Stable microemulsion cleaning composition

• US 5,108,643 A
• Filed: 11/07/1988
• Issued: 04/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
• Original Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
• Inventors: Blanvalet, Claude, Valange, Baudouin, Loth, Myriam
• Primary Examiner(s): Barr, Josephine
• Application Number:
  US07/267,872
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 252/122, 252/174.11, 252/174.16, 252/174.21, 252/170, 252/171, 252/162, 252/174.19, 252/162
• US Class Current: 510/238
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/0021 Aqueous microemulsions
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/50 Perfumes

Abstract

Stable microemulsion cleaning compositions are described which, in the absence of opacifying component, appear clear to the eye, and which are especialy useful for cleaning surfaces having oily or greasy soils thereon, which comprise synthetic organic detergent, water, co-surfactant of a described type, and perfume (or equivalent hydrocarbon). The detergent composition may be concentrated and may be employed as is, or it may be in dilution with water, in the form of a similarly clear and stable microemulsion. In process aspects of the invention both the concentrated and the diluted compositions may be employed to remove oily and greasy stains from substrates, such as normally shiny bathroom fixture and floor and wall surfaces, including tiles, by a "spray and wipe" process, which leaves the surface shiny, with minimal or no rinsing needed. When the invented compositions are acidic they are also useful for removing lime scale and soap scum from hard surfaces. Also described are processes for manufacturing the invented compositions.

Claims

1. A stable aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition in concentrated or dilute form, which, in the absence of opacifying component, is clear, and which is useful as an all-purpose cleaning composition, both the concentrated and diluted embodiments being especially effective to clean oily and greasy soils from substrates, which composition comprises anionic synthetic organic detergent and/or nonionic synthetic organic detergent, essentially water insoluble perfume, water and co-surfactant, which co-surfactant adjusts interfacial conformation to reduce interfacial tension between dispersed and continuous phases of said detergent(s), perfume and water of such microemulsion and thereby produces a stable microemulsion which, in the absence of opacifying component, is clear and stable at temperatures in the range of 5°

to 50°

C., and at a pH in the range of 1 to 11, and which composition does not contain any solvents for oils and greases other than the perfume.

2. A stable microemulsion cleaning composition according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic organic detergent component is a mixture of anionic and nonionic synthetic organic detergents and the co-surfactant is a water soluble lower alkanol of 2 to 4 carbon atoms, a polypropylene glycol of 2 to 18 propoxy units, a monoalkyl ether of a lower glycol of the formula RO(X)_n H wherein R is a C_1-4 alkyl and X is CH₂ CH₂ O, CH(CH₃)CH₂ O or CH₂ CH₂ CH₂ O, and n is from 1 to 4, a monoalkyl ester of the formula R¹ O(X)_n H wherein R¹ is a C_2-4 acyl and X and n are as immediately previously described, an aryl substituted lower alkanol of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, propylene carbonate, an aliphatic mono-, d i-, or tri-carboxylic acid of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, a mono-, di- or tri-hydroxy substituted aliphatic mono-, di-, or tri-carboxylic acid of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, a higher alkyl ether poly-lower alkoxy carboxylic acid of the formula R² O(X)_n YCOOH, wherein R² is a C_9-15 alkyl, n is from 4 to 12, and Y is CH₂, C(O)R³ or ##STR2## wherein R³ is a C_1-3 alkylene, or a lower alkyl mono-, di-, or tri-ester of phosphoric acid, wherein the lower alkyl is of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or any mixture thereof.

3. A microemulsion cleaning composition according to claim 2 wherein the proportions of synthetic organic detergents, perfume, water and co-surfactant are in the ranges of 5 to 65%, 2 to 50%, 15 to 85% and 2 to 50%, respectively.

4. A cleaning composition according to claim 3 wherein the synthetic organic detergent mixture is of an anionic detergent which is the higher linear alkylbenzene sulfonate or a higher paraffin sulfonate, or a mixture thereof, each of which is of 9 to 18 carbon atoms in the higher alkyl and paraffin moieties thereof, and wherein the nonionic detergent is a condensation product of higher fatty alcohol of 8 to 18 carbon atoms with 2 to 30 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of higher fatty alcohol.

5. A composition according to claim 4 wherein the perfume includes 1 to 35% of terpenes, on a product basis, and the co-surfactant is ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol isobutyl ether, glutaric acid or a mixture of glutaric, adipic and succinic acids, or any mixture thereof, and in which the microemulsion is of dispersed phase particle sizes in the range of 50 to 1500 Å

in diameter.

6. A composition according to claim 5 which, when anionic detergent is present in the composition, comprises 0.1 to 2.5 equivalents, in salt, oxide or hydroxide form, of a bivalent or multivalent metal cation per equivalent of said anionic detergent or in which at least 50% of said anionic detergent, on a molar basis, is a salt of a bivalent or multivalent metal, and wherein the pH is in the range of 2 to 7.

7. A composition according to claim 6 which comprises 0.5 to 10% of a C_8-22 fatty acid or fatty acid soap, and which is low-foaming.

8. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the proportions of synthetic organic detergent(s), perfume, water and co-surfactant are in the ranges of 5 to 65%, 2 to 50%, 15 to 85% and 2 to 50%, respectively.

9. A composition according to claim 3, of a pH in the range of 1 to 4, which is especially useful for removing lime scale and soap scum from bathtub and tile surfaces.

10. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the co-surfactant is dipropylene glycol monobutyl ether or dipropylene glycol isobutyl ether or a mixture thereof.

11. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the co-surfactant is a mixture of adipic acid, glutaric acid and succinic acid in proportions within the ranges of 1-3:

1-8;

1-5, respectively, and the pH is in the range of 1 to 4.

12. A stable aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition which is of a formula corresponding to one part of a concentrated composition of claim 3, diluted with four parts of water.

13. A stable aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition which is of a formula corresponding to one part of a concentrated composition of claim 5 diluted with four parts of water.

14. A stable aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition which is of a formula corresponding to one part of a concentrated composition of claim 6 diluted with four parts of water.

15. A stable aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition which is of a formula corresponding to one part of a concentrated composition of claim 11 diluted with four parts of water.

16. A process for manufacturing a stable clear aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition which is in accordance with the description thereof in claim 1, which comprises dissolving the synthetic organic detergent in the water, admixing the co-surfactant with the aqueous detergent solution and subsequently admixing the perfume with the aqueous solution or emulsion of detergent, water and co-surfactant, at a temperature in the range of 5°

to 50°

C., which results in a clear and stable microemulsion cleaning composition which is of a pH in the range of 1 to 11 and in which the microemulsion is of dispersed phase particle sizes in the range of 50 to 1,500 Å

in diameter.

17. A process for diluting the stable clear aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition of claim 1 to produce a diluted stable clear aqueous microemulsion cleaning composition of claim 6, which comprises adding four parts by weight of water at a temperature in the range of 5°

to 50°

C. to one part by weight of a composition of claim 1, which is at substantially the same temperature, while maintaining mixing of the composition during the addition of the water.

18. A process for removing oily soils from surfaces which comprises applying to such surfaces from which the oily soil is to be removed a composition of claim 1, whereby the oily soil is absorbed into the dispersed lipophilic phase of the composition, and removing such composition and the oily soil from such surface.

19. A process for removing oily soils from surfaces which comprises applying to such surfaces from which the oily soil is to be removed a composition of claim 12, whereby the oily soil is absorbed into the dispersed lipophilic phase of the composition, and removing such composition and the oily soil from such surface.

20. A process for removing lime scale and soap scum from bathtubs, sinks, bathroom tiles and other hard surfaces which comprises spraying onto such a surface a composition in accordance with claim 9 and removing such composition and the lime scale and/or soap scum from such a surface.

21. A process for removing lime scale and soap scum from bathtubs, sinks and bathroom tile and other hard surfaces which comprises spraying onto such surfaces a composition in accordance with claim 14 and removing such composition and the lime scale and/or soap scum from such surfaces.