Method for refreshening items of clothing

Abstract

Refreshening sheet and method for using it to restore stretched, wrinkled, or odorous garments to wearability without actual laundering. Sheet is a polyester/polyamide microfiber textile sheet with long loop pile on one side and density of 300 grams per square meter. Refreshening sheet is saturated with plain water and tumbled in a rotary dryer along with dry garments for ten to twenty minutes. The refreshening is accomplished by the generated steam and the massaging action of the slightly abrasive loops.

1 . A method for refreshening garments that are wrinkled, stretched out of shape, odorous, or slightly soiled, including the steps of:
 placing dry garments in a rotary clothes dryer;   providing a suitable refreshening sheet of microfiber textile having a loop pile texture on at least one side;   saturating the refreshening sheet with water;   placing the saturated refreshening sheet in the dryer; and   tumbling the garments and sheet together in the dryer with heat.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a sheet of microfiber textile having a pile texture on at least one side further includes:
 providing a sheet of microfiber textile with a fiber composition in the range of 70 to 80 percent polyester and 20 to 30 percent polyamide.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of providing a sheet of microfiber textile having a pile texture on at least one side and with a fiber composition in the range of 70 to 80 percent polyester and 20 to 30 percent polyamide further includes:
 providing a sheet of microfiber textile having a pile texture on one side with a density of 275 to 325 grams per square meter.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the step of providing a sheet of microfiber textile having a pile texture on at least one side and with a fiber composition in the range of 70 to 80 percent polyester and 20 to 30 percent polyamide further includes:
 providing a sheet of microfiber textile with one side including pile loops that are two to six mm long.   
   
   
       5 . A method for refreshening garments that are wrinkled, stretched out of shape, odorous, or slightly soiled, including the steps of:
 placing dry garments in a rotary clothes dryer;   providing a refreshening sheet consisting of a sheet of microfiber textile having a pile texture;   saturating the refreshening sheet with water;   placing the saturated refreshening sheet in the dryer; and   tumbling the garments and sheet together with heat sufficient to create steam from the water contained by the refreshening sheet.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of saturating the refreshening sheet with water includes the substeps of:
 immersing the refreshening sheet in standing or running water; and   removing excess water by squeezing or wringing the sheet such that substantially no water drips from the refreshening sheet by the force of gravity.   
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of placing the saturated refreshening sheet in the dryer comprises:
 spreading the refreshening sheet in a substantially horizontal disposition on top of the garments.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the step of tumbling the garments and sheet together with heat sufficient to create steam from the water contained by the refreshening sheet comprises:
 activating the rotary clothes dryer to rotate with the garments and the refreshening sheet inside, with controls set such that the air inside the rotary clothes dryer reaches a temperature of 200 to 275 degrees F.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 5 , further including a final step of:
 removing the garments from the rotary clothes dryer after five to fifteen minutes of tumbling with heat.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 5 , further including a final step of:
 removing the garments from the rotary clothes dryer within ten minutes after the tumbling motion of the rotary clothes dryer has stopped.