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(11) | EP 0 080 749 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Liquid detergent compositions |
| (57) Liquid detergent compositions, particularly for use as hard surface cleaners, comprise
surfactant, terpenes, and BUTYL CARBITOL. The compositions provide excellent cleaning
of both greasy and particulate soils from hard surfaces without streaking or filming,
excellent formulation homogeneity, stability and viscosity characteristics, as well
as good suds control. |
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to aqueous detergent compositions suitable for use as general purpose household cleaning compositions.
Background
[0002] General purpose household cleaning compositions for hard surfaces such as metal, glass, ceramic, plastic and linoleum surfaces, are commercially available in both powdered and liquid form. Powdered compositions consist mainly of builder or buffering salts such as phosphates, carbonates, silicates, etc., and although such compositions may display good inorganic soil removal, they are generally deficient in cleaning ability on organic soils such as the greasy/fatty/oily soils typically found in the domestic environment. Moreover, they are diluted with water prior to use.
[0003] Liquid cleaning compositions, on the other hand, have the great advantage that they can be applied to hard surfaces in neat or concentrated form so that a relatively high level of surfactant material is delivered directly to the soil. Moreover, it is a rather more straightforward task to incorporate high concentrations of anionic or nonionic surfactant in a liquid rather than a granular composition. For both these reasons, therefore, liquid cleaning compositions have the potential to provide superior grease and oily soil removal over powdered cleaning compositions.
[0004] Nevertheless, -liquid cleaning compositions still suffer a number of drawbacks which can limit their consumer acceptability. Thus, they generally contain little or no detergency builder salts and consequently they tend to have poor cleaning performance on particulate soil and also lack "robustness" under varying water hardness levels. In addition, they can suffer problems of product form, in particular, inhomogeneity, lack of clarity, or inadequate viscosity characteristics for consumer use. Moreover, the higher in-product and in-use surfactant concentration necessary for improved grease handling raises problems of extensive suds formation, which require frequent rinsing and wiping by the user. Although oversudsing may be controlled to some extent by incorporating a suds-regulating material such as hydrophobic silica and/or silicone or soap, this in itself can raise problems of poor product stability and homogeneity, and problems associated with deposition of insoluble particulate or soap residues on the items or surfaces being cleaned, leading to filming, streaking and spotting.
[0005] It has now been discovered, however, that these defects of prior art liquid cleaning compositions can be minimized or overcome through the use therein of mono- or sesquiterpene material in combination with BUTYL CARBITOL (a Trademark for 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol). Although the terpenes, as a class, have limited water-solubility, it has now been found that they can be incorporated into liquid cleaning compositions in homogeneous form, even under "cold" processing conditions. The terpenes provide excellent cleaning characteristics across the range of water hardness on grease/oily soils and inorganic particulate soils, as well as on shoe polish, marker ink, bath tub soil etc, and excellent shine performance with low soil redeposition and little or no propensity to cause filming, streaking or spotting on surfaces washed therewith. Moreover, the terpenes herein specified, and in particular those of the hydrocarbon class, are valuable in regulating the sudsing behaviour of the instant compositions in both hard and soft water and under both diluted and neat or concentrated usage, while terpenes of the terpene alcohol class are also valuable for providing effective control of product viscosity characteristics.
[0006] Terpenes are, of course, well-known components of perfume compositions and are often incorporated into detergent compositions at low levels via the perfume. Certain terpenes have also been included in detergent compositions at higher levels; for instance, German Patent Application 21 13 732 discloses the use of aliphatic and alicyclic terpenes as anti-microbial agents in washing compositions; British Patent 1.308.190 teaches the use of dipentenes in a thixotropic liquid detergent suspension base composition. German Patent Application 27 09 690 teaches the use of pine oil (a mixture mainly of terpene alcohols) in liquid hard surface cleaning compositions. European Application 81-200540.3 teaches the use of terpenes with solvents such as benzyl alcohol and ethylene glycol dibutyl ether in liquid cleanser compositions.
[0007] The present invention provides liquid detergent compositions which are stable, homogeneous liquids having excellent suds control across a broad range of usage and water hardness conditions and which provide excellent shine performance together with improved cleaning characteristics both on greasy/oily soils and on inorganic particulate soils, with little tendency to cause filming or streaking on washed surfaces.
Summary of the Invention
[0008] According to the present invention there is provided an aqueous liquid detergent composition characterized by:
(a) at least about 0.1% (preferably 1%-20%) of a synthetic anionic, nonionic, amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant or mixture thereof;
(b) at least about 0.5% (preferably 1%-10%) of a mono- or sesquiterpene or mixture thereof (mest preferably the weight ratio cf surfactant: terpene is in the range of 5:1 to 1:3) and
(c) at least about 0.5% (preferably 0.5%-10%) of 2-(2-butoxyethoxy) ethanol.
Detailed Description of the Invention
[0009] The essential terpene, BUTYL CARBITOL and surfactant components, and other optional ingredients, used in the practice of the present invention are described in more detail, hereinafter. All percentages are by weight, unless otherwise specified.
[0010] Terpene - Preferred terpenes are mono- and bicyclic mono- terpenes, especially those of the hydrocarbon class, which include the terpinenes, terpinolenes, limonenes and pinenes, and mixtures thereof. Highly preferred materials of this type are d-limonene, dipentene,α-pinene,β-pinene and the mixture of terpene hydrocarbons obtained from the essence of oranges (e.g. cold-pressed orange terpenes and orange terpene oil phase ex fruitjuice). These terpenes are used at concentrations of at least 0.5%, preferably 1% to 10%, most preferably 2%-6%, in the compositions.
[0011] Terpene alcohols, aldehydes and ketones can optionally be used, but are not as preferred as the terpenes noted above. The terpene alcohols do provide valuable and unexpected improvements in viscosity regulation when incorporated in the compositions of this invention at concentrations from about 1% to about 3%, more preferably from about 1.5% to about 2.5%.
[0012] BUTYL CARBITOL (Registered Trademark) - This component of the present compositions is commercially available as 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol, and is otherwise known as diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (C8H18O3). BUTYL CARBITOL is used in the present compositions at a concentration of at least about 0.5%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 10%, by weight of composition. BUTYL CARBITOL has unexpected advantages over solvents like benzyl alcohol: it has none of the cloying odor associated with benzyl alcohol and oxidation products thereof; it performs wp)l as a grease remover; it acts, at least partially, as a hydrotrope, thereby allowing lower levels of hydrotropes like cumene sulfonate to be used in the present compositions.
[0013] Surfactants - Water-soluble detersive surfactants useful herein include well-known synthetic anionic, nonionic, amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants. Typical of these are the alkyl benzene sulfates and sulfonates, paraffin sulfonates, olefin sulfonates, alkoxylated (especially ethoxylated) alcohols and alkyl phenols, amine oxides, o(-sulfonates of fatty acids and of fatty acid esters, and the like, which are well-known from the detergency art. In general, such detersive surfactants contain an alkyl group in the C10-C18 range; the anionic detersive surfactants are most commonly used in the form of their sodium, potassium or triethanolammonium salts; the nonionics generally contain from about 3 to about 17 ethylene oxide groups. U.S. Patents 4.111.855 and 3.995.669 contain detailed listings of such typical detersive surfactants. C12-C16 alkyl benzene sulfonates and C12-C18 paraffin-sulfonates are especially preferred in the compositions of the present type.
[0014] The surfactant component can comprise as little as 0.1% of the compositions herein when formulated as a spray- on type product. When formulated as standard liquid cleaners, the compositions herein generally will contain about 1% to about 20%, preferably 2% to about 8%, of surfactant.
[0015] Optional Ingredients - The compositions herein can contain other ingredients which aid in their cleaning performance. For example, it is highly preferred that the compositions contain a detergent builder and/or metal ion sequestrant. Compounds classifiable and well-known in the art as detergent builders include the nitrilotriacetates, polycarboxylates, citrates, water-soluble phosphates, mixtures of
,especially hydrated zeolite A in the 1-10 micron particle size range, and mixtures thereof. Metal ion sequestrants include all of the above, plus materials like ethylenediaminetetraacetate, the amino-polyphosphonates and phosphates (DEQUEST) and a wide variety of other poly-functional organic acids and salts too numerous to mention in detail here. See U.S. Patent 3.579.454 for typical-examples of the use of such materials in various cleaning compositions. In general, the builder/sequestrant will comprise about 1% to 25% of the composition. Of course, water-soluble builder/seques- trants are used if clear, homogeneous compositions are desired. Citric acid (2%-10% as sodium citrate) is preferred herein.
[0016] Soaps - As mentioned hereinabove, one special problem associated with the use of liquid cleansers is their tendency to over-suds, in-use. It has been discovered that soaps, especially the alkali, ammonium and alkanolammonium salts of C13-C24 fatty acids, are especially useful as suds suppressors when conjointly present with terpenes and BUTYL CARBITOL in the instant compositions. Soap concentrations of at least about 0.005%, preferably 0.05% to 2%, provide this important suds control function. Soap prepared from coconut oil fatty acids is preferred.
[0017] Thickeners - The compositions herein may optionally be thickened. Thickened compositions tend to cling to vertical surfaces such as walls and windows, which makes them more convenient to use. It has been found that many common thickeners undesirably flocculate the compositions herein. However, it has been discovered that thickeners based on Xanthan polysaccharides are effective, non-flocculating thickeners. In general, such Xanthan thickeners are used herein at levels of about 0.01%, and higher, depending on the desires of the formulator.
[0018] Moreover, the compositions herein can contain, in addition to ingredients already mentioned, various optional ingredients typically used in commercial products to provide aesthetic or additional product performance benefits. Typical ingredients include pH regulants, perfumes, dyes, optical brighteners, soil suspending agents, detersive enzymes, gel-control agents, freeze-thaw stabilizers, bactericides, preservatives, and the like.
[0019] Another additional ingredient for use herein is represented by conventional detergent hydrotropes. Examples of suitable hydrotropes are urea, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine and the sodium, potassium, ammonium and alkanol ammonium salts of xylene-, toluene-, ethylbenzene- and isopropyl-benzene sulfonates. These hydrotropes can be added to the compositions of the present invention in amounts up to about 10% by weight. It is a particular feature of the present invention, however, that stable, homogenous formulations can be prepared without the need for hydrotropic materials of this kind, or with only very minor levels such as amount of from 0 to 4% (up to 4%) by weight.
[0020] The compositions herein are formulated in the alkaline pH range, generally in the range of pH 8-11, preferably about 10-10.8. Caustics such as sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate can be used to adjust and buffer the pH, as desired.
[0021] Since the compositions herein are in liquid form, they can be prepared by simply blending the essential and optional ingredients in water.
[0022] The following examples are given by way of illustrating the compositions herein, but are not intended to be limiting of the scope of the invention.
EXAMPLL I
[0023]
The composition of Example I exhibits excellent grease removal from asphalt tile when applied neat, or as a 1-15% aqueous solution. Excessive sudsing is not a problem if usage concentrations are below about 10% in water.
EXAMPLE II
[0025] The composition of Example II exhibits good freeze-thaw stability, an excellent low suds profile, excellent odor quality and has a desirable viscosity in the range of about 15 centipoise. The product is conveniently used neat, or in a 1-50% aqueous solution, to remove all manner of greasy oily stains from hard surfaces.
EXAMPLE III
1. An aqueous liquid detergent composition comprising:
(a) at least 0.1% of a surfactant selected from synthetic anionic, nonionic, amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants and mixtures thereof;
(b) at least 0.5% of terpene; and
(c) at least 0.5% of 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethanol.
2. A composition according to Claim 1 wherein the surfactant is selected from the
alkyl benzene-sulfonates, paraffin sulfonates, olefin sulfonates, ethoxylated alcohols,
ethoxylated alkyl phenols, amine oxides, alpha-sulfonated fatty acids and esters thereof,
and mixtures thereof.
3. A composition according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the terpene is a mono- or bicyclic
monoterpene selected from the terpinenes, terpinolenes, limonenes, and pinenes and
mixtures thereof.
4. A composition according to Claim 3 wherein the terpene is selected from d-limonene,
dipentene,α-pinene and β-pinene.
5. A composition according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the terpene is a terpene alcohol,
terpene aldehyde or terpene ketone.
6. A composition according to Claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, which comprises from about 0.5%
to about 10% of 2-(2-butoxy- ethoxy)ethanol.
7. A composition according to Claim 6, comprising from 1% to 20% of the surfactant which is selected from alkyl benzene sulfonate and paraffin
sulfonate, and from 1% to 25% of a detergent builder or metal ion sequestrant.
8. A composition according to Claim 7 wherein the builder is selected from the water-soluble
salts of citric acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, tripolyphosphate, or mixtures thereof.
9. A composition according to any of Claims 1 through 8, comprising at least 0.005%.of
an alkali metal, ammonium or alkanolammonium soap of a C13 to C24 fatty acid.
10. A composition according to Claim 9 which comprises from 0.05% to 2% of the soap
of coconut fatty acids.
11. A composition according to any one of Claims 1-10, thickened with a Xanthan polysaccharide.
12. A composition according to any one of Claims 1-10 which in addition contains a
hydrotrope in a level up to 4% by weight.