Cleaning implement comprising elastic compressed foam

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cleaning implement comprising elastic compressed foam and to a method of cleaning a hard surface with said cleaning implement.

1 . A cleaning implement based on melamine-formaldehyde foam characterized in that said foam comprises elastic compressed foam based on melamine-formaldehyde resins obtained by a process comprising the steps of:
 a) Expanding a melamine-formaldehyde precondensate;   b) Compressing the soft, not finally cured melamine-formaldehyde foamed material of step a), wherein compression take place in the range of about 1 to about 90%; and   c) Drying the elastic compressed melamine-formaldehyde material of step b);   
       wherein density of elastic compressed foam is in the range of about 5 to about 100 g/l. 
     
     
         2 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein said cleaning implement has a thickness of at least 15 mm. 
     
     
         3 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 2 , having a shape selected from the group consisting of: cube shape, rectangular shape, pyramid shape, cylindrical shape, cone shape, pencil eraser shape, cuboid shape, and tetrahedron shape. 
     
     
         4 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 3 , having a volume of from 1 cm 3  to 10,000 cm 3 . 
     
     
         5 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 4 , wherein said elastic compressed foam forms a first layer said elastic compressed foam and wherein said cleaning implement additionally comprises a second layer of material. 
     
     
         6 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 5 , wherein said second layer of material is a second foam layer. 
     
     
         7 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 6 , wherein said second foam layer is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane foams; polypropylene foams; polyethylene foams; cellulose foam sponges; naturally occurring sponges; open-cell polyester foams; and cross-lined polyethylene foams; and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         8 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 6 , wherein said layer of elastic compressed foam and said layer of second foam are joined by means of a permanent attachment or a temporary attachment. 
     
     
         9 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 8 , wherein said layer of said elastic compressed foam and said layer of a second foam are joined by an attachment means providing a permanent attachment selected from the group consisting of foam flame laminating the two layers together; use of a permanent adhesive; sewing the two layers together; and needle-punching the two layers together; and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of said elastic compressed foam layer is from about 5 mm to about 100 mm. 
     
     
         11 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 5 , wherein said cleaning implement comprises at least one additional layer. 
     
     
         12 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 4 , wherein said cleaning implement comprises two outer layers of said elastic compressed foam (a) and an inner layer of material. 
     
     
         13 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 12 , wherein said inner layer is a second foam material. 
     
     
         14 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 13 , wherein said inner layer of a second foam material is made of a foam material selected from the group consisting of polyurethane foams, polypropylene foams, polyethylene foams, cellulose foam sponges, naturally occurring sponges, open-cell polyester foams, and cross-lined polyethylene foams, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A cleaning implement according to  claim 1 , wherein said elastic compressed foam comprises at least one additive selected from the group consisting of biocides, solids, preferably abrasive materials and/or filler materials, surfactants, colorants, lubricants, cross-linkers, fragrances, plasticizers, odor scavengers, microcapsules and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         16 . A method of cleaning a hard surface with a cleaning implement according to  claim 1 .