EP1036148B1 - Carpet cleaning powder with a source of active oxygen - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a gentle carpet cleaning preparation which is also stable in storage, can be sprinkled, and is highly effective in terms of cleaning. The inventive preparation is obtained by combining cellulose powder and an active oxygen constituent.

Description

The present invention relates to a scatterable agent based on cellulose with a Active oxygen source for dry cleaning textiles, especially carpets.

For cleaning carpets and other textile coverings on the spot, in addition to liquid cleaning agents such as shampoos, powdered cleaning agents are especially used, which are particularly convenient for laypersons. Such cleaning powders consist essentially of larger amounts of adsorbents and a cleaning liquid adsorbed thereon, which mostly consists mostly of water. The cleaning liquid is assumed to take care of the detachment of the dirt particles from the fibers and their transport to the adsorbent, which is then brushed and / or suctioned off together with the dirt after drying. A wide variety of materials have been proposed as adsorbents. Cellulose powders such as are described, for example, in European patent application EP 0 178 566 have recently gained particular importance.

Although with cleaning agents based on cellulose powder it is already a high standard with regard to the cleaning performance in case of extensive soiling as well as with regard to the Inhibition of graying, re-soiling and roughening of the carpet surface achieved , these conventional cleaners largely fail when stained, especially in the case of bleachable soiling such as coffee, tea or fruit juices, so that so far here additional step to remove stains with a suitable, usually liquid bleach upstream. As the carpet for the preferred after the stain treatment surface treatment to be carried out with the cleaning powder must be dry between Both operations then also have enough time to lie with a stain remover can dry the treated area completely.

To remove such bleachable stains, peroxide-containing bleaching agents, for example hydrogen peroxide, have been proposed, but when these agents are used locally there is always the risk that the color of the textile material will be visibly damaged. It has also already been proposed to use aqueous bleach-containing solutions for the extensive cleaning of carpets (L. Carlhoff, H. Krüssmann Deutscher Färber-Kalender, publisher G. Dierkes, Frankfurt aM 1989, 215-224). However, it was found that high bleach concentrations and long exposure times have to be used to adequately remove the stains, which are also associated with strong odor nuisance when using peracetic acid, so that this method has not become established in practice.

Bleach-containing dry cleaning agents for carpets are disclosed in Japanese Patents JP 044 974, JP 066 654 and JP 251247 . However, the agents described there are not based on cellulose powder as a carrier material.

Carpet cleaners are known from the English patent specification GB 65/36749 which, based on the composition, contain 18 to 35% by weight wood flour, 0.2 to 1% by weight peroxidic bleaching agents, for example hydrogen peroxide, 25 to 70% by weight. Water, 10 to 40% by weight of volatile low-boiling solvents in the form of petroleum fractions or chlorinated hydrocarbons, 0.25 to 2% by weight of organic emulsifier in the form of nonionic or non-soapy anionic organic synthetic detergents and 0.25 to 1% by weight selected Contain alkali metal detergent salts. Wood and also wood flour, which is very finely chopped wood, consists of about 40 to 50% cellulose, 25 to 30% lignin and 15 to 30% polyoses as well as a few percent of other ingredients, e.g. resins, waxes, terpenes and Terpenoids or tannins such as tannin so that the agents described contain cellulose in amounts of less than 20% by weight. However, wood flour-based cleaners are unsuitable due to a number of disadvantageous properties - low cleaning performance, low adsorption capacity, easy clumping, discoloration due to tannins, resins, etc. The bleach in these carpet cleaners is only used to bleach the wood flour and not to remove oxidizable stains from the textile material to be cleaned. In addition, beech wood flour, for example, is undesirable due to its toxicological properties, while beech wood cellulose is a suitable carrier material for common cellulose-based cleaning powder.

The British patent application GB-A-2 112 013 describes a pulverulent cleaning agent containing cellulose powder, the content of further pulverulent adsorbents (amino-aldehyde resin) not less than the content of cellulose powder.
The British patent application GB-A-2 309 034 discloses a scatterable dry carpet cleaning agent containing cellulose powder and optionally an active oxygen source. This agent also contains 12 to 20 wt .-% inorganic salt system of alkali metal carbonate, alkali metal bicarbonate and alkali metal sesquicarbonate in a ratio of 1: 0.5-2.5: 0.5-2.5.

The object of the present invention was to provide a powdered carpet cleaner To provide cellulose based on both a very good cleaning performance Surfaces as well as on colored stains, without doing so the carpet, especially its Coloring, damaging, and for a long period of time without noticeable impairment cleaning performance remains stable.

This object has been achieved according to the invention by cellulose-based carpet cleaning powder with an active oxygen source.

The subject of the present application is therefore a scatterable Dry carpet cleaning agent, containing cellulose powder and an active oxygen source, characterized in that it is free from wood flour and the content of other powdery adsorbents below the content of cellulose powder the agent is not an inorganic salt system from (a) Alkali metal carbonate, (b) alkali metal bicarbonate and (c) alkali metal sesquicarbonate with a ratio (a): (b): (c) of 1.0.5-2.5: 0.5-2.5 contains in an amount of 12 to 20 wt .-%.

The carpet cleaning powders according to the invention are characterized by the contained Active oxygen source due to a compared to conventional carpet cleaning powders Cellulose based in an unexpectedly significantly improved cleaning performance. In particular persistent colored stains, for example from coffee, red wine or fruit juices such as Blueberry juice can be largely, mostly even completely removed from the carpet, without the carpet being damaged by the agents according to the invention.

Another advantage of the carpet cleaners according to the invention is their surprisingly high level Storage stability. Without being limited to certain mechanisms, the adsorption of the peroxidic connection to the cellulose may be the reason. After storage over several The cleaner is fully efficient for weeks or months. The detergent can be airtight closing plastic or metal-based films can be packed without being in the Packaging builds up unwanted pressure.

Furthermore, due to the use of an active oxygen source as a cleaning booster in the agents according to the invention surprisingly to preservation by additional Preservatives of any kind are dispensed with.

The cellulose powders suitable for the agents according to the invention are obtained from commercially available cellulose, which is generally obtained from parts of plants, in particular from wood. produced by crushing with the help of mechanical and / or chemical processes. Such powders, which are colorless and almost free of lignin and other impurities originating from the plant material, are commercially available in various finenesses. For the purposes of the present invention, the finer qualities, which have an average fiber length in the range from 50 to 400 micrometers, are preferably suitable. With these qualities, the average fiber thickness is usually between 10 and 50 micrometers. The particle size of the cellulose powder can also be determined using a sieving method, for example using air jet sieving in accordance with DIN 53734. Cellulose powder which has the following particle size distribution (according to the aforementioned method) is therefore also preferred: less than 32 µm 40 ± 7% by weight between 32 and 71 µm 35 ± 5% by weight between 71 and 200 µm 24 ± 4% by weight over 200 µm Max. 1% by weight

Cellulose powders which are preferably used in the agents according to the invention Wood cellulose, especially made from hardwood cellulose. A special one preferred cellulose type is beech wood cellulose. Of these powder types are in turn those qualities particularly preferred that are based on mechanical only in a technically simple manner Ways, i.e. by grinding. The proportion of cellulose powder in the The agent according to the invention is preferably 30 to 60% by weight, in particular 35 to 55 wt .-%, most preferably 40 to 50 wt .-%, based on the finished agent.

In addition to cellulose powder, the agents according to the invention can also be powdered Contain adsorbents as are known per se for such dry cleaning agents, if this is desirable to achieve special additional effects. Examples of such Adsorbents are colloidal silicon dioxide, bentonite, diatomaceous earth, zeolite, starch and Plastic foam powder, such as ground polyurethane foam. As an additional Adsorbent, which also acts as a volume generator, has ground foam glass (Perlite) proven. The amount of these additional adsorbents is so in any case chosen that the properties of the agents are not adversely changed. Your salary lies therefore in the agents according to the invention always below the content of cellulose powder, it is preferably less than 50% by weight, in particular less than 30% by weight on the content of cellulose powder.

In addition to the above-mentioned adsorbents, the agents according to the invention contain one or more active oxygen sources, preferably hydrogen peroxide, as the essential active ingredient. In aqueous solution, further sources are compounds releasing hydrogen peroxide, for example percarbonates, perborates and metal peroxides, and also other types of peroxides, such as dialkyl peroxides, diacyl peroxides, pre-formed percarboxylic acids, persulfates, organic and inorganic peroxides or hydroperoxides. Also suitable are the alkyl and aryl silicon peroxides known, for example, from German patent applications DE 195 38 629 A1 and DE 195 40 581 A1, as well as the silicon peroxide also described there. In addition, acylating agents can be included as peroxide activators, which form salts of organic percarboxylic acids.

The hydrogen peroxide sources preferably contained are alkaline reacting, solid inorganic peroxides, for example perborate tetrahydrate, Perborate monohydrate and percarbonate, of which in turn perborate monohydrate is particularly preferred becomes.

Suitable organic and inorganic peroxides or hydroperoxides in the sense of the teaching according to the invention include diacyl and dialkyl peroxides or hydroperoxides such as dibenzoyl peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, dilauroyl peroxide, dicumyl peroxide and persulfuric acid or their salts and mixtures of the compounds mentioned.

Pre-formed peracids suitable according to the invention are, for example, diperoxydodecanedioic acid (DPDDA), magnesium perphthalic acid, perlauryl acid, perbenzoic acid, diperazelaic acid and their salts as well as mixtures of these compounds.

The content of active oxygen source is usually in amounts, based on the composition, of up to 15% by weight, preferably up to 10% by weight, in particular up to 5% by weight, most preferably up to 2% by weight , The content of active oxygen source is to be understood as meaning the amount of hydrogen peroxide which is stoichiometrically equivalent to the respective peroxide compound, so that, for example in the case of sodium perborate tetrahydrate, "NaBO ₃ .4H ₂ O" has a content of 1% by weight of active oxygen source based on the composition contained amount of 4.5 wt .-% of this salt means. The content of active oxygen can be titrated oxidimetrically with permanganate, iodide or cerium (IV) sulfate in aqueous acidic solution.

The activators used according to the invention are compounds which are capable of acylating hydrogen peroxide in an alkaline aqueous solution. Such activators have been developed in large numbers for textile washing. The majority of the cases are reactive amides or esters or anhydrides that are able to transfer an acyl group to hydrogen peroxide. A list of such activators can be found, for example, in DE-A 38 32 589 on page 7. For the process according to the invention, N, N, N ', N'-tetraacetylethylene diamine (TAED), 1,5-diacetyl-2,4-dioxohexahydro- 1,3,5-triazine (DADHT) and pentaacetylglucose (PAG) preferred individually or in mixtures. The amount of activator which is used to prepare the cleaning solution is generally chosen so that 0.02 to 1 mol, preferably 0.05 to 0.5 mol, of reactive acyl groups from the Activator are available. It is therefore usually between 0.01 and 5 g, in particular 0.02 to 1.5 g, per 100 g of the solution. If the activator is to be packaged in solid form together with the peroxide and optionally other active ingredients of the cleaning solution, it may be expedient and advantageous to prior to premature reaction with the peroxide or other ingredients of the agent in a manner known per se by encapsulation or granulation To protect, for example according to DE 30 11 998 .

The cleaning solution adsorbed on the cellulose carrier contains, among other things, one or more of the aforementioned active oxygen sources. In the simplest case, it is an aqueous one Hydrogen peroxide solution. The amount of this soaking liquid is measured so that it is still of the fixed components of the funds, i.e. especially of cellulose powder is and thus the spreadability of the funds is guaranteed. The water content resulting from the in the production of the amount of water added and the amount already contained in the raw materials Water results, is preferably 35 to 70 wt .-%, in particular 40 to 60 wt .-%.

However, the impregnating liquid can also, if this appears appropriate for special reasons, contain other auxiliaries and additives, for example for increasing the Cleaning effect, improving the resoiling behavior or preservation of the finished agent are advantageous.

For example, the liquid preferably contains one or more suitable complexing agents. Suitable complexing agents in the context of the invention include phosphonic acids and their Salts, aminocarboxylic acids and their salts as well as multiply functionalized aromatic Chelatisierer. Preferred salts are alkali metal, ammonium and substituted Ammonium salts, the complexing agents with more than one acid function not all must be deprotonated.

Suitable phosphonic acids are known, for example, from German patent DE 1 107 207 . It preferably contains acetophosphonic acid or hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid, in particular a mixture of acetophosphonic acid and hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid.

Suitable aminocarboxylic acids are, for example, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acids (EDTA), N-hydroxylated EDTA and nitrilotriacetic acids.

Suitable multi-functionalized aromatic chelating agents are described in US Pat. No. 3,812,044 , for example dihydroxydisulfobenzenes such as 1,2-dihydroxy-3,5-disulfobenzene.

According to the invention, the complexing agents are preferably present in amounts based on the Composition of the agents, of up to 2% by weight, in particular up to 1% by weight, extremely preferably up to 0.4% by weight.

Surfactants can also be present as cleaning-active additives, these surfactants preferably come from the classes of anionic and nonionic surfactants. While Excellent surface cleaning can be achieved even without the addition of surfactants Addition of surfactants to improve the removal of fatty stains. in the in general, a surfactant addition of up to 10% by weight is sufficient; preferably contain the Average 0.05 to 5 wt .-%, in particular 0.1 to 2 wt .-%, based on the total weight of the By means of surfactants. From the large number of known surfactants, such substances are particularly suitable: which together with the contained adsorbents and possibly other Dry the non-volatile components of the agent to a solid, brittle residue.

Particularly suitable as nonionic surfactants for the agents according to the invention Addition products of 1 to 30, preferably 4 to 15, mol of ethylene oxide or mixtures of Ethylene oxide and propylene oxide on one mole of a compound having 10 to 20 carbon atoms from the group of alcohols, alkylphenols, carboxylic acids and carboxamides. Well suited are also the condensation products known under the name alkyl glycosides reducing sugars and long chain alcohols. The are particularly preferred Adducts of ethylene oxide with long chain primary or secondary alcohols, e.g. Fatty alcohols or oxo alcohols as well as the alkyl polyglucosides made up of glucose and fatty alcohols with 1 to 3 glucose units per molecule and 8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical.

Suitable anionic surfactants are in particular those of the sulfate or sulfonate type, however can also other types such as soaps, long-chain N-acyl sarcosinates, salts of long-chain Sulfosuccinic acid esters or salts of ether carboxylic acids, such as those obtained from long-chain alkyl or alkylphenyl polyglycol ethers and chloroacetic acid are available. The Anionic surfactants are preferably used in the form of the sodium salts, but can the lithium salts also offer advantages.

Particularly suitable surfactants of the sulfate type are the sulfuric acid monoesters of long-chain primary alcohols of natural and synthetic origin with 10 to 20 carbon atoms, ie of fatty alcohols, such as, for example, coconut fatty alcohols, tallow fatty alcohols, oleyl alcohol or the C ₁₀ -C ₂₀ oxo alcohols and those of secondary alcohols thereof chain lengths. In addition, the sulfuric acid monoesters of the aliphatic primary alcohols, secondary alcohols or alkylphenols ethoxylated with 1 to 6 mol of ethylene oxide come into consideration. These surfactants are also known as ether sulfates. Sulfated fatty acid alkanolamides and sulfated fatty acid monoglycerides are also suitable.

The surfactants of the sulfonate type are primarily sulfosuccinic acid monoesters and diesters with 6 to 22 carbon atoms in the alcohol parts, the alkylbenzenesulfonates with C ₉ -C ₁₅ -alkyl groups and the esters of α-sulfofatty acids, e.g. α-sulfonated methyl or ethyl esters of hydrogenated coconut, palm kernel or tallow fatty acids. Also very suitable are the alkanesulfonates which are obtainable from C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ -alkanes by sulfochlorination or sulfoxidation and subsequent hydrolysis or neutralization or by bisulfide addition to olefins, and the olefinsulfonates, which are mixtures of alkene and hydroxyalkanesulfonates and disulfonates, such as they are obtained, for example, from long-chain monoolefins with a terminal or internal double bond by sulfonation with gaseous sulfur trioxide and subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis of the sulfonation products.

Particularly preferred surfactants are the olefin sulfonates, which are preferably used in amounts of 0.1 to 1 wt .-% are used in the recipes, but especially the fatty alcohol sulfates and Fatty alcohol ether sulfates, preferably used in amounts between 0.1 and 2% by weight become.

The agents according to the invention can furthermore contain organic solvents. As Organic solvents are suitable for both water-miscible and non-water miscible solvents, provided they do not attack the textiles and are sufficiently volatile, to evaporate in the desired time after applying the agents to the textiles. Furthermore, when selecting the solvents, care must be taken that they are in the finished product mixture have sufficiently high flash points and are toxicologically harmless. Alcohols, ketones, glycol ethers and hydrocarbons, for example, are particularly suitable Isopropanol, acetone, ethers of mono- and diethylene glycol and mono-, di- and Tripropylene glycol with boiling points between 120 ° C and petrol with a boiling range of 130 to 200 ° C, as well as mixtures of these solvents. Preferably be Mono alcohols with 2 to 3 carbon atoms and mixtures thereof are used. The share of organic solvent is usually not more than 20% by weight, preferably up to 10 % By weight, in particular up to 5% by weight, based on the total cleaning agent.

The pH of the compositions is preferably in the range from 6 to 10, in particular from 7 to 9.5, extremely preferred from 7.5 to 9, and is obtained by adding acid and / or alkali, preferably sodium hydroxide solution.

In addition to the components already mentioned, the agents of this invention can be used in others Textile and carpet cleaning agents are common auxiliaries and additives in small quantities contain. Examples of such active ingredients are antistatic components, optical ones Brighteners, substances that reduce re-soiling, such as drying embrittles water-soluble or water-dispersible polymers, for example polyacrylates, which Additives, preservatives and perfume to improve spreadability and spreadability. In front it is especially important if components that are heavily dusty are to be incorporated into the agents It is advisable to add small amounts of waxes or oils to bind dust. Usually, no more than 5% by weight of these auxiliaries and additives are used. used; the content is preferably not more than 2% by weight, based on the total composition.

A particularly preferred auxiliary agent is in the cleaning agents according to the invention Larger rollable particles made of porous elastic material, especially those made of Sponge material. These particles have a longest dimension between about 1 and 50, preferably between about 1 and 10 mm, the dimensions in the two other spatial directions that are perpendicular to each other and along this length, at least 10 %, in particular at least 20% of this greatest length. With these rollable Particles can be regularly or irregularly shaped bodies. It is crucial that the shape is designed so that the body when incorporating the Carpet cleaning agents can roll under the brush passed over the carpet. As Shapes come in spheres, cylinders, ellipsoids, egg shapes, but also irregularly shaped bodies, such as those caused by agglomeration of smaller particles Granules arise, in question. Especially with very elastic and easily deformable However, materials can also have more angular bodies, including cubes and cuboids rollable and suitable for the agents according to the invention.

The rollable particles can consist of different materials. Particularly preferred but are rollable particles that are predominantly or completely made of viscose, natural sponge or open-pore plastic foam. To produce the rollable particles one preferably from larger pieces of material by cutting or grinding be crushed to the desired size. Foamed material is preferably used, Non-woven fabric or fabric, used as the starting material. In a particularly preferred one In one embodiment, the rollable particles consist of viscose sponge flakes.

The rollable particles combine with fluff and during the cleaning process Fibers that have deposited on the carpets and can then coexist with them can be easily removed from the carpet surface. The rollable particle content can be in the agents according to the invention are relatively small, since there are already few particles are sufficient to achieve the desired effect. So the proportion of rollable particles is in the agents preferably up to 10% by weight, in particular up to 4% by weight, extremely preferably up to 1% by weight, based on the total agent.

The preparation of the agents presents no problems, so that technically simple, mostly one-step Procedures can be applied. Usually simple mixing equipment, such as Paddle or drum mixers are used, in which cellulose powder and optionally other solid components are submitted and then moving with the liquids, if necessary contain other components dissolved, sprayed. Depending on the mechanics and In this way, the composition can be in very finely divided or also in more or composition less agglomerated form can be made, but the composition always ensures that even the agglomerated forms on the textiles without major mechanical Effort disintegrates easily. By choosing flaky agglomerates, the Free-flowing properties of the agents are dampened down to products that flow very slowly, such as they are preferred for certain applications.

The bulk density of the agents can be more or less in the manufacturing process by the choice influence less compact agglomerates to a certain extent. So the funds point Usually bulk weights in the range of 200 to 400 g / l, with the result that relatively large volumes per unit area are used. This makes it easier especially if the products are sprinkled on carpets by hand, one even distribution.

The cleaning of the textiles and carpets takes place in such a way that the cleaning agents according to the invention are sprinkled onto the textiles manually or with the aid of a suitable scattering device and then rubbed into the textiles more or less intensively, for example with the aid of a sponge or a brush. As a rule, training times of 0.5 to 2.5 minutes, preferably 0.5 to 1.5 minutes per square meter are chosen. After rubbing in, the textiles are allowed to dry until the cleaning agents that combine with the dirt have turned into dry residues. These residues are then removed from the textiles mechanically, for example by brushing or vacuuming. For the surface cleaning of textiles, depending on the abundance of the textiles and depending on the degree of soiling, the agents according to the invention use 2 to 250 g · m ^-2 , but larger amounts can also be applied in places to remove individual stains. For cleaning carpets, application rates of 10 to 200 g · m ^{-2 are} common. The entire process can be carried out largely manually, for example in the household, but there is also the possibility of rubbing in and possibly further steps using suitable machines, for example combined spreading and brushing machines or combined brushing and suction machines, so that this can be done The process is equally suitable for use in the commercial sector.

Examples

The cleaning agents described in the following examples were as follows Made way:

Cellulose powder and optionally viscose flakes were placed in a paddle mixer submitted and premixed. The aqueous cleaning liquid was separated from this the remaining components are made in a mixing container. This liquid was then sprayed onto the adsorbent while moving the paddle mixer further. Slightly moist, but free-flowing products were created.

In the examples described below, the type Arbocel® B 800 X from JRS Rettenmaier & Söhne was used as cellulose powder , which according to the manufacturer has an average fiber length of 200 µm and an average fiber thickness of 20 µm, and the following sieving characteristics for air jet sieving: less than 32 µm 40% by weight less than 71 µm 75% by weight less than 200 µm 99% by weight

The viscose flakes used were a product from Beli-Chemie GmbH and are offered for use as suction flakes to absorb spilled liquids. The material has a bulk density of approximately 90 g / l.

The composition of an agent (E1) according to the invention and a comparative agent without hydrogen peroxide (V1) in% by weight can be found in Table 1 (+ = component in the ppm range; - = component not included). E1 V1 cellulose 43 43 H ₂ O ₂ 0.9 - phosphonic + - FAS 0.85 0.85 ethanol 3 3 suction flakes 0.55 0.25 Perfume + + preservation - + water ad 100 ad 100

The area cleaning performance was checked on pieces of carpet, which were provided with artificial soiling. The way of working is largely established standard. A light beige polyamide velor carpet served as carpet materials and a light beige virgin wool loop carpet, cut in pieces of size 30 cm x 60 cm in a laboratory soiling device with 10 g of a test soiling, consisting of 85 wt .-% of the sieved content of a vacuum cleaner bag and 15% by weight from a standard mixture of kaolin, quartz powder, iron oxide and carbon black (zu can be obtained from the Krefeld laundry research institute). The pieces of carpet were then vacuumed thoroughly.

The cleaning tests were carried out on the soiled carpet pieces in such a way that 125 g · m ^-2 (polyamide carpet) or 150 g · m ^-2 (new wool carpet) cleaning powder were evenly sprinkled on and then worked into the surface by brushing. A medium-hard brush with polypropylene bristles was used as the tool, with which the surface was worked evenly with strong, overlapping lines in the longitudinal and transverse directions for about 25 seconds. After drying overnight at room temperature, the carpet pieces were thoroughly vacuumed until no powder residues were visible on the carpet. The evaluation was carried out using the Minolta Chromameter CR310 color difference measuring device using the CIELAB method for the colorimetric determination of color distances (DIN 6174). The color difference Δ E * / ab between sample (index P) and reference (index B) is determined as a Euclidean distance in the three-dimensional color space spanned by the color dimensions L ^* , a ^* and b ^* . The color space coordinates L ^* , a ^* and b ^* result from the measured standard color values X , Y and Z (see also DIN 5033 part 2). The dimension L ^* , also called gray value, detects the brightness, while chroma and hue are positioned in the a ^* / b ^* plane. The change in the color position E * / ab caused by the cleaning of the dark beige soiled carpet containing soot is essentially due to the change in the lightness coordinate L ^* to larger values in the sense of brightening, while the color coordinates a ^* and b ^{* are} not significantly shifted.

Table 2 shows the color difference Δ E * / ab = E * / ab, P - E * / ab, B as the cleaning result of the example formulations, ie how large the color value E * / ab after cleaning ( E * / ab, P ) larger than before ( E * / ab, B), it was determined how much lighter and therefore cleaner the carpet became as a result of the surface cleaning. E1 V1 Polyamide velor 3.80 2.82 Wool noose 1.73 0.34

The cleaning performance with regard to stained soiling was determined on the same textile floor coverings that were stained with hot milk coffee, red wine or blueberry juice. Powder was sprinkled on the aged stains (polyamide carpet: 100 g / m ² ; virgin wool carpet: 200 g / m ² ) and worked in intensively with a brush. After soaking overnight, the powder was suctioned off thoroughly. The visual assessment of the stain removal by 5 test persons with good lighting by means of a daylight lamp and comparison with the respective uncleaned reference carpet is summarized in Table 3 for the sample formulations (E1, V1) and the different stains. No change in color of the carpet was observed. E1 V1 red wine completely removed not removed coffee completely removed not removed Blueberry juice completely removed not removed

The exemplary agent E1 was stored for a period of 9 months checked its hydrogen peroxide content using permanganatometric titration. The certain loss of hydrogen peroxide was only 0.06% by weight.

The examples demonstrate the superior cleaning performance of the invention cellulose-based carpet cleaning powder containing hydrogen peroxide (E1) the conventional cellulose-based cleaner without bleach (V1) and the high Storage stability.

Claims (12)

1. Scatterable dry carpet cleaning composition that includes cellulose powder and a source of active oxygen, characterized in that it is free of wood flour and the level of further pulverulent adsorbents is below the level of cellulose powder, the composition not including an inorganic salt system of (a) alkali metal carbonate, (b) alkali metal bicarbonate and (c) alkali metal sesquicarbonate having an (a):(b):(c) ratio of 1:0.5-2.5:0.5-2.5 in an amount of 12 to 20% by weight.
2. Composition according to Claim 1, characterized in that it includes wood cellulose, preferably hardwood cellulose, especially beechwood cellulose.
3. Composition according to either of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that it includes cellulose powder having an average fibre length between 50 and 400 µm.
4. Composition according to any of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it includes cellulose powder in amounts, based on the composition, of 30 to 60% by weight, preferably 35 to 55% by weight, especially 40 to 50% by weight.
5. Composition according to any of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it includes hydrogen peroxide in amounts, based on the composition, of up to 15% by weight, preferably up to 10% by weight, especially up to 5% by weight, most preferably up to 2% by weight.
6. Composition according to any of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it includes complexing agents, especially one or more phosphonic acids and/or phosphonic acid salts, preferably in amounts, based on the composition, of up to 2% by weight, especially up to 1% by weight, most preferably up to 0.4% by weight.
7. Composition according to any of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it includes one or more surfactants, preferably anionic surfactants, especially surfactants selected from the group consisting of the alkyl sulphates and ether sulphates, preferably in amounts, based on the composition, of up to 10% by weight, especially 0.05 to 5% by weight, most preferably 0.1 to 2% by weight.
8. Composition according to any of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it includes reliable particles composed of elastic, porous material, especially sponge flakes, preferably in amounts, based on the composition, of up to 10% by weight, especially up to 4% by weight, most preferably up to 1% by weight.
9. Composition according to any of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it includes one or more organic solvents, preferably alcohols, especially monoalcohols having 2 or 3 carbon atoms, preferably in amounts, based on the composition, of up to 10% by weight, especially up to 5% by weight.
10. Composition according to any of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it has a pH in the range from 6 to 10, preferably from 7 to 9.5, especially from 7.5 to 9.
11. Use of the composition according to any of Claims 1 to 10 for the dry cleaning of textile floor coverings.
12. Use of the composition according to any of Claims 1 to 10 for removing spots, especially coloured spots, from textile floor coverings.