Dish cloths are commonly used for cleaning purposes, particularly in catering facilities and in the household. Such cloths are used and re-used repeatedly and pick up bacteria: dish cloths are accordingly responsible for spreading bacteria and for consequent food poisoning on many occasions.

We have now devised a cloth which has, associated with it, a reduced risk of spreading bacteria or fungi and which, in preferred embodiments, has highly effective cleaning capabilities.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a cloth which comprises a carrier web carrying a multiplicity of loops of yarn, or such loops which have been subsequently severed, the carrier web being formed at least in part from yarn which exhibits an anti-bacterial and/or anti- fungal property.

In practice, the loops are distributed over the surface of the cloth, projecting loosely therefrom. In use of this cloth, the yarn having the anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal property inhibits the growth of bacteria and/or fungi on the cloth, so that the risk of bacteria and/or fungi being spread by the cloth is substantially reduced.

The carrier web may be formed at least in part from yarn which incorporates an agent or agents having an anti- bacterial and/or anti-fungal property. The yarn which incorporates the active agent preferably comprises a synthetic plastics material (particularly an acrylic) in which the active agent is dispersed, for example in particulate form.

Instead, the carrier web may be formed at least in part from yarn which includes silver: the yarn may include filaments or particles of silver, or may comprise one or more textile

fibres which have a layer or coating of silver bonded thereto.

It is known that silver has effective anti-bacterial and anti- fungal properties.

Preferably the yarn in the loops is split or sub- divided into a multiplicity of filaments or fibres: typically of the order of 1000 such microfibres may be formed. Cleaning cloths have been made hitherto, having a multiplicity of loops (or terry cloth loops) thus subdivided to provide the cloth with a very soft characteristic, which enables the fibres to enter very small crevices and so gives the cloth exceptionally efficient cleaning capabilities. Further, the microfibre construction of the terry loop yarn endows the cloth with a greatly enhanced absorbency characteristic.

The yarn from which the loops are formed may be of a known form, comprising a multiplicity of filaments of high-melt polymer material co-extruded with low-melt polymer material disposed between those filaments. The cloth may be subjected, after its formation, to a known process in which it is subjected to heat and immersed in alkali, to dissolve out the low-melt material and so subdivide the yarn into a multiplicity of filaments. The yarn may instead be subjected to this subdivision process before, rather than after, it is used in the formation of the cloth. The loops may be severed or trimmed after the cloth is formed, to provide a velour finish.

Preferably the carrier web of the cloth is of knitted construction. Preferably the multiplicity of loops also form part of the knitted construction.

The cloth in accordance with the present invention may be used as a dish cloth or other cleaning cloth. It may however be used as part of a wide variety of cleaning devices: for example it may be used to form the head (or cover the head) of a cleaning mop or other cleaning device.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged schematic view of a cloth in accordance with the present invention ; and FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the cloth of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a cloth in accordance with the invention, which comprises a web 10 onto which a multiplicity of loops 12 are formed, distributed over the surface of the cloth and projecting loosely therefrom, on both sides thereof.

The web 10 is itself of knitted construction and the multiplicity of. loops 12 also form part of the knitted construction. The yarn from which the loops 12 are formed comprises synthetic plastics material (for example a 70% polyester/30% polyamide material). The yarn in the loops 12 is split or subdivided into a multiplicity of fine fibres, typically of the order of 1000 such fibres.

In accordance with the invention, at least some of the yarns, from which the carrier web 10 is knitted, exhibit an anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal property. For example, the carrier web may be formed at least in part from yarn which incorporates an agent or agents having an anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal property. The yarn may comprise an acrylic material in which the anti-bacterial/anti-fungal agent is dispersed, for example in particulate form. One suitable yarn is marketed in the UK by Acordis UK Limited under the trade name BIOKRYL, see also UK Patent No. 2,309,461.

Instead, the carrier web may be formed at least in part from yarn which includes pure silver: the yarn may include filaments or particles of silver, or may comprise one or more textile fibres which have a layer or coating of silver bonded thereto (such fibres are available from Noble Fiber Technologies of Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA under the trade name X-Static).

The yarn in the loops 12 may be split or subdivided, into its multiplicity of fine fibres, in a known process

subsequent to formation of the cloth: in this case, the cloth is subjected to heat and immersed in alkali, to dissolve out low-melt polymer material disposed between high-melt filaments of the yarn. Alternatively, the yarn may be split, using the same process, prior to formation of the cloth.

It will be appreciated that the micro-fibre construction of the terry loops 12 of the cloth give the cloth a very soft characteristic and endows the cloth with exceptionally effective cleaning capabilities and with greatly enhanced absorbency. Further, the active agent incorporated into the yarn of the carrier web 10 inhibits the growth of bacteria and/or fungi, so that the risk of bacteria and/or fungi being spread by the cloth is substantially reduced.