Water-Activated Green Cleaning Wipe with Concentrated Formula
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional disposable cleaning wipes have high water content, leading to short shelf life, increased weight, and reduced effectiveness, requiring multiple wipes for cleaning large surfaces, and often include synthetic preservatives that negatively impact their ecological profile.
Innovation Solution
Development of eco-friendly cleaning wipes with a dry-to-the-touch design, activated by water just before use, featuring a concentrated aqueous cleaning composition with less than 50% water content and ingredients derived from natural and renewable sources, including green surfactants and hydrotropes, which are evenly distributed throughout a substrate of natural or synthetic fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wipes are pre-loaded with diluted cleaning composition containing high water content, then cleaning effectiveness is maintained, but shelf life is reduced due to fiber integrity weakening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the water content parameter from high (50-90% in conventional wipes) to low (<50% in the invention), transforming the cleaning composition from a diluted state to a concentrated state. This parameter change allows the wipe to maintain cleaning effectiveness through concentration while extending shelf life by reducing water-induced fiber degradation
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning composition is prepared in a concentrated form during manufacturing, and the dilution action is performed preliminarily by the user just before application. This preliminary action by the user converts the concentrated composition to the desired working concentration, ensuring both long shelf life during storage and effective cleaning when activated
2Ease of operation
If conventional wipes are pre-loaded with aqueous cleaning composition, then cleaning function is provided, but weight increases adversely affecting transportation and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter change by reducing the water content parameter in the cleaning composition from typical high levels (resulting in 6-7 grams of aqueous composition) to less than 50% water content. This concentration parameter change significantly reduces the weight of the impregnated composition while maintaining cleaning functionality, making transportation and handling more efficient
3Productivity
If conventional wipes contain high water content, then cleaning composition is readily available, but preservatives are required increasing cost and environmental impact
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the water content parameter to less than 50%, the patent creates an environment that is less favorable for microbial growth. This parameter change eliminates or reduces the need for synthetic preservatives, thereby reducing harmful factors and environmental impact while still maintaining cleaning composition availability through the concentrated formulation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of water content (which requires preservatives) into a benefit by using controlled low water content. The reduced water content naturally suppresses microbial growth, turning what would be a harmful condition (low moisture requiring preservation) into a beneficial condition (natural preservation through concentration)
4Ease of operation
If conventional wipes use dilute cleaning composition, then application is easy, but effectiveness decreases rapidly limiting surface area cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The user performs a preliminary action of adding water to activate the concentrated cleaning composition just before application. This preliminary activation transforms the concentrated composition into a dilute working solution that is easy to apply, while the concentrated form ensures sufficient quantity and effectiveness duration to clean entire surfaces like bathtubs without rapid depletion
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 wipes effectively clean larger surface areas with a lower environmental impact, reducing material consumption and disposal efforts, while maintaining cleaning performance and eliminating the need for synthetic preservatives, thus offering improved ecological and practical benefits.
Implementation Method 1
a concentrated aqueous cleaning composition impregnated therein... activated by water just before application
Data Source
AI summary
Eco-friendly, or “green”, cleaning wipes are disclosed. The wipes may include a substrate and a green concentrated aqueous cleaning composition impregnated therein. The wipes are dry to the touch before they are activated by water and applied to inanimate surfaces for cleaning. Because of the green concentrated cleaning composition and water-activation just before application, the disclosed wipes may clean larger surface areas and have longer shelf lives and lower weights for easy transportation, packaging and handling than conventional wet wipes that are pre-loaded with a diluted cleaning composition.