A hand-held laundry treating apparatus includes a portable body for storing wash water and contaminated water, supplying wash water according to positive pressure air supplied into the portable body, collecting contaminated water generated during washing of a laundry item using negative pressure air created during generation of the positive pressure air, and washing a localized portion of the laundry item while being in contact with the laundry item placed on a vertical plane or a horizontal plane, and a water tank separately mounted at the portable body for storing wash water to be supplied when washing the localized portion of the laundry item placed on the vertical plane or the horizontal plane and contaminated water generated after washing of the laundry item.

Stain cleaning devices are presented including: a base forming a tapered cylinder and having a base upper opening and a base lower opening, the base configured for receiving a fabric; and a ring forming a tapered sleeve that is complementary with the base, where the ring includes a ring upper opening and a ring lower opening, and where the ring secures the fabric over the base. In some embodiments, devices further include: an insert disc having a top surface and a bottom surface, where the insert is positioned between the base upper opening and the fabric and where the insert includes, a washboard surface along the top surface and a soaking tray surface along the bottom surface. In some embodiments, the washboard surface includes a texture selected from the group consisting of: a raised cross texture, a raised parallel texture, and a number of raised individual features.

A washing machine includes: a frame, a drum receiving laundry, a washing chamber including (i) a first housing defining an opening and a space into which the drum is inserted, (ii) a barrier surrounding the opening and coupled to the first housing, and (iii) a second housing surrounding a first surface of the barrier and coupled to the first housing, a storage tank receiving carbon dioxide to be supplied to the drum, a distillation chamber separating contaminants dissolved in liquid carbon dioxide, an electronic unit, and a configuration unit. The configuration unit includes a pipe moving the carbon dioxide, a first compressor and a second compressor compressing the carbon dioxide discharged after washing is completed in the drum and moving the compressed carbon dioxide into the storage tank, and an oil separator separating oil from the carbon dioxide compressed in the first compressor and the second compressor.

A stain removing device that removes stains with a constant knocking force and speed throughout and steadily supply liquid needed to remove stains. The stain removing device includes a head part forming a knocking surface, a vibration unit causing the head part to vibrate in a direction substantially orthogonal to the knocking surface by supplying power, a liquid containing part for containing liquid, and a water supply path of its one end is connected to the liquid containing part and the other end being opened around the head part. The water supply path is configured to supply the liquid to the periphery of the head part via the other end, along with the vibration of head part caused by the vibration unit.

A densified fluid barrier cleaning system is disclosed in which a pressure vessel encases a movable basket positioned so as to cross a barrier such that one opening of the pressure vessel resides in a first environment and a second opening of the pressure vessel resides in a second environment. A tubular basket within the pressure vessel is positioned such that its central longitudinal axis is aligned with both the first and second opening of the pressure vessel. Responsive to the successful completion of a cleaning cycle, soiled articles that are introduced to the basket via the first opening from the first environment can be removed through the second opening and into the second environment thus bridging the barrier without fear of introducing contaminants from the first environment to second environment.

A densified fluid barrier cleaning system is disclosed in which a pressure vessel encases a movable basket positioned so as to cross a barrier such that one opening of the pressure vessel resides in a first environment and a second opening of the pressure vessel resides in a second environment. A tubular basket within the pressure vessel is positioned such that its central longitudinal axis is aligned with both the first and second opening of the pressure vessel. Responsive to the successful completion of a cleaning cycle, soiled articles that are introduced to the basket via the first opening from the first environment can be removed through the second opening and into the second environment thus bridging the barrier without fear of introducing contaminants from the first environment to second environment.

The present invention provides a method for cleaning fabric articles which comprises the steps of: washing the fabric articles with a cleaning solvent in a rotatable drum; rotating the drum at a high spin speed for a high spin period of time after the performance of said washing step; and heating the fabric articles for at least a period of time during the performance of said rotating step. During the heating step, at least some of the cleaning solvent is removed from the fabric articles in both liquid and vapor phases. Heating the fabric articles decreases attractive forces between the liquid phase cleaning solvent and the fabric articles, facilitating the separation and hence removal of additional quantities of the cleaning solvent from the fabric articles.

A garment processing unit is provided that can carry out ironing, deodorizing, screen printing, dry cleaning, wet vacuuming, steam cleaning and the like over multiple garments simultaneously. The unit delivers heat and/or steam, air, water, detergents and fragrances to clothing, garment or fabrics and the like for removing wrinkles and or applying heat transfer, cleaning, drying, deodorizing, and perfuming to single or multiple articles of clothing simultaneously.

A clothes care apparatus may include a cabinet, a first chamber formed inside the cabinet and configured to accommodate clothes, a first door configured to open or close the first chamber, the first door having a second chamber and configured to accommodate clothes, a second door configured to open or close the second chamber and rotatably coupled to the first door, and a spot cleaner disposed inside the second chamber and configured to spot clean the clothes accommodated in the second chamber. The spot cleaner is movable inside the second chamber to spot clean a target area of the clothes accommodated in the second chamber.

One variation of a method includes: receiving a garment within a chamber of a kiosk; accessing a garment type and a fabric type of the garment; allocating a volume of a cleaning fluid for application on a target region of the garment, predicted to contain odorous molecules based on the garment type, based on the fabric type; dispensing the volume of the cleaning fluid onto the target region of the garment via a nozzle to modify odorous molecules in the target region of the garment and perfume the garment; articulating a steam nozzle to expel a steam jet across an interior surface of the garment, tension local regions of the garment, and locally heat regions of the garment above a transition temperature; and cooling the garment below the transition temperature to set the garment in an unwrinkled state.