BRPI0712452A2 - liquid composition for cleaning hard surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

NET COMPOSITION FOR CLEANING RIGID SURFACES. The present invention is related to liquid rigid surface cleaning compositions and methods for cleaning rigid surfaces. In particular, the invention relates to effervescent compositions. Accordingly, the present invention provides a liquid rigid surface cleaning composition comprising: 0.2-10% by weight of an anionic surfactant, selected from C6-C9 alkyl sulfonates; 0.1 - 10% by weight of a solvent; and 0.01-0.3% by weight of a polymer. In that sense, said rigid surface cleaning compositions provide effervescent rigid surface cleaning compositions.

Description

Patent Invention Descriptive Report

Rigid Surface Cleaner Liquid Composition

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to hard surface cleaning compositions and methods for cleaning these surfaces. In particular, the invention relates to effervescent compositions.

Background of the Invention

Traditionally, in home cleaning, surface cleaners have been designed to carefully clean a surface. Today's consumers are increasingly associating sensory marks (such as odor, color and sound) with effective cleansing. Therefore, the presence of such marks becomes as important as the effective cleaning of hard surfaces. The presence of foam gives the consumer the perception that the detergent is working. An attractive color is associated with hygiene. And a sparkling sound is perceived as an active cleansing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide effervescent hard surface cleaning compositions.

We have found that an effervescent composition can be obtained from the mixture of detergents with properties such as to allow foam formation and collapse to result in an effervescent sound. Foam is defined as a dispersion of gas in a liquid and cannot be formed from pure liquids, but requires a liquid and a surface active agent such as a surfactant. The appearance of a foam is related to the amount of air dispersed within the surfactant containing the solution. It is desirable that the amount and appearance of the foam generated by the household cleaning product is related to the consumer's expectation of that product. It is desirable for the foam to be easily formed. Therefore, it is another object of the present invention for the composition to be applied by a trigger spray applicator.

It is therefore an additional object of the present invention that good cleaning results can be obtained with the composition of the invention.

Surprisingly, we have found that compositions comprising short chain surfactants, solvents and polymers can have effervescent properties as described herein, when mixed at the correct concentrations.

Compositions comprising similar components are described in the state of the art, but not at such concentrations as to provide effervescence properties. For example, WO 99/61569 describes acidic cleaning compositions comprising decyl sulfate, solvent and polymer. WO 99/18182 describes hard surface cleaning compositions comprising lower alkyl sulfonate, polymer and solvent, but outside the range required for an effervescent composition.

DE 10 2004 040 848 A1 describes bathroom cleaning compositions comprising taurine modified acrylic polymers as well as alkyl sulfate, solvent and xanthan gum. According to the application, said polymers leave a dirt repellent film on the surface, which increases the removal of fecal dirt.

WO 96/34933 describes glass cleaning compositions comprising linear alkyl sulfate surfactants, in particular long chain alkyl sulfate surfactants, in order to contribute to detergency and promoting reduced scratches and films.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides an aqueous liquid hard surface cleaning composition comprising:

(a) 1 - 10% by weight of an anionic surfactant selected from C6 -C9 alkyl sulfonates; (b) 0.1-10% by weight of a water-soluble or water-miscible solvent; and

(c) 0.01 - 0.3% by weight of a polymer selected from natural gums and their derivatives, as well as polysaccharide thickeners and their derivatives;

(d) water, where the ratio between the molar concentration of surfactant in the composition and the CMC is below 5.0.

The invention further provides a method for treating hard surfaces with the composition of the present invention and a spray applicator comprising the composition.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from reading the following detailed description of the invention and the appended claims. For the avoidance of doubt, any feature of one aspect of the present invention may be used in any other aspect of the invention. It may be noted that the examples given in the following description are intended to clarify the invention and are not intended to be limited by the examples per se. Similarly, all percentages are weight / weight percentages unless otherwise indicated. Numeric ranges expressed in the format "from χ to y" are understood to include χ and y. When for a given characteristic several preferred ranges are described in the format "from χ to y", it is understood that the combination of all ranges comprising the different limits is also contemplated.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Not limited to any particular theory, it is currently believed that the effervescent properties of the invention are achieved by the characteristics of the foams described herein. The composition is capable of forming air bubbles (foam). The air bubbles in the foam must be able to agglutinate rapidly and also rapidly collapse. Agglutination and collapse generate an effervescent sound. To achieve this characteristic, the foam properties of the composition must satisfy the specific characteristics described below.

Foam is defined as a dispersion of gas in a liquid. Stable foams cannot be formed from pure liquids but require a liquid and surface active agent such as a surfactant. The appearance of the foam is related to the amount of air dispersed in the surfactant containing the solution. In small amounts of gas, the foam is thick and creamy, while in large gas / solution proportions, the foam bubbles are separated by a thin coverslip.

The maximum amount of foam is usually obtained just below the critical micellar concentration of the surfactant system. For a high foam level, sufficient surfactant should be adsorbed at the air-water interface to provide adequate surface tension gradients, repulsive forces across the foam films and surface tension sufficiently small to inhibit the effects of defoamer. Surface tension gradients are required to restore forces against any external stress.

The micellar critical concentration is dependent, among others, on the molecule itself (alkyl chain size, branch level, EO chain size, functional group type, counter ions, etc.), ionic strength, temperature and pH. Anionic surfactants generally have a higher critical micellar concentration than nonionic surfactants of the same alkyl chain size.

In effervescent compositions, the foam is not only easily formed but also agglutinates and collapses relatively quickly and thereby generates an effervescent sound.

Anionic Short Chain Surfactant

One component that has an effect on foam formation is the surfactant. The compositions of the invention comprise short chain anionic surfactant. This type of surfactant comprises a short alkyl chain and a charged functional group. For purposes of this invention, short chain is any alkyl chain of 6 to 9 carbon atoms. The charged functional group of the anionic surfactant is sulfonate.

The composition may further comprise a C6 -C9 alkyl sulfate.

Therefore, the anionic surfactant of the invention has the general formula 1:

<formula> formula see original document page 6 </formula> where:

-R is C6, C7, Cs, C9 alkyl or mixtures thereof,

- n is 0 or 1 and

- M is alkali metal ion, preferably potassium (K +) or sodium (Na +), more preferably sodium (Na +).

C7- and Cs- alkyl surfactants are preferred according to general formula 1 above. Even more preferred are C7- and Cs- alkyl surfactants according to general formula 1 above, where n = 0.

Anionic surfactant is present in the composition at a concentration of at or above 1% w / w and at or below 10% w / w. More preferably, the concentration is at or below 8% w / w, more preferably at or below 6% w / w, more preferably at or below 5% w / w. The concentration is preferably at or above 2% w / w, more preferably at or above 2.5% w / w. Polymer

Another component that has influence on the foam is a thickening polymer. The polymer of the invention is a thickener polymer, being natural gums and derivatives thereof, as well as polysaccharide thickeners and derivatives thereof.

Especially preferred are natural polysaccharide gums such as xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan gum, etc. Shawl gums are widely available. Examples of suitable gums are Rhodopol T (Rhodia), Kelzan ST and Rheozan (Rhodia), Keltrol (CP Kelco). Also preferred are cellulose-based polysaccharide thickeners, preferably hydroxyethylcellulose or hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (such as Natrosol HR 250, eg ISP or Mecellose, eg Sunsung).

The polymer is present in the composition at a concentration of or above 0.01% w / w and at or below 0.3% w / w. More preferably, the concentration is at or below 0.2% w / w, more preferably at or below 0.1% w / w, more preferably at or below 0.06% w / w P. The concentration is preferably at or above 0.02% w / w.

The polymers of the invention are preferably stable in an acidic medium. Polymers that are unstable in acid medium are not preferred. One of the non-preferred polymers is polyethylene glycol (PEG). Solvent

The third component with an effect on the foam is the solvent used in the composition.

The solvent is a water soluble solvent, where water soluble means that the solvent is soluble in, or miscible with, water within the concentration range of the invention.

The solvents of the composition of the invention are preferably straight chain or branched alcohols or glycol ethers.

Preferred alcohols are methanol, ethanol, and / or linear or branched butyl or propyl alcohol. The most appropriate alcohol is 2-propanol.

Preferred glycol ethers are propylene glycol ethers, more preferably dipropylene glycol esters, even more preferred are mono and dialkyl dipropylene glycol esters. Most preferred is dipropylene glycol n-butyl ester (DPnB).

The solvent is present in the composition at a concentration of or above 0.1% w / w and at or below 10% w / w. More preferably, the concentration is at or below 8% w / w, more preferably at or below 6% w / w, more preferably at or below 5% w / w. The concentration is preferably at or above 0.5% w / w. The concentration is preferably at or above 1%, even more preferably at or above 2%, more preferably at or above 3%.

The compositions of the invention are aqueous and in all compositions the mass of the composition is balanced to 100% with water. Water is not part of the solvent according to the invention. The pH of the composition

The composition of the invention is preferably acidic to neutral, pH 1 to 7, preferably pH 3 to 7.

Preferred pH-adjusting compounds are organic and inorganic acids. Preferred acids are phosphoric acid, citric acid, formic acid, lactic acid or a mixture of bicarboxylic acids and sulfamic acid and mixtures thereof. Additional Ingredients

The composition may further comprise common additives such as preservatives, hydrotropes, buffer, salt, perfume and / or pigment. Not limited to any particular theory, it may be noted that some additives have a negative influence on the effervescence of the composition.

Defoamers, in particular silicones and their emulsions, have a negative effect on the effervescent effect of the formulations. The composition may also comprise additional surfactant, herein referred to as co-surfactant. The co-surfactant, if present, is balanced so that it does not affect the effervescent properties of the composition. Suitable co-surfactants are nonionic and anionic. Suitable nonionic co-surfactants are C9-Cn alcohols with 5-10 ethylene oxide groups (such as Neodol 91.5, eg Shell chemicals) and C12-C15 alkyl polyglucosides (such as Glucopon 215 CS UP, ex Cognis). Suitable anionic co-surfactants are sodium C1-7 alkyl secondary sulfonates (such as Hostapur SAS 30, eg Clariant). These co-surfactants are present in a concentration of less than 1.5%. The compositions may also comprise a small amount of C12 -C18 alkyl amine oxide or C12 -C18 alkyl betaine. These co-surfactants are present in the composition in concentrations of less than 1.0%.

Critical micellar concentration

As mentioned earlier, critical micellar concentration (CMC) is one of the most important foam properties that determine the effervescent characteristic of the composition.

CMC may be calculated, for example, according to the methods described by Hiemenz, P. C., and Rajogopalan, R., Principles of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, 370-375, Mareei Dekker, Inc., 1997, New York.

CMC can also be measured by adding surfactant in an aqueous solution and measuring conductivity against concentration. Below CMC, the addition of a surfactant in an aqueous solution causes an increase in the number of charge carriers and, consequently, an increase in conductivity.

Above CMC, supplemental addition of surfactant increases micellar concentration, while monomer concentration remains approximately constant (at CMC level). Since the micelle is much larger than the monomer, it diffuses more slowly through the solution and is therefore less efficient as a load carrier. A graph of conductivity against surfactant concentration is then expected to show a disruption in CMC.

For the surfactants of the invention, the CMC is preferably above 0.05 mol / l.

It is preferred that the ratio of the molar concentration of surfactant in the mixture to the CMC is below 5.0, more preferably below 2.0, more preferably below 1.5. Foam Formation and Collapse

As mentioned above, the effervescence of the composition of the present invention is determined by foaming, bubble agglutination and bubble collapse. It is particularly preferable for the foam to collapse in less than 300 seconds, more preferably in 60 seconds, even more preferably in 30 seconds, or even less than 20 seconds.

Application

The composition is preferably applied using a trigger spray applicator. A trigger spray applicator allows quick and easy use for the consumer and additionally comprises an adequate amount of air within the composition, which allows foaming.

Accordingly, the compositions of the invention may be stocked and dispensed by any appropriate means, but spray applicators are particularly preferred. Pump dispensers (spray or non-spray) are also viable. Therefore, the present invention provides a reservoir for the hard surface cleaner, the reservoir comprising the inventive hard surface cleaning composition and a spray dispenser for dispensing the composition in the form of a spray. The spray applicator is preferably a trigger spray, but may be any mechanical means for ejecting the liquid in spray or aerosol form.

The invention further provides a method for providing an effervescent sound by applying the composition of the invention to a rigid surface using a spray applicator.

Examples

The invention will be illustrated by means of the following non-limiting examples, in which parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated.

Example 1

In this example the effect of anionic surfactant chain size on effervescence is demonstrated.

The cleaning properties are measured as follows: White and malted tiles (10 by 10 cm) are lipos and dry. The tiles are covered with a tallow fat soap dirt, based mainly on calcium stearate (Nova Chimica, code 26411). ) and artificial tallow (WFK code 9D) using a spray applicator. The dirt is prepared by mixing 86g of calcium stearate, 14g of tallow and 666.7g of 2-propanol. The amount of dirt applied corresponds to 0.04g after drying. The tiles are oven dried at 180 ° C for 35 minutes and allowed to cool at room temperature for 2 hours.

Cleaning is performed using a woll industries research abrasion tester (WIRA) applicator device. The tile to be cleaned is placed in the "holder" of the applicator device. A 20g Ballerina fabric impregnated with the composition of Table 1 is attached to the cleaning head of the applicator device, and it is rubbed across the tile surface using a predetermined pattern, covering the entire tile for 16 complete cycles for each. following compositions.

After the WIRA applicator device has cleaned the tiles according to the method previously described, the tiles are rinsed under running water to remove excess cleaning agent. The tiles are allowed to dry at room temperature overnight.

Table 1 - Compositions

<table> table see original document page 11 </column> </row> <table> Stain removal is measured by re-weighing the dry tiles and calculating the percentage of dirt removed as:

Dirt removed = ((dirt applied - dirt after cleaning) / dirt applied) * 100%

Results for dirt removal are given in table 2 below. Table 2 also shows the CMC and Calculated Molar Concentration / CMC ratio of the compositions,

Table 2 further shows the volume corresponding to the foam and the agglutination rate and disappearance of the foam. Foam volume and agglutination are marked by a 5-member jury where the absence of foam volume or agglutination is marked 0 and high volume and agglutination is marked 10. The disappearance of the foam is measured in seconds required for Foam disappear.

Table 2 - Results

<table> table see original document page 12 </column> </row> <table>

Comparative Examples It is shown that composition with a CMC> 0.05 (composition 1, 2 and 3) has better foam agglutination and rate of disappearance than compositions 4 and 5 with a lower CMC. Therefore, compositions 1, 2 and 3 make a good effervescent sound, while compositions 4 and 5 do not. CMC is the calculated critical micellar concentration of the surfactant. Example 2

In this example, the solvent and polymer effects are shown. The cleaning and calculation methods are the same as in example 1. The compositions of table 3 were used.

Table 3: Compositions

<table> table see original document page 13 </column> </row> <table> comparative examples

All compositions of Table 3 contain the short chain surfactant of the invention. Compositions 7 and 8 contain both polymer and solvent according to the invention, wherein composition 6 contains no polymer and composition 9 contains no solvent.

Table 4 - Results <table> table see original document page 14 </column> </row> <table>

*) comparative examples

Table 4 shows that the foam volume, agglutination and rate of disappearance of the compositions according to the invention (compositions 7 and 8) are excellent and therefore result in good effervescence. The solvent-free composition does not collapse properly, while hardly any foam is formed in the polymer-free composition, giving inadequate effervescence. All compositions 6-9 properly perform dirt removal.

Claims (8)

Rigid Surface Cleaner Liquid Composition 1. Aqueous rigid surface cleaning composition comprising: a. 1-10% by weight of an anionic surfactant selected from C6 -C9 alkyl sulfonates; B. 0.1-10% by weight of a water-soluble or water-miscible solvent; and c. 0.01 - 0.3% by weight of a polymer selected from natural gums and their derivatives, as well as polysaccharide thickeners and their derivatives; d. Water; where the ratio between the molar concentration of surfactant in the composition and the CMC is less than 5.0. A cleaning composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the anionic surfactant additionally comprises a C 6 -C 9 alkyl sulfate. A cleaning composition according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the anionic surfactant is C7 and / or C6 alkyl sulfonate. Cleaning composition according to Claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that the pH is 1 to 7. A method for cleaning rigid surfaces comprising the step of treating the surface with the composition of any preceding claim. Rigid surface cleaner container characterized in that the container comprises a reservoir containing the cleaning composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and a spray applicator for dispensing said composition in the form of a spray. A method for promoting an effervescent sound comprising the step of spraying the composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4 using a spray applicator according to claim 6 on a rigid surface. Use of the composition of any one of claims 1 to 4 for removing dirt from rigid surfaces.