Pre-moistened wipes

• US 7,470,656 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Policicchio, Nicola John, Trinh, Toan, Sherry, Alan Edward, Cella, Cynthia Elaine, Morelli, Joseph Paul, Flora, Jeffrey Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Ogden, Jr.; Necholus
• Application Number:
  US11/073,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 510/438
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/20 Mops
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/22 with liquid-feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/256 for mops made of cloth
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 13/51 Storing of cleaning tools, e.g. containers therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0861 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 9/0866 the pump being a gear, centrifugal or screw-type pump
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/00 Cleaning by methods involving the use of tools cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto B08B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/143 Wipes
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/662 Carbohydrates or derivatives
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/72 Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 1/825 Mixtures of compounds all of which are non-ionic
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 17/049 Cleaning or scouring pads; Wipes
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/323 urea or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3792 Amine oxide containing polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/43 Solvents
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/505 encapsulated or adsorbed on a carrier, e.g. zeolite or clay

Abstract

The present invention provides preferred, preferably liquid, hard surface cleaning compositions, compositions with cleaning liquid composition on a substrate, compositions used with absorbent pads and implements and devices for making the process of cleaning hard surfaces and/or maintaining their appearance and hygiene easier and more effective. These compositions, along with specific instructions for use are advantageous for removal of and/or prevention of buildup of soils commonly encountered on floors, glass surfaces, counters, walls, showers and/or tubs, said compositions comprising hydrophilic polymers to render the cleaned surface hydrophilic and to improve the appearance when the surface is either not rinsed, or when the composition is incompletely removed, specific surfactant, preferably surfactant selected to minimize spotting/filming, optionally specific organic cleaning solvents to provide cleaning and wetting particularly in applications where levels of non-volatiles need to be minimized, and, optionally, anti-bacterial agents for preserving or surface activity and optionally perfumes for aesthetics.

Claims

1. A pre-moistened wipe for use on hard surfaces such as bathroom surfaces, glass surfaces, countertops, walls and floors, comprising:

a) a substrate,

i) wherein the substrate comprises from about 0-35% by weight of hydrophilic fibers and from about 65-100% by weight of hydrophobic fibers, and from 0-25% by weight of a latex binder;

ii) wherein the substrate has a basis weight of from about 30 to about 100 grams per square meter and comprises at least one low basis weight region and at least one high basis weight region, wherein each low basis weight region has a basis weight that is not more than about 80% of the basis weight of the high basis weight region; and

iii) wherein the substrate comprises a pre-moistened outer layer, premoistened with a composition;

one or more impermeable film or membrane layers; and

a second outer layer, wherein the second outer layer is substantially dry and comprises absorbent hydrophilic fibers or a blend of cellulose and synthetic fibers;

b) a composition,

i) wherein the composition comprises from about 0.005% of a hydrophilic polymer, wherein the hydrophilic polymer reduces the contact angle and/or increases the surface hydrophilicity;

ii) from about 0.5% to about 2% of a detergent surfactant, comprising an alkyl polysaccharide detergent surfactant; and

iii) the balance comprising an aqueous solvent system, wherein said composition has a pH under usage conditions from about 2-12 and wherein the composition provides only negligible visible residue even when a surface treated with the composition is not rinsed or rubbed to dryness; and

wherein the substrate is wetted with said composition at a level from about 1.5-15 g per gram of the dry weight substrate.

2. The premoistened wipe of claim 1, wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of:

polystyrene sulfonate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl pyrrolidone acrylic acid copolymer, polyvinyl pyrrolidone acrylic acid copolymer sodium salt, polyvinyl pyrrolidone acrylic acid copolymer potassium salt, polyvinyl pyrrolidone-vinyl imidazoline, polyvinyl pyridine, polyvinyl pyridine n-oxide, and mixtures thereof.

3. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 1, wherein the pre-moistened substrate is macrospocially three-dimensional.

4. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 1, further comprising a scrim material, wherein the scrim material is hydroentangled with a fibrous material.

5. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises an inner absorbent layer comprising a reservoir, wherein the inner absorbent layer is moistened with the composition at a level from about 1.5-15 g per gram of the dry weight substrate and the wipe is constructed such that the dimensions of the inner absorptive layer are smaller than the dimensions of the two outer layers.

6. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 5, wherein the pre-moistened outer layer comprises from about 0-50% by weight of hydrophilic polymers which are selected from the group consisting of wood pulp, cotton, rayon, and mixtures thereof;

and from about 50-100% by weight of hydrophobic fibers selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, and mixtures thereof; and

wherein the outer layer has a basis weight of from about 30-100 g/m².

7. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 6, wherein the substantially dry outer layer further comprises a super-absorbent polymer.

8. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 6, wherein the substrate further comprises a second absorbent layer, wherein the second absorbent layer is located adjacent to the substantially dry outer layer and the impermeable membrane and comprises a super-absorbent polymer.

9. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 1, wherein the premoistened outer layer comprises a laminate selected from the group consisting of:

non-woven substrates of polyester, rayon fibers, and mixtures thereof.

10. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 9, wherein the substrate further comprises an inner constraining layer attached to the laminate.

11. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 9, further comprising a handle, wherein the laminate structure further comprises a back layer and the back layer is attached to the handle.

12. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 1, further comprising perfume wherein the perfume is applied to a location selected from:

a perimeter of the wipe, areas of the wipe which do not contact the surface to be treated, and a package containing the wipe.

13. The pre-moistened wipe of claim 3, further comprising a suds suppressor.

14. An article of manufacture comprising:

a) the wipe of claim 5, and

b) instructions for use.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the instructions state the following with pictures and/or words,

to wipe in an up and down and overlapping motion until all of a surface is completely wet or the wipe no longer wets the area being cleaned.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the instructions state the following with pictures and/or words,

to wipe in an up and down pattern from left to right or right to left, with a slight weaving motion covering about 1-2 meters or about 3-6 feet, in an overlapping motion, and then reverse the up and down pattern right to left, or left to right, in overlapping motions such that the entire area to be cleaned has been wiped twice.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the instructions state the following with pictures and/or words, to wipe in an up and down pattern from left to right or right to left, with a slight weaving motion covering about 1-2 meters or about 3-6 feet, in an overlapping motion, and then going over the same area with a side-to-side motion such that the entire area to be cleaned has been wiped twice.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the pre-moistened wipe wets from about 3-15 m² of surface area without leaving the surface area dry when the absorbent layer comprises a basis weight of from about 100 to about 500 g/m².

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the composition further comprises materials from the group consisting of:

ammonium hydroxide, 2-dimethylamino-2-methyl-1-propanol, acetic acid, and mixtures thereof, wherein said materials have a molecular weight of less than about 150 g/mole.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the composition further comprises from about 0.25-5% of an aqueous solvent selected from the group consisting of:

methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, iso-butanol, pentanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 2-butanone, methoxymethanol, methoxyethanol, methoxy propanol, and mixtures thereof.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the composition further comprises from about 0.01% to about 1% of one or more cyclodextrins selected from the group consisting of:

hydroxypropyl alpha-cyclodextrin, methylated alpha-cyclodextrin, methylated beta-cyclodextrin, hydroxyethyl beta-cyclodextrin, and hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin, and mixtures thereof.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the composition further comprises from about 0.001% to about 0.2% of one or more antimicrobials selected from the group consisting of:

tetrakis (hydroxymethyl phosphonium sulfate (THPS), dichloro-s-triazinetrione, tricholoro-s-triazinetrione, dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, C12, C14 and C16 dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides, bronopol, hexitidine, methyl chloroisothiazolinone, methyl isothiazolinone, 2-((hydroxymethyl) (amino)ethanol, propylene glycol, sodium hydroxymethyl amino acetate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one, chlorhexidine diacetate, sodium pyrithione, polyhexamethylene biguanide, and mixtures thereof.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the composition further comprises a hydrophobic organic cleaning solvent at a level of from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of the composition and the total non-volatiles excluding perfume and antimicrobials are from about 0% to 0.055% by weight of the composition such that the composition reduces the surface tension of deionized water which is normally 72 dynes/cm at room temperature, by more than about 30 dynes/cm.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 14, further comprising an absorbent pad in association with instructions, with pictures and/or words selected from the group consisting of:

a. to insure optimum usage and to make it easy for the consumer to decide when to dispose of used pad, instructions to view the back of the pad when it has a clear back sheet to see at what point it is completely saturated with dirt and liquid;

b. words and/or pictures explaining which side of pad to attach to mop;

c. to achieve optimum results of leaving behind non-visible residue, instructions comprising the suggestion, with pictures and/or words, to first thoroughly sweep and/or vacuum before wet mopping, then prime pad by applying from about 1 to about 3 sprays in a small area, where 1 spray can deliver from about 5 to about 15 mls, and wipe pad across area back and forth several times until solution is almost completely absorbed, follow this by applying 1 to 2 sprays per every square meter or 3×

3 square foot of cleaning area, to provide from about 10 to about 20 mls per square meter, and wipe up-and-down in an overlapping motion and then back in reverse direction using either an up and down motion or a side-to-side motion, said instructions optionally being modified to accommodate a lower out-put dosing device which applies from about 1 to about 4 mls per spray, such that number of sprays recommended for use per square meter would be from about 5 to about 30;

d. where the composition is delivered to the surface using as a delivery device a dosing device which is battery or electrically powered and applies continuous flow such that number of sprays is defined by number of seconds to hold dispensing trigger or button, instructions that suggest with pictures and/or words using a sweeping motion from right to left then left to right, or left to right then right to left, to cover about 1 square meter area dispensing from about 3 to about 10 seconds wherein the delivery rate is about 2 to 5 mls per second;

e. optionally, instructions to accommodate dosing product from a squirt bottle such that instructions suggest with pictures and/or words, that the consumer gently squeeze bottle to dispense liquid and cover about 1 square meter area before mopping;

f. where there is tough spot cleaning, instructions that the consumer pre-treat tough spots by saturating with liquid and letting stand for several minutes before cleaning;

g. where the composition is sold as a concentrate, appropriate dilution instructions to create said composition;

h. for maximizing mileage from the pad and delivering best results instructions to start cleaning in lightly soiled rooms and finish cleaning in heavily soiled rooms;

i. for ease of strike through of picking up liquid spills, or doing quick cleaning instructions to always have said pad attached to said implement; and

j. for further convenience instructions that the solution can be held by reservoir in mop or held in separate container that can be attached to mop.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the instructions, are selected for a composition for cleaning a bath area and selected from the group consisting of:

a. surface instructions to dose the optimum product levels of about 10 mls to about 30 mls per square meter using sprayers which can dose from about 1 to 3 mls per spray, said instructions comprising pictures and/or words, and said instructions comprising starting with a clean shower and/or bath area, and applying product after every shower, using from about 3 to 30 sprays per square meter, or 1 to 3 sprays per square foot, after every shower and/or bath and that for best results one should start with a clean shower and/or bath area, and cover the surface evenly and thoroughly after every shower and/or bath and moving the spraying device in a side-to-side sweeping motion and/or for antibacterial, anti-mildew, and/or antimicrobial control, the composition needs to be used for about 4-8 weeks after every shower, and instructions that for best results one should apply more product if during the next shower the water is not completely sheeting off the shower area and surrounding surfaces;

b. where the composition is sold as a concentrate, appropriate dilution instructions to create said composition; and

c. combinations thereof.

26. An article of manufacture comprising a package containing a wipe according to claim 5, in association with instructions to clean a hard surface using a process in which the composition is not completely removed from the treated surface.

27. An article of manufacture according to claim 14, further comprising a storage device selected from the group consisting of:

hanging baskets, shelving directly on shower head, walls, doors or side of tubs, wherein the storage device comprises an attachment mechanism selected from the group consisting of;

hooks, fasteners, adhesives, screws and suction cups and mixtures thereof;

and a refill package comprising a concentrated composition with instructions for dilution to achieve best results, wherein the instructions include a suggestion to have a refill package in close proximity to an area of use.