Starch Foam Cleaning Head for Flushable Toilet Bowl Scrubbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning devices for unsanitary areas, such as toilet brushes, face challenges in providing effective cleaning power while being flushable and maintaining sanitation, as previous solutions either lack sufficient cleaning efficacy or pose issues with storage and disposal of wet, unsanitary heads.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning head made from starch-based foam with optional stiffening members, granular material, and liquid cleansers, designed to be water dispersible or soluble, allowing for single-use flushability and effective cleaning without the need for storage or handling of unsanitary components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a toilet brush head is made from water dissolvable sheet material to enable flushability, then the head can be disposed of by flushing, but the sheet material does not provide enough cleaning power to be efficacious
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite structure combining starch-based foam material with dissolvable sheet material. The starch foam provides the necessary cleaning power and structural integrity, while the sheet material dissolves in water to enable flushability. This composite approach resolves the contradiction by integrating materials with complementary properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the cleaning head materials. The starch-based foam is engineered with specific density, porosity, and mechanical strength parameters to provide effective cleaning, while the sheet material is selected with controlled dissolution rates to ensure flushability. By optimizing these parameters, both cleaning efficacy and flushability are achieved.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a detachable brush head is used to avoid storing unsanitary components, then the head can be discarded after single use, but the user must handle the dirty head after each use to place it in a bag
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a disposable starch-based foam brush head that is designed for single use and then flushed away. The low cost of the starch-based material enables it to be discarded after one use, eliminating the need for storage and repeated handling of unsanitary components, thus resolving both sanitation and handling convenience issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the brush head from the handle as a separate disposable component. The starch-based foam head can be easily detached and flushed separately from the reusable handle, allowing the unsanitary portion to be removed and disposed of without handling or storing, thereby improving sanitation and convenience.
3Ease of operation
If biodegradable plastic material is used for the cleaning head, then the head is flushable and biodegradable, but the material slowly dissolves leading to difficulty with flushing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention selects starch-based foam and sheet materials with specifically engineered dissolution parameters. The materials are designed to dissolve rapidly in water at controlled rates, preventing the slow dissolution problem of conventional biodegradable plastics. This parameter optimization enables smooth flushing without clogging while maintaining biodegradability.
Solution Approach 2:
The starch-based materials undergo rapid phase transition from solid foam structure to dissolved state when contacted with water. This phase change occurs quickly and uniformly, allowing the material to break down and flush through plumbing systems efficiently, resolving the slow dissolution issue of traditional biodegradable plastics.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The starch-based foam head provides effective cleaning power while being readily biodegradable and flushable, maintaining sanitation by eliminating the need for storage and handling of unsanitary components, and ensuring efficient disposal through water solubility or dispersibility.
Implementation Method 1
The head may be water dispersible or soluble
Implementation Method 2
readily biodegradable and flushable
Data Source
AI summary
A head for cleaning a target surface, such as a toilet bowl. The head has a longitudinal axis and comprises a starch based material. The material may be provided as a sheet, and formed to make a generally round head or a head of laminae. The head may optionally contain granules, which optionally define a core and improve the stiffness of the head. The starch based material may be extruded to have a machine direction oriented in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning device.