CA2152467C

CA2152467C - Neutral hard surface cleaning composition

Info

Publication number: CA2152467C
Application number: CA002152467A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Birgit Skodell; Rainer Osberghaus; Karl-Heinz Rogmann; Heiko Faubel; Andreas Gecks
Original assignee: Ecolab Inc
Current assignee: Ecolab Inc
Priority date: 1992-12-22
Filing date: 1993-12-10
Publication date: 2005-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 2013-12-10
Also published as: SK81395A3; WO1994014942A1; FI953098A; DE59305673D1; FI953098A0; DE4243475A1; ES2099582T3; EP0675945B1; ATE149564T1; JPH08504862A; CA2152467A1; JP3283038B2; CZ161995A3; EP0675945A1

Abstract

A cleaning concentrate with improved stability and drying qualities is provided. The cleaning concentrate containing (a) from 1 to 25% by weight of a surfactant, (b) from 1 to 30% by weight of a film-forming component selected from the group consisting of waxes, polymers and mixtures thereof and (c) from 0.05 to 11% by weight of an alcohol selected from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenoxyethanol, and mixtures thereof, all weights being based on the weight of the concentrate, wherein the concentrate has a pH of from to 9.

Description

NEUTRAL HARD SURFACE CLEANING COMPOSTTION
Field of the Invention This invention relates to an aqueous formulation which may be used in dilute form for the care and clean-ing of hard surfaces, more particularly floors.
Background of the Invention over recent years and decades, many new processes and formulations have been developed for the cleaning and care of floors, not least because of the development of new materials for floor coverings. In practice, the ~:hoice cf the formulation. is largely determined by whether the surface is to be cleaned oL- preserved. Thus, formulations which form more or less hard resistant films are mainly used for the care and preservation of sun- ' faces. To this end, the formulations contain - mostly in emulsified form - waxes or film-forming polymers and crosslinking agents, generally heavy metal salts, which ' together form self-shine or polishable films on the treated surfaces after drying.'In this way, the surfaces can be preserved for long periods, the fihd even being capable of withstanding severe mechanical stressing, depending on its quality. However, the removal of corresponding films when necessary, for example through soiling or damage, is only possible under extreme condi-tions. By contrast-, formulations which are mainly designed for cleaning contain large percentages of surfactants, often together with substances showing an alkaline reaction, organic solvents or abrasives. With formulations such as these, soil and old films can often be thoroughly removed although the surfaces thus cleaned are then generally exposed without any protection to resoiling unless they are subsequently subjected to a preserving treatment. -.-la Since, in many cases, it is desirable to clean and care for the floor surface in equal measure, formulations with which cleaning and preservation can be carried out in a single operation have also been developed in addi-tion to the formulations mentioned. Examples of such formulations can be found in German patent applications 21 21 926, 25 27 515, 35 33 531 and in GB-PS 1,528,592.
Whereas, hitherto, corresponding formulations have been made more or less strongly alkaline to achieve high cleaning performance and safe., emulsification of the waxes or polymers present, the trend now is towards neutral formulations which have better compatibility with the skin and do not attack even relatively sensitive surface materials. Unfortunately, these advantages are often achieved at the expense of inferior cleaning performance and lower wetting power. In other words, the initially continuous film of the aqueous formulation can crack after drying and, in some cases, can even contract into individual droplets so that the surface care film formed is patchy in appearance. One of the problems addressed by the present invention was to achieve an improvement in this regard. Another problem addressed by the invention was to improve the stability of the formulations, above all during storage at low temperatures.
Summary of the Invention According to an aspect of the present invention a cleaning concentrate having a pH of from 5 to 9 is provided. The cleaning concentrate comprises:
(a) from 1 to 25% by weight of a surfactant;
(b) from 1 to 30% by weight of a film-forming component selected from the group consisting of waxes, polymers and mixtures thereof; and (c) from 0.05 to 11 % by weight of an alcohol selected from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenoxyethanol, and mixtures thereof, all weights being based on the weight of the concentrate.

2a According to another aspect of the present invention a process for cleaning floors is provided. The process comprises contacting the floors with a cleaning concentrate diluted with water, the concentrate containing:
(a) from 1 to 25% by weight of a surfactant;
(b) from 1 to 30% by weight of a film-forming component selected from the group consisting of waxes, polymers and mixtures thereof; and (c) from 0.05 to 11 % by weight of an alcohol selected from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenoxyethanol, and mixtures thereof, all weights being based on the weight of the concentrate, wherein said concentrate has a pH of from 5 to 9.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments The present invention relates to an aqueous for.,.ula-tion for the cleaning and care of floors which, in undiluted form, has a pH value of 5 to 9 and which, in addition to surfactant and Film-forming materials from the group of waxes, polymers and mixtures thereof, contains an alcohol from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenoxyethanol and mixtures thereof. The formulations should preferably have a pH
value of 6 to 8.
The new formulations have an unusually high cleaning power for neutral formulations. A particularly-notewor-thy feature is their extremely uniform drying behavior characterized by the virtual absence of cracks in the A

film, so that uniform floor-care films of satisfactory appearance are obtained. In addition, the new formula-tions are distinguished by high stability in storage.
They show no tendency towards phase separation, even at low temperatures and even when they contain relatively large quantities of perfume oil.
The surfactants present in the formulations may be nonionic, anionic, amphoteric and cationic surfactants.
Mixtures of surfactants of several of these classes are preferably used. Anionic and nonionic surfactants and mixtures thereof are particularly preferred.
Suitable nonionic surfactants are primarily the adducts of 3 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide (EO) with primary Clo-zo alcohols, for example with cocofatty alcohol or tallow fatty alcohol, with oleyl alcohol, with oxoal-cohols or with secondary alcohols of the same chain length. In addition to these water-soluble nonionic surfactants, the incompletely water-soluble fatty alcohol ~°
polyglycol ethers with low degrees of ethoxylation and 3 to 7 ethylene glycol ether groups in the molecule may also be of interest, above all when they are used togeth-er with water-soluble nonionic or anionic surfactants.
Also suitable are the corresponding ethoxylation products of other long-chain compounds, for example of fatty acids and fatty acid amides containing 12 to 18 carbon atoms and alkylphenols containing 8 to 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl moiety. In all these products, propylene oxide (PO) may also be added instead of part of the ethylene oxide. Other suitable nonionic surfactants are the water-soluble adducts - containing 20 to 250 ethylene glycol ether groups and 10 to 100 propylene glycol ether groups - of ethylene oxide with polypropylene glycol, alkylene diamine polypropylene glycol and with alkyl polypropylene glycol containing 1 to 10 cark~on atoms in the alkyl chain in which the polypropylene glycol chain 21~~4s~

acts as a hydrophobic residue. Other suitable nonionic surfactants are monoethanolamides and diethanolamides of fatty acids and long-chain amine oxides or sulfoxides, for example the compounds N-cocoalkyl-N,N-dimethylamine oxide, N-tallow alkyl-N,N-dihydroxyethylamine oxide, and also the water-soluble alkyl glycosides of which the hydrophobic C8_20 alkyl radical is attached by a glycoside bond to a generally oligomeric, hydrophilic glycoside residue, for example C12-14 fatty alcohol + 1.6 glucose.
Ethoxylates of fatty alcohols or oxoalcohols containing 5 to 15 moles EO, fatty acid ethanolamides and alkyl polyglucosides are preferred as nonionic surfactants in the formulations according to the invention.
Suitable anionic surfactants are both synthetic anionic surfactants and also soaps. The soaps are the water-soluble salts of long-chain fatty acids preferably containing 12 to 18 carbon atoms, for example cocofatty acid sodium salt and tallow fatty acid sodium salt.
The synthetic anionic surfactants are, above all, those of the sulfonate and sulfate type. Suitable surfactants of the sulfonate type are alkyl benzene sulfonates containing a C9_ls alkyl group and olefin sulfonates, i.e. mixtures of alkene and hydroxyalkane sulfonates and disulfonates of the type obtained, for example, from Clz-la monoolefins with a terminal or inter-nal double bond by sulfonation with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis of the sulfonation products. Other suitable surfactants of the sulfonate type are the alkane sulfonates obtainable from Clz-is alkanes by sulfochlorination or sulfoxidation and subsequent hydrolysis or neutralization or by bisul-fate addition onto olefins and also the esters of a-sulfofatty acids, for example the a-sulfonated methyl or ethyl esters of hydrogenated cocofatty acid " palm kernel oil fatty acid or tallow fatty acid.

2i5246'~
Suitable surfactants of the sulfate type are the sulfuric acid monoesters of long-chain primary alcohols of natural or synthetic origin, i.e. of fatty alcohols, for example cocofatty alcohols, oleyl alcohol, lauryl, 5 myristyl, palmityl or stearyl alcohol, or the Clo-zo oxoalcohols or secondary alcohols with the same chain length. The sulfuric acid monoesters of aliphatic long-chain primary alcohols ethoxylated with 1 to 6 moles of ethylene oxide (EO) or ethoxylated secondary alcohols are also suitable. Other suitable surfactants of the sulfate type are sulfated fatty acid alkanolamides, sulfated fatty acid monoglycerides, long-chain sulfosuccinic acid esters and the salts of long-chain ether carboxylic acids which are obtainable, for example, by reaction of long-chain alcohols ethoxylated with 1-10 moles EO with chloroacetic acid. The anionic surfactants are preferab-ly used as alkali metal salts, preferably sodium salts, although ammonium salts or the salts of alkanolamines°
containing 2 to 6 carbon atoms may also be used. Parti-cularly preferred anionic surfactants for the purposes of the invention are the alkane sulfonates, olefin sul-fonates and fatty alcohol sulfates.
Nonionic and anionic surfactants are preferred for the formulations according to the invention and, in the majority of cases, make up the predominant or entire surfactant content of the formulations. Mixtures of anionic and nonionic surfactants which often lead to synergistic effects in regard to the cleaning performance are particularly preferred. In addition to or instead of these surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and cationic surfactants may also be used, a combination of anionic and cationic surfactants generally being avoided.
The amphoteric surfactants are long-chain compounds of which the hydrophilic part consists of a ~ationically charged center (normally a tertiary amino group or a 21~246'~

quaternary ammonium group) and an anionically charged center (normally a carboxylate group or a sulfonate group). Examples of corresponding surfactants are N-cocoalkyl-N,N-dimethylaminoacetate and N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-aminopropane sulfonate.
Finally, the cationic surfactants which may be present in the formulations according to the invention are also mentioned. Since they form insoluble compounds with the majority of anionic surfactants, they are normally used only in conjunction with nonionic and/or amphoteric surfactants. The most important cationic surfactants are quaternary ammonium compounds which have a long-chain alkyl or alkenyl radical containing 12 to 20 carbon atoms and three short-chain alkyl or hydroxyalkyl radicals each containing 1 to 3 carbon atoms at the nitrogen. A typical example of such cationic surfactants is cocoalkyl trimethylammonium chloride.
The content of surfactants in the formulations~°
according to the invention is between 1 and 25% by weight and preferably between 5 and 10% by weight.
In addition to the surfactants which are primarily responsible for the cleaning effect, the formulations according to the invention contain care components in the form of waxes and/or film-forming polymers.
Suitable waxes are both natural waxes and synthetic waxes which may be of natural origin or even fully synthetic. Examples are polyethylene waxes, oxidized polyethylene waxes, montan ester waxes, paraffin waxes, candellila wax and carnauba wax. Of these waxes, montan ester wax, polyethylene wax and carnauba wax are prefer-red for the formulations according to the invention. Wax mixtures of montan ester wax and polyethylene wax and also montan ester wax and carnauba wax are particularly preferred. , The waxes are present in the formulations in emul-sified form. Unless self-emulsifying waxes are mainly used, therefore, the formulations according to the invention contain typical :wax emulsifiers in quantities of up to 10% by weight and preferably in quantities of 0.2 to 5% by weight. Examples of such emulsifiers are oleyl cetyl alcohol + 20 EO and sorbitan monooleate.
The film-forming polymer__compounds present in the formulations are those which are at least partly in-soluble in water at a neutral pH value and which have a' minimum film forming temperature in the range from about 0 to about 70°C. The polymer compounds in question are preferably polymers prepared from ~thylenically unsatura-ted monomers. Examples of such monomers are styrene, acrylates or methacrylates of aliphatic alcohols contain-ing 1 to 8 carbon atoms, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid. Particularly prefer-red polymers are poly(meth)acrylates of two or more of these monomers which may even contain other monomers ins.' small quantities. Most particularly preferred polymers contain 1 to 30 parts by weight of monomers containing carboxylic acid groups, 30 to' 70 parts by weight of monomers which form homopolymers with glass temperatures below 20 ° C, preferably esters of acrylic acid with C1_e alcohols and/or methacrylic~ acid with C4_a alcohols, and 30 to 70 parts by weight of monomers which form homopoly-mers having glass temperatures above room temperature, preferably methacrylates of C1_3 alcohols or styrene.
Where several different polymer compounds of the type mentioned above are used in the form of a mixture, the film forming temperature determined for the mixture should be in the range from 0 to 70°C. The film forming temperatures mentioned apply to the plasticizer-free system, i.e. to the polymers with no further additives.
Examples of such film-forming polymers are the following v commercial products available as dispersions: Syntran 7~ TM

1501 (Interpolymer), Primal 644 (Rohm and Haas), Neocryl A 1049 (ICI;.

The content of care components (sum total of waxes and film-forming polymers) in the formulations according , to the invention is 1 to 30% by weight and preferably 4 to 10% by weight.

The third characteristic component of the formula-tions according to the invention is an aromatic alcohol from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenyl-ethanol and 2-phenoxyethanol. These alcohols may be present in the formulations either individually or in admixture. In conjunction with tie surfactants and the care components, wax and film-forming polymer, these , alcohols appear to be responsible for the unexpected properties of the new formulations. Small quantities of these alcohols are generally sufficient. Their per-centage content in the formulations according to the invention is from 0.05 to 11% by weight and preferably from 1 to 5% by weight.

In addition to the constituents already mentioned, the formulations according to the invention may contain other active substances and additives, including for example cleaning-active salts, solvents, wetting resins, amines, dyes, preservatives and perfume oils providing, the favorable effects of the formulations according to the invention are not adversely affected in any way.

The cleaning-active salts, which may be present in the formulations in quantities of up to 10% by weight, are water-soluble salts, more particularly alkali metal salts, of inorganic or organic acids of which the func-tion is to improve the cleaning effect and compatibility with materials and, optionally, to suppress the effects of water hardness. Examples of suitable cleaning-active salts are sodium citrate, sodium triphosphate,,monopotas-:~5 sium phosphate, potassium pyrophosphate,, potassium 215246' carbonate and sodium hydrogen carbonate.
The solvents which may be present in quantities of up to 15% by weight in addition to the aromatic alcohols mentioned above are completely water-miscible solvents from the group of alcohols containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms and lower ether alcohols containing up to 8 carbon atoms, for example, ethanol, isopropanol and ethanediol.
The function of wetting resins and other flow control agents is to improve the wetting of the treated surfaces during application of the dilute aqueous solu tions of the care formulation. Typical examples of corresponding wetting resins are styrene maleate resin and clear polyacrylates. The percentage content of wetting resins in the formulations according to the invention may be up to 15% by weight.
Amines are used in the formulations according to the invention mainly when waxes as film-forming agents are to be permanently emulsified. The amines used are preferab- ~~
ly alkanolamines, more particularly monoethanolamine, diethanolamine and, more preferably triethanolamine. The amines may be present in the formulations in quantities of up to 3% by weight.
A number of typical starting compositions for the formulations according to the invention are given in the following. The alcohols present from the group consist ing of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenoxyethanol and mixtures thereof are referred to therein as "aromatic alcohols".
Neutral floor wiping formulation based on polymers Surfactants 1 to 25% by weight Film forming polymers 1 to 20% by weight Aromatic alcohols 0.05 to 11% by weight Cleaning-active salts 0 to 10% by ; weight Wetting resins 0 to 15% by weight 215246' Solvents 0 to 15% by weight Preservatives 0 to 10% by weight Other auxiliaries (for 0 to 10% by weight example dyes and perfume ails) 5 Water ad 100%by weight Neutral floor wiping formulation waxes based on Surfactants 0.5 to 20% by weight Waxes 1 to 20% by weight 10 Aromatic alcohols 0.05 to 11% by weight Emulsifiers 0 to 10% by weight Cleaning-active salts 0 to 10% by weight Wetting resins 0 to 15% by weight Amines . 0 to 3% by weight Solvents 0 to 15% by weight Preservatives 0 to 10% by weight Other auxiliaries 0 to 10% by weight Water ad by weight 100%

Neutral floor wiping formulation based olymers on and p waxes Surfactants 0.2 to 15% by weight Waxes 0.5 to 15% by weight Film forming polymers 0.5 to 15% by weight Aromatic alcohols 0.05 to 11% by weight Emulsifiers 0 to 10% by weight Cleaning-active salts 0 to 10% by weight Wetting resins 0 to 15% by weight Amines 0 to 3% by weight Solvents 0 to 15% by weight Preservatives 0 to 10% by weight Other auxiliaries 0 to 10% by weight Water ad by weight 100%

21524fi7 Neutral floor wipinct formulation based on soat~ and waxes Synthetic surfactants 0.2 to 15% by weight Waxes 0.2 to 15% by weight Soap 0.2 to 20% by weight Aromatic alcohols 0.05 to 11% by weight Emulsifiers 0 to 10% by weight Cleaning-active salts 0 to 10 by weight Wetting resins 0 to 15% by weight Amines 0 to 3% by weight l0 Solvents 0 to 15% by weight Preservatives 0 to 10% by weight Other auxiliaries 0 to 10% by weight Water ad 100%by weight In the most simple case, the formulations may be prepared by mixing all the components together in any order. However, it is often better to start out with preformed wax or polymer dispersions in water and to mix ~H
them with water and the other ingredients of the formula-tions. If necessary, the pH is adjusted to the desired value in the neutral range (pH 5 to pH 9) with alkalis or acids.
Basically, the formulations are applied after dilution with water, the degree of dilution naturally being dependent on the concentration of the formulation.
In the dilute solution of the formulation adjusted to the in-use concentration, the content of non-volatile con-stituents should preferably be between 0.3% by weight and 6% by weight. Depending on the concentration of the undiluted formulation, this can be achieved by dilution with water in a ratio of 1:10 to 1:200 and preferably 1:50 to 1:100. The surface is then treated with the solutions adjusted to the in-use concentration by soaking an absorbent object, for example a cloth o~ a sponge, with the solution and uniformly wiping the surface to be treated with this object. In this way, soil and any film residues from earlier treatments are removed from the surface and taken up by the cloth or sponge and are subsequently transferred to tire dilute cleaning solution when the cloth or sponge is rinsed out therewith. The liquid film remaining on the surfaces dries uniformly and leaves behind a thin protective film which is removed during a subsequent treatment of the same type.
Further details of the preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the following Examples. The Examples are presented for the purpose of illustration of the invention and are not intended to be limiting of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Examples Wiping formulations based on wax The wiping formulations of Examples 1 to 4 were' prepared by mixing the components listed in Table 1.
Unless otherwise indicated, the figures in this column and the other column represent percentages by weight, based on the final formulation, and always apply to pure actize substance.
Formulations 2 to 4 according to the invention were then compared with the comparison formulation 1 in regard to their cleaning and their stability at low tempera-tures.
The cleaning effect was determined with a Gardner washability and scouring tester of the type described in the quality standards for wiping formulations of the Industrieverband Putz- and Pflegemittel e. V. (Seifen-Ole-Fette-Wachse, 108, pages 526 - 528 (1982)). In this method, a white PVC film is coated with a test soil of soot and grease and machine-wiped under :standardized 12a conditions with a sponge soaked with dilute (1:100) cleaning solution. The cleaning performance is measured by photoelectrical determination of the reflectance.
To evaluate stability at low temperatures, the samples were stored for 12 weeks at 0 to 3°C. Over this period, the samples were removed weekly from the freezer zi52~s~

and visually evaluated on reaching room temperature.
Visible signs of instability were flocculation, sediment, deposits and changes in viscosity. Evaluation was based on the following scale:
0 uniform, homogeneous sample 1 slight deposits or sediment after 12 weeks 2 slight deposits or sediment after 3 weeks 3 medium deposits or sediment after 3 weeks 4 heavy deposits or sediment after 3 weeks 5 very heavy deposits or sediment after 3 weeks 14 _ 2~524G7 Table 1:
Examples 1 2 3 4 Monochloroacetamide 0.2 --- --- ---Na benzoate 0.1 --- --- ---KOH 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 C16-l8alkane sulfonate Na 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 Oleyl cetyl alcohol + 10 EO 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 Palm kernel oil fatty acid 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 Diethanolamine 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 Montan wax, dropping point 83C 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 Polyethylene dispersion, molecular weight 16,000-20,000 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 Tetrapotassium pyrophosphate 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 Perfume 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 2-Phenoxyethanol --- 2.0 --- ---2-Phenylethanol --- --- --- 1.5 Benzyl alcohol --- --- 2.0 ---Water ad ad ad ad pH Value 8.9 8.9 8.9 8.9 Stability in storage at 0 to 3C 2 0 0 0 Reflectance values (Gardner), 1% 37 43 43 42 The test results clearly reflect the advantages of formulations 2 to 4 according to the invention over comparison formulation 1.

Wiping formulations based on polvmers Wiping formulations 5 to 12 were prepared by inten-sive mixing from the components listed in Table 2. In every case, the perfume was mixed in as the last com-5 ponent. Formulations 6 to 8 and 10 to 12 according to the invention were then compared with comparison formula-tions 5 and 9 in regard to residue behavior in the cleaning of hard surfaces and in regard to stable incor-poration of the perfume oil.
10 The residue behavior of the formulations was tested by allowing quantities of 100 ml of a 1% solution of the formulation to run down a black tile wall and then to dry. After complete drying, the residue was visually evaluated on a scale of -5 to 0:
-5 very heavy bloom, not polishable -4 heavy bloom, difficult to polish -3 medium-heavy bloom, difficult to polish ~~.
-2 bloom, polishable -1 slight bloom, easy to polish 0 no bloom or reduction in shine.
The stability of the perfume in the formulations was tested in a storage test under varying climatic condi-tions (12 hours at 0°C, 12 hours at 40°C). In this case, too, evaluation was visual and was based on the following scale:
1. Very good dispersing power; the perfume droplets are uniformly dispersed in the solution and do not separate, even during the storage test.
2. Good dispersing power; only part of the perfume separates in the form of droplets towards the end of the storage test.
3. Medium dispersing power; some of the perfume drop-lets separate after only 4 weeks' storage.
4. Poor dispersing power; all the perfume separates after storage for only 4 weeks.
The test results clearly reflect the advantages of formulations 6 to 8 and to to 12 according to the inven-tion over comparison formulations 5 and 9.
Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations, modifications, and equivalents may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A cleaning concentrate having a pH of from 5 to 9 comprising:
(a) from 1 to 25% by weight of a surfactant;
(b) from 1 to 30% by weight of a film-forming component selected from the group consisting of waxes, polymers and mixtures thereof; and (c) from 0.05 to 11% by weight of an alcohol selected from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenoxyethanol, and mixtures thereof, all weights being based on the weight of the concentrate.

2. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said concentrate has a pH of from 6 to 8.

3. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said surfactant is present in an amount of from 5 to 10% by weight, based on the weight of the concentrate.

4. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said surfactant is selected from the group consisting of nonionic, anionic, amphoteric, cationic surfactants, and mixtures thereof.

5. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said film-forming component is present in an amount of from 4 to 10% by weight, based on the weight of the concentrate.

6. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said waxes are selected from the group consisting of polyethylene waxes, oxidized polyethylene waxes, montan ester waxes, paraffin waxes, candellila wax, carnuba wax and mixtures thereof.

7. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said polymers comprise monomeric units selected from the group consisting of styrene, acrylates or, methacrylates of aliphatic alcohols containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and mixtures thereof.

8. The concentrate of claim 1 wherein said alcohol is present in an amount of from 1 to 5% by weight, based on the weight of the concentrate.

9. The concentrate of claim 1 further containing an additive selected from the group consisting of cleaning-active salts, solvents, wetting resins, amines, dyes, preservatives, perfume oils and mixtures thereof.

10. The concentrate of claim 1 further containing water in a ratio of said concentrate to water of from 1:10 to 1:200.

11. A process for cleaning floors comprising contacting said floors with a cleaning concentrate diluted with water, said concentrate containing:
(a) from 1 to 25% by weight of a surfactant;
(b) from 1 to 30% by weight of a film-forming component selected from the group consisting of waxes, polymers and mixtures thereof; and (c) from 0.05 to 11% by weight of an alcohol selected from the group consisting of benzyl alcohol, 2-phenylethanol, 2-phenoxyethanol, and mixtures thereof, all weights being based on the weight of the concentrate, wherein said concentrate has a pH of from 5 to 9.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein said concentrate has a pH of from 6 to 8.

13. The process of claim 11 wherein said surfactant is present in an amount of from 5 to 10% by weight, based on the weight of the concentrate.

14. The process of claim 11 wherein said surfactant is selected from the group consisting of nonionic, anionic, amphoteric, cationic surfactants, and mixtures thereof.

15. The process of claim 11 wherein said film-forming component is present in an amount of from 4 to 10% by weight, based on the weight of the concentrate.

16. The process of claim 11 wherein said waxes are selected from the group consisting of polyethylene waxes, oxidized polyethylene waxes, montan ester waxes, paraffin waxes, candellila wax, carnuba wax and mixtures thereof.

17. The process of claim 11 wherein said polymers comprise monomeric units selected from the group consisting of styrene, acrylates or methoacrylates of aliphatic alcohols containing 1 to 8 carbon atoms, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and mixtures thereof.

18. The process of claim 11 wherein said alcohol is present in an amount of from 1 to 5% by weight, based on the weight of the concentrate.

19. The process of claim 11 wherein said concentrate further contains an additive selected from the group consisting of cleaning-active salts, solvents, wetting resins, amines, dyes, preservatives, perfume oils and mixtures thereof.

20. The process of claim 11 wherein said concentrate is diluted in said water in a ratio of from 1:10 to 1:200.