Elastic soap-bar cover

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a soap-bar cover comprising a water-permeable fabric, and particularly a soap-bar cover exhibiting a stretch and recovery performance while maintaining a substantially planar surface. Soap-bar covers fabricated in accordance with the present invention are particularly useful as a means for enhancing the cleansing properties of commercially available soap-bar products. The soap-bar cover is composed of a woven or nonwoven fabric exhibiting stretch and recovery properties. Use of a stretch and recovery fabric in the soap-bar cover allows for the cover to conform to the contours of the soap-bar and is thus able to adjust to a wide variety of soap-bar profiles including cubic and ovoid.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A soap-bar cover comprising a water-permeable fabric exhibiting recoverable extensibility of at least 20% and a recovery of at least 50%, said nonwoven fabric further exhibiting a substantially planar surface.  
     
     
         2 . A soap-bar cover as in  claim 1 , wherein the fabric is comprised of fibers selected from the group consisting of staple length fiber, continuous filament, and the combinations thereof.  
     
     
         3 . A soap-bar cover as in  claim 2 , wherein the fibers are selected from the group consisting of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, and the combinations thereof.  
     
     
         4 . A soap-bar cover as in  claim 2 , wherein the fibers or filaments exhibit inherent recoverable extensibility.  
     
     
         5 . A soap-bar cover as in  claim 2 , wherein the fabric is a nonwoven fabric.  
     
     
         6 . A soap-bar cover as in  claim 5 , wherein the nonwoven fabric is imparted with recoverable extensibility by the application of elastic binding chemistries.  
     
     
         7 . A soap-bar cover as in  claim 5 , wherein the nonwoven fabric is imparted with recoverable extensibility by the application of hydroentanglement on an image transfer device.