Odour absorbing clothes cover

Abstract

The invention provides an odour-absorbing clothes cover ( 2 ) comprising an odour-absorbing sheet material ( 4 ), the sheet material defining an enclosure, arranged, in use, to receive an item of clothing ( 22 ), the enclosure comprising an opening formed in the front surface of the enclosure. The invention also extends to a method of removing or mitigating odours from an item of clothing.

1 . An odour-absorbing clothes cover comprising an odour-absorbing sheet material, the sheet material defining an enclosure arranged, in use, to receive an item of clothing, the enclosure comprising front and rear surfaces connected or folded together along their side and upper peripheral edges but not along their lowermost peripheral edges such that, in use, an item of clothing placed into the enclosure defined between the front and rear surfaces may protrude through the lowermost peripheral opening thereby provided; wherein an opening is formed in the front surface of the enclosure, such opening extending directly from the lowermost peripheral opening, thus forming a pair of flaps in the front surface, which flaps may be drawn back by a user to aid insertion of an item of clothing into the enclosure.  
   
   
       2 . A clothes cover as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sheet material is a non-woven fibrous sheet material.  
   
   
       3 . A clothes cover as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sheet material is an air permeable sheet material.  
   
   
       4 . A clothes cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet material is selected from a polyester, a polyamide, a polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose, nylon, and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       5 . A clothes cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the odour absorbing materials is selected from activated carbon, a zeolite, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, aluminium, and mixtures thereof.  
   
   
       6 . A clothes cover as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the odour absorbing material is particulate activated carbon.  
   
   
       7 . A clothes cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the odour-absorbing material is present in the sheet material in an amount of at least 5% (w/w), preferably at least 30% (w/w), of the total weight of the sheet material.  
   
   
       8 . A clothes cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the odour-absorbing material is present in the sheet material in an amount of no more than 60% (w/w) of the total weight of the sheet material, preferably no more than 40% (w/w).  
   
   
       9 . A clothes cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the odour-absorbing material comprises a fixing agent arranged to inhibit or substantially avoid shedding of the odour-absorbing material from the sheet material.  
   
   
       10 . A clothes cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the opening in the surface of the enclosure comprises an elongate slit formed in the surface.  
   
   
       11 . A clothes cover as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the slit extends in one direction at least in the region of the peripheral edge of the surface.  
   
   
       12 . A clothes cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the opening comprises a cover member, arranged, in use, to close the opening intermittently.  
   
   
       13 . A clothes cover as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the opening is an elongate slit, and the cover member comprises a flap of sheet material connected at one side of the slit and extending across the slit, being securable at that position but releasable therefrom.  
   
   
       14 . A clothes cover as cover according to  claim 1 , wherein the clothes cover comprises an uppermost peripheral opening, dimensioned to allow the hook of a clothes hanger to be inserted through it, in use.  
   
   
       15 . A method of removing an odour from an item of clothing, the method comprising: 
 (a) providing an odour-absorbing clothes cover according to  claim 1;  and    inserting an item of clothing through the opening of the sheet material, into the enclosure.