In addition, the fourth peak P4 appears near the particle size of 50nm, and the fifth peak P5 appears near the particle size of 220nm. In this embodiment, at least two peaks including the maximum peak P1 in the distribution of the number of fine bubbles with a particle size of 500nm or less by diameter, in this case, the maximum peak P1 and the third peak P3 fall within the range of 100nm±30nm of particle size.

[0035] The fine bubble water used in the cleaning method of this embodiment is set so that the number of fine bubbles in the range of particle size 100nm±30nm accounts for more than 50% of the number of fine bubbles with a particle size of 500nm or less. Figure 2 As shown in the figure, each ml of fine sparkling water contains 1.0×10 6 At least 1.25×10 microbubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less are contained per ml in this case. 6 There are about 8.25×10 microbubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less. 5 Therefore, the number of fine bubbles within the range of 100 nm±30 nm in the fine bubble water accounts for approximately 66% of the number of fine bubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less.

[0036] The inventors of the present application used the above-mentioned fine bubble water and verified the correlation between the number of fine bubbles in the cleansing liquid and the improvement rate of the cleansing performance against sebum dirt by the following procedure. In addition, the fine bubbles in this verification refer to bubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less.

[0037] (Preparation of pollution components of artificial sebum dirt)

[0038] Oleic acid and triolein were dissolved in chloroform as a solvent, and a 50% solution containing 32.5% oleic acid and 17.5% triolein was used as a contamination component.

[0039] (Artificial contamination and preparation of samples)

[0040] 40 ml of the solution of the above-mentioned polluting component was uniformly infiltrated into a 150 mm x 200 mm cotton cloth, and after natural drying in a room for 24 hours, it was cut into 50 mm square pieces to obtain the polluted cloth. In addition, the cotton cloth not infiltrated with the solution of the polluting component was used as the original cloth.

[0041] (Test Method)

[0042] One contaminated cloth was used as a reference piece without cleaning. In addition, six contaminated cloths were cleaned with a 1.30×10 6 The cleaning solution contains 6.5×10 5 The cleaning solution contains 3.25×10 5 The cleaning solution contains 2.6×10 5 The cleaning solution contains 1.60×10 5 The samples were cleaned with six cleaning solutions, namely, a cleaning solution containing fine bubbles of 100 / ml and a cleaning solution without fine bubbles, and then naturally dried in a room for 24 hours. Thus, evaluation sheets 1 to 5 and a comparative sheet were obtained.

[0043] In addition, the same amount of detergent is dissolved in each cleaning liquid. That is, the cleaning liquid used to clean the comparative piece is formed by dissolving a specified amount of commercial detergent in tap water. In addition, the cleaning liquid used to clean the evaluation pieces 1 to 5 is formed by dissolving a specified amount of commercial detergent in tap water into which the above-mentioned specified fine bubbles are mixed. The amount of detergent dissolved is, for example, the specified amount described in the instruction manual of the detergent. In addition, the cleaning of the comparative piece and each evaluation piece 1 to 5 is performed using a commercially available washing machine under the same operation content.

[0044] Next, Sudan Red was dissolved as an oil-soluble pigment in an ethanol aqueous solution with a mixing ratio of ethanol:water = 13:7 to obtain a dye solution with a concentration of 0.664 mg / ml. Then, each evaluation piece 1 to 5 and the comparative piece were immersed in the dye solution for 15 minutes to be dyed, and then rinsed in the order of ethanol aqueous solution and water to rinse off the excess dye solution, and then the comparative piece and each evaluation piece 1 to 5 and the comparative piece were naturally dried indoors for 24 hours.

[0045] Next, the color difference between the original cloth and the reference piece was measured using a colorimeter as the color difference before cleaning of each evaluation piece 1 to 5 and the comparison piece. In addition, the color difference between the original cloth and each evaluation piece 1 to 5 and the comparison piece was measured as the color difference after cleaning of each evaluation piece 1 to 5 and the comparison piece. Then, the cleanliness of the evaluation pieces 1 to 5 and the comparison piece was calculated based on the following formula (1), and the cleanliness of each evaluation piece 1 to 5 was compared with the cleanliness of the comparison piece.

[0046] Cleanliness = 1 - (color difference after cleaning) / (color difference before cleaning)···(1)

[0047] The test results are shown in Figure 3 In addition, Figure 3 The "mixing ratio" in the formula means that 1 ml contains 1.30 × 10 6 When the fine bubble water containing 100 fine bubbles is assumed to be 100% fine bubble water and tap water is mixed with the 100% fine bubble water to purify the cleaning liquid, the ratio of the fine bubble water to the entire cleaning liquid. Figure 3 The "fine bubble concentration" in the table shows the number of fine bubbles contained per 1 ml of each cleaning liquid. Figure 3 The "logarithm value" in is a value expressing the fine bubble concentration of each cleaning liquid using the common logarithm with base 10.

[0048] according to Figure 3 The test results shown are for a sample containing 1.30×10 6 In the evaluation sheet 1 cleaned with a cleaning solution containing 6.5×10 / ml of fine bubbles, the cleaning performance was improved by 19.2% compared to the comparison sheet cleaned with a cleaning solution containing no fine bubbles. 5 In the evaluation sheet 2 cleaned with a cleaning solution containing 3.25×10 / ml of fine bubbles, the cleaning performance was improved by 13.7% compared to the comparison sheet cleaned with a cleaning solution containing no fine bubbles. 5 In the evaluation sheet 3 cleaned with the cleaning liquid containing fine bubbles of 100 / ml, a 13.0% improvement in cleaning performance was observed compared to the comparative sheet cleaned with the cleaning liquid containing no fine bubbles.

[0049] In addition, in the presence of 2.6×10 5 In the evaluation sheet 4 cleaned with the cleaning liquid containing 1.60×10 / ml of fine bubbles, the cleaning performance was improved by 12.6% compared with the comparative sheet cleaned with the cleaning liquid containing no fine bubbles. 5In the evaluation sheet 5 cleaned with the cleaning liquid containing fine bubbles of 10.7 / ml, a 10.7% improvement in cleaning performance was observed compared to the comparative sheet cleaned with the cleaning liquid containing no fine bubbles.

[0050] Figure 4 About Figure 3 The graph is shown with the horizontal axis being the logarithm of the number of fine bubbles in the cleaning solution and the vertical axis being the cleaning performance improvement rate. Figure 4 In the case where the horizontal axis, i.e., the concentration of fine bubbles in the cleaning liquid, is set as the X axis and the vertical axis, i.e., the rate of improvement in cleaning performance, is set as the Y axis, the approximate curve calculated by the least squares method can be expressed by the following formula (2). In addition, the correlation coefficient R^2 in this case is 0.908.

[0051] Y=(5.02×10^(-4))X^(3.25) · · · (2)

[0052] according to Figure 4 , formula (2) and its correlation coefficient R^2 show that with the increase of the amount of fine bubbles in the cleaning liquid, the cleaning performance improves approximately linearly, that is, approximately linearly. That is, through this experiment, it can be seen that there is a high correlation between the number of fine bubbles in the cleaning liquid and the cleaning performance. Moreover, according to formula (2), it can be derived that the number of fine bubbles in the cleaning liquid is 1.0×10 5 When X = 5, the cleaning performance is improved by about 9.4% compared with the case of cleaning with a normal cleaning liquid that does not contain fine bubbles. In addition, according to formula (2), the number of fine bubbles in the cleaning liquid is 1.26×10 5 When X = 5.1, the cleaning performance is improved by about 10% compared with the case of cleaning with a normal cleaning liquid that does not contain fine bubbles. 5 The use of fine bubbles containing 100 ppm / ml can improve the cleaning performance by about 10% compared to the case of cleaning with a normal cleaning liquid that does not contain fine bubbles.

[0053] Here, in the above test, using Figure 5 as well as Figure 6 The micro-bubble generator 10 shown generates micro-bubble water. The micro-bubble generator 10 is made of, for example, synthetic resin and is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole. The micro-bubble generator 10 has a throttle portion 11, a straight portion 12, and a protrusion 13. The throttle portion 11 and the straight portion 12 form a continuous flow path. In this case, the throttle portion 11 side becomes the input side, and the straight portion 12 side becomes the output side.

[0054] The throttle portion 11 is formed in a shape in which the inner diameter decreases from the input side toward the output side of the micro-bubble generator 10, that is, a so-called conical tapered tube shape in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path, that is, the inner diameter, continuously and gradually decreases. The straight portion 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape in which the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path, that is, the inner diameter, does not change, that is, a so-called straight tube shape.

[0055] The protrusion 13 is provided in the middle of the length direction of the straight portion 12. The protrusion 13 is used to generate fine bubbles in the liquid passing through the straight portion 12 by partially reducing the cross-sectional area through which water in the straight portion 12 can pass. In the case of this embodiment, a plurality of protrusions 13, in this case, four protrusions 13 are provided in the straight portion 12. Each protrusion 13 is composed of a rod-shaped member with a pointed tip, and protrudes from the inner peripheral surface of the straight portion 12 toward the center direction of the cross section of the straight portion 12. The protrusions 13 are arranged in a state of being separated from each other at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cross section of the straight portion 12.

[0056] When water flows into the fine bubble generator 10 from the throttle portion 11, the cross-sectional area of ​​the flow path from the throttle portion 11 to the straight portion 12 is reduced, thereby increasing the flow velocity by utilizing the so-called Venturi effect in fluid mechanics. Furthermore, the high-speed flow collides with the protrusion 13, causing the pressure to drop sharply. As a result, the air dissolved in the water can be precipitated in large quantities as fine bubbles.

[0057] When water is passed through the fine bubble generator 10 once to generate fine bubble water, the number of fine bubbles contained in a unit amount of the fine bubble water, for example, per 1 ml, and the distribution of the number of fine bubbles according to particle size are measured to evaluate the performance of the fine bubble generator 10. In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where water is passed through the fine bubble generator 10 only once to generate fine bubble water is referred to as one pass.

[0058] use Figure 7 The measuring system 20 shown in the figure evaluates the performance of the fine bubble generator 10. The measuring system 20 includes the fine bubble generator 10, a water tank 21, a circulation pump 22, and pipes 23 and 24 connecting the water tank 21 and the circulation pump 22. The fine bubble generator 10 is provided in the middle of the pipe 23 connected to the discharge side of the circulation pump 22, that is, in the middle of the pipe 23 from the circulation pump 22 to the water tank 21.

[0059] A predetermined amount, for example, 10 L of ultrapure water W is stored in the water tank 21. The circulation pump 22 circulates the ultrapure water W between the water tank 21 and the circulation pump 22. At this time, the ultrapure water W is applied to the fine bubble generator 10 at a pressure of 0.1 MPa by the action of the circulation pump 22. As a result, fine bubbles are precipitated in the ultrapure water W passing through the fine bubble generator 10 to form fine bubble water. In addition, the circulation pump 22 is driven for a predetermined time, and the ultrapure water W is circulated and passes through the fine bubble generator 10 multiple times, thereby increasing the number of fine bubbles contained in the ultrapure water W in the water tank 21.

[0060] After starting the driving of the circulation pump 22, the inventors of the present application collected the ultrapure water W in the water tank 21 as samples at a predetermined time interval, for example, about 10 minutes. Furthermore, the inventors of the present application analyzed each collected sample by a nanoparticle tracking method (also called a particle trajectory tracking method) using a nanoparticle analysis device (NANOSIGHT LM10, manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), thereby measuring the number of fine bubbles per 1 ml.

[0061] In addition, the inventors of the present application calculated the time required for one circulation of the ultrapure water W based on the circulation flow rate of the ultrapure water W and the initial storage volume in the water tank 21. In the case of the present embodiment, the time required for one circulation is about 1 minute. Moreover, the inventors of the present application calculated the number of times the ultrapure water W passes through the fine bubble generator 10 until each sample is collected based on the time required for one circulation and the sample collection time. In the following description, the number of times calculated in this way, that is, the number of times the ultrapure water W passes through the fine bubble generator 10 from the operation of the circulation pump 22 to the collection of each sample, is referred to as the number of times.

[0062] Figure 8 This is a graph in which each sample is plotted with the number of passes as the horizontal axis and the amount of fine bubbles generated as the vertical axis. Figure 8 The results show that the amount of fine bubbles contained in the ultrapure water W increases linearly as the number of passes, i.e., the number of circulations of the ultrapure water W, increases. In other words, it can be seen that the fine bubbles in the ultrapure water W are concentrated as the number of times the ultrapure water W passes through the fine bubble generator 10 increases. Figure 8 As a result, it is found that the number of passes through the fine bubble generator 10, that is, the number of circulations of the ultrapure water W, and the amount of fine bubbles contained in the ultrapure water W have a linear correlation.

[0063] Based on this, if the number of fine bubbles generated when a liquid such as water passes through the fine bubble generator 10 once is defined as the one-pass performance of the fine bubble generator 10, the one-pass performance can be obtained as follows. That is, at any time after the circulation starts, the ultrapure water W in the water tank 21 is sampled, and the number of fine bubbles contained in the sample is measured. Then, the one-pass performance of the fine bubble generator 10 is calculated by dividing the measured number of fine bubbles by the number of passes, that is, the number of cycles, until the sampling time. The performance calculated in this way, that is, the number of fine bubbles, is obtained by averaging the number of passes after temporarily increasing the concentration, so that the influence of the resolution of the measuring device or fine particles other than fine bubbles contained in the water used can be eliminated as much as possible, and a high-precision evaluation result can be obtained.

[0064] In this embodiment, observe Figure 8 The results shown in the figure show that approximately 1.48×10 7 In addition, through 20.2 cycles, about 2.85×10 7 In addition, through 29.8 cycles, about 3.95×10 7 From these results, it can be seen that 1.3 to 1.4 × 10 6 Therefore, it can be seen that the fine bubble generator 10 used in the cleaning method of this embodiment can generate about 1.3 to 1.4×10 per ml of fine bubbles with a water pressure of 0.1 MPa in one pass. 6 Finely bubbled water with fine bubbles of 500nm or less in diameter.

[0065] In the above-mentioned cleaning performance test, the fine bubble water obtained by passing tap water through the fine bubble generator 10 only once, that is, the fine bubble water generated in the one-pass process was set as 100% fine bubble water. In this 100% fine bubble water, about 1.3×10 6 The 100% fine bubble water was used as a stock solution without diluting it in tap water, thereby obtaining a sample containing 1.30×10 6 In addition, by diluting 100% of the fine bubble water to 50% with tap water, a cleaning solution containing 6.50×10 5 Cleaning liquid with fine bubbles of 100 / ml.

[0066] In addition, by diluting 100% of the fine bubble water to 25% with tap water, a 3.25×10 5 In addition, by diluting 100% of the fine bubble water to 20% with tap water, a cleaning solution containing 2.60×10 5 Then, by diluting 100% of the fine bubble water to 12.5% ​​with tap water, a cleaning solution containing 1.60×10 5 Cleaning liquid with fine bubbles of 100 / ml.

[0067] Therefore, in the cleaning liquids used in the evaluation pieces 1 to 5, the peak value and the ratio of the number distribution of fine bubbles according to the particle size are all the same. That is, as described above, in the cleaning liquids used in the evaluation pieces 1 to 5, the maximum peak value of the number distribution of fine bubbles according to the particle size of 500 nm or less falls within the particle size range of 100 nm ± 30 nm. In addition, as described above, in the cleaning liquids used in the evaluation pieces 1 to 5, the ratio of the number of fine bubbles in the particle size range of 100 nm ± 30 nm to the number of fine bubbles in the particle size of 500 nm or less is 50% or more.

[0068] Here, generally speaking, fine bubbles are classified as follows according to their particle size. For example, bubbles with a particle size of several μm to about 50 μm, i.e., micrometer-level bubbles, are called microbubbles or microbubbles. In contrast, bubbles with a particle size of several hundred nm to tens of nm or less, i.e., nanometer-level bubbles, are called nanobubbles or ultrafine bubbles.

[0069] If the bubble size is below a few hundred nanometers to tens of nanometers, it is smaller than the wavelength of light and cannot be visually confirmed, and the liquid becomes transparent. Moreover, compared with bubbles above the micrometer level, nanometer-level fine bubbles have characteristics such as a large total interface area, a slow floating speed, and a large internal pressure. For example, bubbles with a particle size of micrometers rise rapidly in the liquid due to their buoyancy, burst and disappear on the surface of the liquid, and therefore have a relatively short residence time in the liquid. On the other hand, fine bubbles with a particle size of nanometers have a small buoyancy and therefore have a long residence time in the liquid.

[0070] The above test shows that by making the cleaning liquid containing the surfactant contain fine bubbles, the cleaning performance can be improved compared with the case of cleaning with a normal cleaning liquid that does not contain fine bubbles. The principle is assumed to be as follows. That is, Fig. 9As shown, generally, when the surfactant 32 reaches a certain concentration or more, the hydrophobic groups of the surfactant 32 aggregate and micelle to form an aggregate 33 of the surfactant 32. The particle size of the aggregate 33 is set to several tens of nanometers. On the other hand, the fine bubbles 31 with a particle size of 500 nanometers or less, for example, have a negative charge on their surface and become hydrophobic, so they attract the hydrophobic groups of the surfactant 32.

[0071] Therefore, if a detergent containing aggregates 33 of micellized surfactant 32 is mixed into fine bubble water containing fine bubbles 31 with a particle size of 500 nm or less, the energy stability of aggregates 33 is destroyed due to the hydrophobicity of the surface of fine bubbles 31, as shown in FIG. Fig.10 As shown, the aggregate 33 is broken and the molecules of the surfactant 32 are dispersed. Then, the dispersed molecules of the surfactant 32 are adsorbed on the surface of the fine bubbles 31 by the interaction between the hydrophobic group of the surfactant 32 and the hydrophobic surface of the fine bubbles 31. Thus, the surfactant 32 contained in the cleaning liquid is adsorbed on the fine bubbles 31 to form a complex 34.

[0072] And, if Fig.11 As shown in FIG. 1 , the complex 34 of the surfactant 32 and the fine bubbles 31 is diffused over a wide range in the cleaning liquid due to the buoyancy of the fine bubbles 31. Therefore, the probability that each molecule of the surfactant 32 will contact, for example, sebum dirt components 36 attached to the fibers 35 is greatly increased. Fig.12 As shown, when the complex 34 of the surfactant 32 and the fine bubbles 31 approaches the dirt component 36, the energy stability of the surfactant 32 and the fine bubbles 31 is destroyed due to the hydrophobic effect on the surface of the dirt component 36, and the fine bubbles 31 are deformed or ruptured. Then, each molecule of the surfactant 32 is separated and adsorbed on the dirt component 36, and the dirt component 36 is easily floated and peeled off from the fiber 35 due to the impact caused by the rupture of the fine bubbles 31.

[0073] At this time, the surfactant 32 enters the gap between the dirt component 36 and the fiber 35 caused by the impact of the collapse of the fine bubbles 31, and promotes the emulsification of the dirt component 36. The surfactant 32 then takes in the dirt component 36 and emulsifies it, thereby peeling the dirt component 36 from the fiber 35, thereby exerting its cleaning ability. In this way, the fine bubbles 31 bring out the cleaning ability of the surfactant 32.

[0074] The cleaning method of this embodiment is, for example, Fig.14The washing machine 40 is shown in the figure. The washing machine 40 includes an outer box 41, a top cover 42, a water storage tub 43, a rotary drum 44, a pulsator 45, a motor 46, a water injection device 50, and a fine bubble generator 10. The washing machine 40 is a so-called longitudinal axis type washing machine in which the rotation axis of the rotary drum 44 is oriented in the vertical direction. In addition, the washing machine is not limited to the longitudinal axis type, and may also be a so-called drum type washing machine in which the rotation axis of the rotary drum is horizontal or inclined downward toward the rear.

[0075] The water injection device 50 is located at the upper part of the outer box 41 and is provided inside the top cover 42. The water injection device 50 includes a first water supply valve 51, a second water supply valve 52, a third water supply valve 53, a connection port 54, a water injection box 60, and a fine bubble generator 10. That is, in the washing machine 40, the fine bubble generator 10 is assembled in the water injection device 50 as a component of the water injection device 50.

[0076] The connection port 54 is connected to a water supply source such as a tap of tap water via a hose not shown. The downstream side of the connection port 54 is branched into multiple branches, which are connected to the water filling box 60 via each water supply valve 51, 52, 53. In the case of this embodiment, the downstream side of the connection port 54 is branched into three branches, which are connected to the water filling box 60 via each water supply valve 51, 52, 53.

[0077] The water filling box 60 receives water supplied from the connection port 54 and fills the received water into the water receiving tub 43 and the rotating tub 44 from the water filling port 61. The water filling box 60 includes a drawer-type detergent box 62 and a softener box 63. The detergent box 62 is filled with detergent, and the softener box 63 is filled with softener.

[0078] In this configuration, when the first water supply valve 51 is opened, tap water supplied from a faucet (not shown) to the connection port 54 becomes fine bubble water containing fine bubbles through the fine bubble generator 10 and is supplied to the detergent box 62 in the water filling box 60. The fine bubble water supplied to the detergent box 62 by the fine bubble generator 10 flows to the bottom of the water filling box 60, and then is poured into the water storage tub 43 and the rotating tub 44 from the water filling port 61. At this time, if detergent is contained in the detergent box 62, the detergent is dissolved in the fine bubble water supplied to the detergent box 62, and flows into the water storage tub 43 and the rotating tub 44 from the water filling port 61.

[0079] Similarly, when the second water supply valve 52 is opened, tap water supplied from a faucet (not shown) to the connection port 54 is supplied to the detergent box 62 in the water filling box 60. Then, the tap water supplied to the detergent box 62 flows to the bottom of the water filling box 60, and then is poured into the water storage tub 43 and the rotating tub 44 from the water filling port 61. At this time, if detergent is contained in the detergent box 62, the detergent is dissolved in the tap water supplied to the detergent box 62, and flows into the water storage tub 43 and the rotating tub 44 from the water filling port 61.

[0080] In this embodiment, the fine bubble water supplied by opening the first water supply valve 51 through the fine bubble generator 10 and the tap water supplied by opening the second water supply valve 52 without passing through the fine bubble generator 10 are mixed in the water filling box 60 or the water storage tub 43 to form a washing liquid. In this case, the washing machine 40 can adjust the mixing ratio of the fine bubble water and the tap water in the washing liquid by adjusting the opening and closing time or timing of the first water supply valve 51 and the second water supply valve 52. Thus, the concentration of fine bubbles contained in the washing liquid can be arbitrarily adjusted.

[0081] In addition, when the third water supply valve 53 is opened, tap water supplied from a faucet (not shown) to the connection port 54 is supplied to the softener box 63 in the water filling box 60. Then, the tap water supplied to the softener box 63 flows to the bottom of the water filling box 60, and then is poured into the water storage tub 43 and the rotating tub 44 from the water filling port 61. At this time, if the softener is stored in the softener box 63, the softener is dissolved in the tap water supplied to the softener box 63, and flows into the water storage tub 43 and the rotating tub 44 from the water filling port 61. In addition, a fine bubble generator 10 may be further provided in the path of the third water supply valve 53.

[0082] Moreover, the washing machine 40 drives the motor 46 to rotate the pulsator 45 to stir the laundry in the rotary drum 44 while detergent is stored in the water tub 43 and the rotary drum 44, thereby performing a washing operation. In this case, tap water is applied to the micro-bubble generator 10 instead of circulating water. That is, in the present embodiment, the micro-bubble water used for the detergent is generated by passing tap water through the micro-bubble generator 10 once, that is, it is generated by a single pass. In addition, the micro-bubble generator 10 can also be provided in the middle of the circulation path for circulating the detergent in the washing machine 40. Accordingly, by passing the detergent through the micro-bubble generator 10 multiple times, the concentration of micro-bubbles in the detergent can be further increased.

[0083] According to the cleaning method and washing machine 40 of the above-described embodiment, the cleaning object is cleaned using a cleaning solution obtained by mixing fine bubble water containing 1×10 5More than 100 micro bubbles with a particle size of less than 500nm.

[0084] Thus, the number and particle size of the microbubbles can be made suitable for cleaning with a surfactant, thereby fully bringing out the effect of the interaction between the microbubbles and the surfactant, and as a result, the cleaning efficiency can be improved compared to cleaning with a cleaning liquid that does not contain microbubbles.

[0085] The microbubbles have a negative charge on their surface. Moreover, the smaller the particle size of the microbubbles, i.e., the particle diameter, the greater the negative charge on the surface of the microbubbles. Therefore, the smaller the particle size, the easier it is for the microbubbles to adsorb surfactants, and as a result, it is easier to form aggregates with surfactants. However, if the particle size of the microbubbles becomes smaller, the surface area of ​​the microbubbles becomes smaller, and therefore the amount of surfactant that can be adsorbed by one microbubble becomes smaller.

[0086] In contrast, in the microbubble water used in the cleaning method and the washing machine 40 of the present embodiment, the maximum peak value of the number distribution of microbubbles with a particle size of 500 nm or less is within the range of 100 nm ± 30 nm. As a result, the adsorption capacity of the surfactant based on the electrical characteristics of the microbubbles and the adsorption amount of the surfactant based on the size of the microbubbles can be made appropriate. As a result, the effect brought about by the interaction between the microbubbles and the surfactant can be more effectively brought out.

[0087] In addition, in the microbubble water used in the cleaning method and the washing machine 40 of the present embodiment, the number of microbubbles in the range of particle diameter 100nm±30nm accounts for more than 50% of the number of microbubbles in particle diameter 500nm or less. As a result, the adsorption capacity of the surfactant based on the electrical characteristics of the microbubbles and the adsorption amount of the surfactant based on the size of the microbubbles can be made more appropriate. As a result, the effect brought about by the interaction between the microbubbles and the surfactant can be more effectively brought out.

[0088] In addition, the fine bubble water used in the cleaning method and the washing machine 40 of the embodiment is generated by passing tap water once through the fine bubble generator 10. Therefore, the supply time of the fine bubble water can be shortened compared with the case where the tap water is passed multiple times through the fine bubble generator 10 to generate the fine bubble water. As a result, the cleaning time can be shortened.

[0089] In addition, the cleaning method of the above-mentioned embodiment is not limited to the washing machine 40, and can also be applied to, for example, a dishwasher or a toilet.

[0090] When the cleaning method of the above embodiment is applied to a dishwashing machine, the dishwashing machine, for example, uses the fine bubble water generated by the fine bubble generator 10 to clean the dishes to be cleaned. In this case, the fine bubble generator 10 only needs to be provided in the middle of a water supply path for supplying tap water from a tap water pipe to the dishwashing machine or in the middle of a circulation path for circulating water supplied to the dishwashing machine. Thus, the dishwashing machine is supplied with fine bubble water containing fine bubbles through the fine bubble generator 10. Furthermore, in the dishwashing machine, the fine bubble water is mixed with a dishwashing detergent, so that the effect brought about by the interaction between the fine bubbles and the surfactant can be effectively brought out as described above.

[0091] In addition, when the cleaning method of the above embodiment is applied to a toilet, the toilet, for example, uses the fine bubble water generated by the above-mentioned fine bubble generator 10 to clean the inside of the toilet as a cleaning object. In this case, the fine bubble generator 10 only needs to be provided in the middle of the water supply path for supplying tap water from the tap water pipe to the toilet. Thus, the toilet is supplied with fine bubble water containing fine bubbles through the fine bubble generator 10. And, in the toilet, for example, when the user cleans the toilet, the detergent put into the toilet and the fine bubble water supplied to the toilet are mixed, so that the effect brought about by the interaction between the fine bubbles and the surfactant can be effectively brought out as described above. In this case, the toilet may also have a mechanism for automatically supplying the detergent and the fine bubble water into the toilet.

[0092] Although an embodiment of the present invention is described above, the embodiment is proposed as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiment can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the main purpose of the invention. The embodiment and its variations are included in the scope and main purpose of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the scope of its equivalent.

Claims

1. A cleaning method, wherein: Use fine bubble water to clean laundry, dishes or toilets. Each ml of the fine bubble water contains 1×10 5 More than 10 nanobubbles with a particle size of less than 500nm, In the fine bubble water, the ratio of the number of nanobubbles within the range of 100 nm±30 nm to the number of nanobubbles with a particle diameter of 500 nm or less is 50% or more.

2. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein: In the fine bubble water, the maximum peak of the number distribution of nanobubbles having a particle diameter of 500 nm or less according to the diameter is within the range of 100 nm±30 nm.

3. The cleaning method according to claim 2, wherein: In the fine bubble water, at least two peaks including a maximum peak in a distribution of the number of fine bubbles having a particle diameter of 500 nm or less fall within a particle diameter range of 100 nm±30 nm.

4. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein: The fine bubble water is produced by passing tap water through a fine bubble generator.

5. A washing machine using the cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A dishwashing machine using the cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A toilet bowl using the cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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