Emboss laminated fibrous material

A method of producing a multi-ply fibrous material suitable for use as a wipe, swab, sponge or other cleaning device which comprises:

• bringing together a first backing layer of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, compactly assembled natural wood pulp fibers bonded to each other with adhesive binder to provide wet strength, with at least one liquid absorbent layer formed of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers having a multiplicity of interstices between them, said fibers including both liquid absorbent natural wood pulp fibers and wettable thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers, said thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers in said second-named fibrous layer having a melting point lower than the other fibers of that layer and of said first layer;
• applying heat and pressure to said layers in a discontinuous embossing pattern across said layers to heat fuse and reliably bond thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers of said second-named layer to said backing layer;
• and
• applying heat in the absence of pressure to the remainder of said juxtaposed layers to heat fuse and bond thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers contained in said second-named fibrous layer to each other and to other fibers in said second-named layer to provide a three-dimensional network of stabilized absorbent cellulose fibers having good liquid holding capacity in the portions of said second-named fibrous layer lying in the unembossed areas of said discontinuous pattern.