EP1593773A2

EP1593773A2 - Ironing aid composition with oil

Info

Publication number: EP1593773A2
Application number: EP05075865A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Helen Elspeth Lyon; Mansur Sultan Mohammadi
Original assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Current assignee: Unilever PLC; Unilever NV
Priority date: 2004-05-05
Filing date: 2005-04-14
Publication date: 2005-11-09
Also published as: EP1593773A3; GB0409960D0

Abstract

This invention relates to an ironing aid composition which is suitable for pouring directly into the water reservoir chamber of a steam iron. The composition comprises an antifoaming oil, preferably castor oil. The application discloses a method for the preparation of such compositions and their use in a steam generator iron.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to an ironing aid composition suitable for pouring directly into the water reservoir chamber of a steam generator iron wherein the composition is vaporised and released through the steam vents of the iron. The invention is also directed to a method for preparing an ironing aid composition and a concentrate ironing aid composition, which, preferably after appropriate dilution provides, the ironing aid composition ready for use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Products that can be poured directly into the chamber of a steam iron and can effectively deliver a perfume to clothes being ironed have recently become successful in Europe. Such products are generally water based. However, the vast majority of perfume components is essentially insoluble in water and therefore requires an additional solubiliser to provide an isotropic solution (or micro-emulsion). For example DE 296 00 628 discloses a composition with oily fragrances which are hardly soluble or not soluble at all.
The usual route to solubilise a perfume in water is to include a surfactant/emulsifier typified by anionic, cationic, amphoteric, zwitterionic or particularly nonionic surfactants, most particularly alcohol ethoxylates. Many products currently on the market use this route to solubilise a perfume and achieve some level of perfuming. For example, GB 2 333 302 describes an ironing aid composition with a nonionic surfactant to disperse the hydrophobic fragrance.
It is known that certain products to be dosed into the chambers of a steam iron can cause problems. On the one hand it is known that modification of the surface tension of the product, as compared with water can change the flow rate of the material through the iron, or result in foaming, resulting in a less than optimal production of steam. On the other hand preservative and surfactant components can char and result in damage to the articles being ironed.
WO0210503A1 (Unilever), discloses ironing waters with soluble perfume components to avoid the undesirable effects of using surfactants in irons as the high temperatures ranging from 150-270°C encountered by the ironing water during evaporation in a domestic steam iron. Such products have become very successful in the European market under the trademark 'Vaporesse'.
Despite these advances, fragranced ironing waters cannot be used in fully pressurised steam generator irons. Fully pressurised steam generator irons have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, if used in fully pressurised steam generator irons ironing waters eject a large quantity of water with steam (this effect is hereafter referred to as 'carryover').
The common silicone anti-foams cannot be added to a ironing water for aesthetic and practical reasons - the clear solution of a perfume water becomes cloudy and turbid, this is disliked by consumers, and more importantly the anti-foams can burn on the hot plate and cause intense fuming and hydrophobisation of the hot plate.
The Polti, Vaporella™, is a typical steam generator iron. It comprises a fixed boiler unit which is connected by a flexible hose to a hand-held ironing unit.
The base of the boiler contains the heating element which is thermostatically controlled via two temperature sensing elements independently attached to the base and the lid. There are two penetrations through the lid, the larger of which allows access from the filling port and is extended some 20mm down into the boiler roof space. This filling port is equipped with a pressure relief valve rated at 5 bar pressure. Water enters the boiler and fills it to a level approximately equal to the bottom of the filling port penetration. The second, smaller, port provides an outlet for the steam supply to the main iron. This second port is equipped with a solenoid valve which is normally closed but operates when the switch on the iron handle is activated. The steam flow rate on activation is controlled by a tandem needle valve integrated with the solenoid valve, typically controlled by a dial on the plastic casing enclosing the boiler unit.
As the pool of water in the base of the sealed boiler is heated above its boiling point, the pressure in the ullage space above the water increases. By thermostatically controlling the boiler wall temperature, the ullage space pressure, and hence the steam supply pressure, is controlled. In this case it is maintained below the 5 bar at which the safety valve in the filler cap is set to vent.
When steam is released by activating the solenoid valve, using the switch on the handle of the iron, the ullage space pressure drops rapidly and the water in the pool becomes superheated. As a result of this superheat, the rate of boiling is instantaneously increased. This is likely to involve increases in both the number of nucleation sites and the frequency of bubble release from them. The vapour bubbles rise to the interface between the pool and the ullage space. It may be hypothesised from the work has been previously conducted that in pure (or tap) water systems, the interface is well behaved and that vapour and liquid disengage easily.
Using perfumed waters in steam irons in place of tap water has become popular because their fragrant 'atmosphere' transforms the chore of ironing into a more pleasant experience.
WO 03062518 A1 (Worwerk and Co, 2003) 'Steam Boiling Device', describes the problem of water being carried over with steam in steam irons with a pressurised boiler and discloses a mechanical foam breaker installed inside the boiler to prevent this carryover problem.
EP1355000 A2 (Euroflex S.R.L., 2003), 'Steam Iron with Steam Chamber', describes the troublesome problem of water carryover as a result of partial steam condensation in steam ducts being cold at the beginning of the ironing process and discloses specialised steam ducts to prevent this problem.

BRIEF DESCIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide an improved ironing aid composition. We have discovered that by reducing the foaming potential of ironing waters or by effective breaking of the foam film when formed this problem can be solved.
The foam breakers must be compatible with the ironing waters and inert to the irons. In particular we have discovered that about 50 PPM of a foam breaking oil acts as an effective de-foamer and drastically reduces the carryover level.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ironing aid composition for use in the boiler of a fully pressurised steam generator iron comprising:
(a) 0.001 to 5 wt.% of a water-soluble perfume; and
(b) water having a French Hardness of 20 or below, and,
(c) less than 200 PPM of a foam breaking oil
Without wishing to go into theory the inventors believe the problem to be caused by the foaming potential of solutions in general and perfumed waters in particular. A solution of perfume ingredients can foam on its own - even in the absence of any conventional foaming agent like surfactants which are present in some ironing waters to solubilize the perfume.
Preferred foam-breaking oils are vegetable oils. Castor oil is a particularly preferred foam-breaking oil.
A further aspect of the present invention comprises a steam generator iron comprising a steam generating unit and an ironing unit, the two said units being linked by a flexible hose, characterised in that the steam generating unit comprises at least one tank containing water, perfume and a foam breaking oil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In most cases it will be preferable to have at most 2, 1, 0.5 or most preferable 0.25 wt.% of water-soluble perfume. However, some care must be taken with certain perfumes and levels may be as low as 0.08wt% or lower to ensure that all components are fully dissolved and a clear product results. A further benefit of the invention is that the oil will improve the expression of certain perfumes (i.e. it is believed it will help to solubilise the less water-soluble perfume components and hence improve perfume substantivity on fabrics) .
The composition may comprise any optional ingredients, the balance being water as described below.
Water solubility is determined by mixing the water-soluble perfume in 1 litre of demineralised water at 20 Celsius, and stirring together for 60 minutes at 300 rpm using a standard mixing blade. The resulting mixture is stored for 7 days at 20 Celsius, and after that period if the resulting mixture is in two phases, then the perfume is not water-soluble. At least 0.01 wt.% of perfume should be able to dissolve according to this test. It is preferred that at least 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 3 or even 5 wt.% of the perfume is able to dissolve under these conditions.

Water-soluble perfume

In one preferred embodiment the water-soluble perfumes according to the invention will comprise water-soluble solvent and perfume ingredients, and these may be the sole components of such a perfume. It is preferred that the water-soluble perfume is soluble according to the above test at least at the amount it is included in the composition, if not at a higher concentration.
With regard to the solvent in the perfume, the advantage of the presence of solvent is that it may increase the formulation space by enabling the use of more different compounds to create improved ironing aid compositions with more complex fragrances which are more consumer preferred. By using the water-soluble perfume according to the invention, less solvent may be used to stabilise the perfume ingredients in the ironing aid composition.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the invention the weight ratio of solvent to perfume ingredients in the water-soluble perfume is preferably no more than 20:1, more preferably 10:1, 6:1, 3:1 or 1:1. In some water-soluble perfumes the ratio may be as low as 1:2 or even 1:3 or 1:4.
Suitable water-soluble solvents include dipropylene glycol, propylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethanol and mixtures thereof. The most preferred of these is dipropylene glycol.
Perfume ingredients (or fragrance ingredients) are well known to those skilled in the art, and are described in Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, Steffan Arctander (ISDN 75-91398). The solubility of individual perfume ingredients in water can be represented by the calculated partition coefficient (ClogP) of the ingredient between distilled water and octanol at 20 Celsius. The lower the value of ClogP, the more water soluble the ingredient. For example, raspberry ketone has a ClogP of 1.072 and is very soluble in water, whereas rose acetate has a ClogP of 4.048 and is not easily soluble in water. The ClogP values are most conveniently calculated by the "CLOGP" program, available from Daylight CIS.
The water-soluble perfumes of the present invention preferably comprise at least 5 different perfume ingredients, more preferably at least 7 different perfume ingredients. This number of different fragrance components is usually required to provide a 'complex' fragrance suitable for use in modern laundry products.
It is therefore likely that the perfume ingredients of the water-soluble perfume used will have a range of ClogP values. A perfume with a higher proportion of components with a high ClogP value will require a higher ratio of solvent to perfume ingredients than a perfume with a lower level of ingredients with a high ClogP value. Thus, a perfume with less than 5 wt.% of perfume ingredients with a ClogP value of greater than 3 may have a ratio of solvent to perfume ingredients of 1:1 or 1:2. In contrast, a perfume where at least 20 wt.% of the perfume ingredients have ClogP values of greater than 3 may have a solvent to perfume ingredients ratio of 5:1 or 7:1.

Water

The water of the composition according to the invention should have a French Hardness of 20 or below, preferably 12 or below. Water with a French Hardness of 12 to 20 is usually termed Medium water, whilst that with a French Hardness of 5 to 12, soft water.
It is further preferred that the water of the composition has a French Hardness of less than 5 (sometimes called very soft water), and demineralised water is most preferred.
'Demineralised water' means water where a large proportion, if not substantially all, of the dissolved salts have been removed. Water where the hardness ions (Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺) have simply been replaced by other ions (such as Na⁺) is not as preferred. The term 'Demineralised water' also includes distilled water. It is preferred that the composition comprises at least 70 wt.%, more preferably 80, 90 , 95 or 99 wt.% of water.

Preservative

The ironing aid composition of the present invention may further comprise between 0.1 ppm and 3 wt.% of a preferably water-soluble preservative.
The preservative preferably should not release or decompose to chemicals which are potentially harmful to the ironer at the temperatures encountered in a steam iron, i.e.
preferably at 150, 200 or even 250 Celsius. A guide to safe limits of numerous chemicals is provided by Occupational Exposure Limits which are available from OHSE and are listed in EH40, available from HMSO.
Many known preservatives, e.g. Bronopol™ (Myacide), Dowicil™ 75 or 200, Germaben™ II, Germall™ I 15, Germall™ II, Glycacil™, Glydant™, Glydant™ plus, Oxaban™ A and Suttocide™ can release or breakdown to harmful or irritating chemicals (e.g. formaldehyde) at the temperatures encountered in steam irons or leave unacceptable residues in the steam irons, or have odours that mask that of the water-soluble perfumes at concentrations required to provide effective preservation against bacterial and mould growth.
If a preservative, other than those defined as preferable, is to be included in the composition, then it should not be present at an amount of greater than 0.5 wt.%, more preferably 0.1, 0.001, 0.0001 wt.%, most preferably 1 ppm. In one embodiment of the invention, the ironing aid composition comprises at least one preservative selected from aromatic, linear or branched C1-C20 alcohols and mixtures thereof, and may be present in an amount of between 0.1 ppm and 3 wt.% or preferably 0.5 and 1 wt. %.
Preferably, at least one preservative is selected from benzyl alcohol (phenoxy methanol) and phenoxy ethanol and mixtures thereof. Of these preservatives, benzyl alcohol is more preferred. If benzyl alcohol is used, preferably a high purity grade is employed, to minimise the presence of the known impurity, benzaldehyde, which is preferably essentially absent from the composition according to the invention, i.e., so low that ironing aid composition can still be safely used.
In a further embodiment of the invention, one preferred preservative comprises at least one isothiazolone-based compound, e.g., Kathon™ CG ICP II (available from Rohm and Haas), a 3:1 mixture of 5-chloro-2-methyl-3(2H)-isothiazolone and 2-methyl-3(2H)-isothiazolone with a low salt content, which may be present at an amount of between 1 and 15 ppm, more preferably 4 to 7.5 ppm.
The water solubility of the preservative can be measured as for the water soluble perfume, and according to the test defined above, at least 0.01 wt.%, more preferably 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 3 wt.% of the water-soluble preservative should dissolve. In the alternative, it is preferred that the water-soluble preservative is soluble according to this test at least at the amount it is included in the composition, if not at a higher concentration.
It may not be necessary to include a preservative in the composition according to the invention, if the composition can be manufactured using good manufacturing practices and contamination of the product by bacteria and fungi is thus avoided.

Buffers

It is preferred that compositions for dosing in the water reservoir chamber of steam irons are neutral or slightly alkaline, as is most tap water. Therefore buffers may be included in the composition of the present invention in order to adjust the pH of the solution such that it is greater than or equal to 6, preferably 7 to 9 more preferably 7 to 8. Such buffers may be included in amounts of between 0.0001, preferably 0.001 to 0.1 or 1 wt. %.
Buffers which are suitable for use in the present invention should preferably be non-corrosive, low in odour and leave little deposits in the steam chamber.
Suitable buffers may include carbonate/bicarbonate, borate and phosphate salts.

Sequestrants

Compositions of the present invention may also include sequestrants and scale poisoning agents in an amount of between 0.0001, preferably 0.001 to 0.1 or 1, or even 3 wt. %, in order to prevent the deposition of limescale and other unwanted salts in the steam chamber of the iron. Sequestrants are compounds that act to sequester (chelate) metal ions, and, for example, include phosphonic or carboxylic acid functionalities, whereas scale-poisoning agents interfere with the scale formation process.
Sequestrants and scale poisoning agents which are suitable for use in the present invention should preferably be non-corrosive, low in odour and leave little deposits in the steam chamber.
Suitable sequestrants include organo diphosphonic acids, such as Dequest™ 2016 (HEDP; 1-hydroxyethylene-1,1-diphosphonic acid), organo aminophosphonates, such as Dequest™ 2047 (EDTMP), and polyaminocarboxylic acids, such as EDTA.
Scale poisoning agents include acrylic acid containing organic polymers, such as polyacrylic acid maleic anhydride copolymers (e.g. Sokolan™ CP5 from BASF and Narlex™ LD20 from National Starch), salts of polyacrylic acids, and polyacrylic acid homopolymers.

Auxiliary Solvent

Usually, the ironing aid composition according to one aspect of the invention will be prepared by mixing a water-soluble perfume with water having a French hardness of 20 or below. In most cases the water-soluble perfume will comprise water-soluble perfume ingredients and a solvent. In addition, an auxiliary solvent may be included in the invention in an amount of 0.01 to 5 or possibly 20 wt.%, more preferably 0.1 to 5 or 10 wt.%, most preferably 0.2 to 1 or 2 wt. %. Suitable auxiliary solvents include dipropylene glycol, glycerine, propylene glycol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and mixtures thereof. The most preferred of these is dipropylene glycol. We have found that dipropylene glycol may be especially useful in ironing applications as a humidifier to facilitate ironing. Therefore, another aspect of the invention provides the use of an effective amount of dipropylene glycol for an ironing aid application. The ironing aid composition comprising the effective amount of dipropylene glycol can be used either directly on laundry items before ironing or can be used via the steam chamber of a steam iron. According this aspect of the invention, the ironing aid composition comprises
(a) an effective amount of dipropylene glycol, preferably up to and including about 25 wt.%, more preferably 15, 10, 5, or even 2 or 3 wt.%. The lower limit on the total dipropylene content may be as low as 0.001 wt.%, or may be 0.01, 0.1 or 1 wt.%;
(b) 0.001 to 5 wt. % of preferably water-soluble perfume ingredients; and
(c) water with a French Hardness of 20 or below.
The amount of ethanol and/or isopropyl alcohol (IPA) in the composition preferably does not exceed 5% by weight.
The total level of solvent in the composition, including the solvent that can be present in the water-soluble perfume, can therefore be up to and including about 25 wt.%, more preferably 15, 10, 5, or even 2 or 3 wt.%. The lower limit on the total solvent content may be as low as 0.001 wt.%, or may be 0.01, 0.1 or 1 wt.%. Since it will be obvious to the skilled person in the art that it does not matter whether the solvent is added as part of the perfume or separate from the perfume, the term water-soluble perfume is preferably to be interpreted as water-soluble perfume ingredients. Thus, preferably the ironing aid composition comprises 0.001 to 5 wt.% of water-soluble perfume ingredients and water having a French Hardness of 20 or below and a total amount of solvent of from 0.001 to 25 wt.% of the total composition. For example, for the solubility test the term water-soluble perfume preferably refers to the mixture of perfume ingredients and the total amount of solvent present in the perfume and any additional solvent.

Surfactants

Surfactants are compounds having a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail which contains at least 8 carbon atoms, and can be anionic, cationic, nonionic, or amphoteric (which includes zwitterionic).
Anionic surfactants contain as their hydrophilic head a carboxylate, sulphate, sulphonate or phosphate group, whilst their hydrophobic chain contains an alkyl group of at least 8 carbon atoms, possibly in combination with an aryl group.
Cationic surfactants contain as their hydrophilic head a quaternary nitrogen group, whilst their hydrophobic chain contains one or more alkyl groups of at least 8 carbon atoms.
Nonionic surfactants are the reaction product of a hydrophobic group with a reactive hydrogen and an alkylene oxide, usually ethylene oxide. The hydrophobic group will contain at least 8 carbon atoms, and is usually a primary or secondary alcohol.
Amphoteric surfactants will either have a carboxylate, or sulphate head group, or will be an amine oxide, and will contain alkyl chains having at least 8 carbon atoms.
It is preferred that compositions of the present invention comprise less than 0.2 wt.% of these surfactants, more preferably less than 0.1, 0.05, 0.01, 0.001 wt.% and most preferably less than 1 ppm of these surfactant. It should be understood that the phrase "less than" in this case also encompasses 0 wt.% surfactant. In fact in some cases it may be preferred to have no surfactant present.

Overall composition

Compositions according to the invention may consist of a water-soluble perfume and water with a French Hardness of 20 or below, and also of any of the optional components described above.
Preferably the overall composition is storage stable at 20°C, i.e. it does not separate into two phases on extended storage (preferably at least 1 month). It is further preferred that the overall composition is storage stable at between 5°C and 37 Celsius.

Preparation

An ironing aid composition comprising perfume can be prepared in many ways known to the person skilled in the art. However, we have now found an improved process for preparing an ironing aid composition. One advantage is that relatively high concentrations of perfume can be incorporated in the aqueous carrier with minimal bacterial contamination. Therefore, one further aspect of the present invention provides a improved process for preparing an ironing aid composition comprising the step of mixing perfume with water having a French hardness of 20 or less at a temperature between 10 and 95°C, preferably 60 and 90°C, most preferably between 70 and 85°C. Preferably, the perfume is water-soluble as described above. In one preferred process the water-soluble perfume comprises water-soluble solvent and perfume ingredients, the weight ratio of water-soluble solvent to perfume ingredients being no more than 20:1. Advantageously, the foam-breaking oil can be admixed with the perfume components and/or the solvent prior to addition of the water.
Accordingly, a further aspect of the present invention subsists in method for the preparation of a perfumed ironing water which comprises the steps of forming a pre-mix comprising:
a) A foam breaking oil, and,
b) perfume and/or a solvent
The mixing may be performed under low shear for relatively long periods e.g. 30 minutes at about 100 to 4000 s^-1 with for example a Sulzer static mixer (SMV type). However, it may be preferred to use higher shear rates e.g. with a Silverson dynamic mill (45/600ULS) at shear rates of 180 000 s^-1 to minimise the time needed for mixing. Most preferably is a process that combines a first step at a low shear rate of 100 to 4000 s^-1 and a second step at a high shear rate of 50 000 to 300 000 s^-1, especially in a continuous process of preparing the ironing aid composition.

Packaging

The ironing aid composition of the present invention can be packaged by any conventional means, for instance in bottles or pouches, these being made from conventional materials. It is however preferred that if the composition is packaged in a bottle, the material from which the bottle is made comprises PET (polyethylene tetraphalate). This is preferred as it prevents perfume loss from the product on storage, and is transparent. Glass is also a preferred packaging material.
It is also preferred that the bottle comprises a pour spout to aid pouring of the product from the bottle. Preferably, the pour spout comprises a through spout for the liquid composition to pass through from the bottle, an annular drip tray which surround the through spout, and a drain hole in said drip tray to allow fluid to pass into the bottle.

Concentrate

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a concentrate that when diluted with water, preferably having a French hardness of 20 or below, results in an ironing composition according to the present invention. Preferably, the dilution is such that one part of concentrate is diluted with between 0.5 to 100, more preferably, between 1 and 10, most preferably between 2 and 5 parts of water (w/w). The exact composition of the concentrate can be easily calculated given the desired end concentration in the ironing aid composition and the dilution factor. For example when the end concentration of perfume in the ironing aid composition has to be between 3.0 and 5.0 wt % than the dilution factor will be limited to at most 20. It will be obvious to the skilled person that when higher dilution factors are used e.g. 100, the diluted ironing aid composition will necessarily comprise lower maximal perfume levels i.e., theoretically at most 1 wt.% of perfume. In most cases in will be preferred to have perfume levels in the ironing aid composition of at most 0.5 wt.%
The concentrate could also be diluted by water having a French hardness of greater than 20 to result in a composition according to the first aspect of the invention, except containing hard water. In this aspect, the concentrate preferably contains sequestrants and/or scale-poisoning agents.
Thus, the present invention provides a concentrate ironing aid composition for use in a steam chamber of a steam iron when diluted by water comprising a water-soluble perfume, as defined above.
If water is absent from this concentrate, then the need for a preservative is reduced, or even eliminated. Therefore in one preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the concentrate contains no water or preservative.
If a weaker concentrate is required, then auxiliary solvent may be required to ensure the water-soluble perfume remains solubilised in the concentrate. Auxiliary solvent may also be required if any of the additional components defined above are to be included in the concentrate.
Thus, if the amount of water in the concentrate is half that of the final product then additional solvent may be required at a level of 20 to 30 wt.%.
According to one aspect of the invention a method is provided for using a concentrate ironing aid composition comprising the step of diluting the concentrate to form an ironing aid composition comprising 0.001 to 5 wt.% water-soluble perfume and water having a French Hardness of 20 or below.
Other than in the examples, or where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term "about". Similarly, all percentages are weight/weight percentages of the total composition unless otherwise indicated. Where the term "comprising" is used in the specification or claims, it is not intended to exclude any terms, steps or features not specifically recited.

Examples

The invention is more fully illustrated by the following non-limiting examples showing some preferred embodiments of the invention. Unless otherwise stated all measures are in wt %.

The following tables compare the performance of a number of anti-foaming agents on the water carryover using a Polti Vaporella™ Inox 3000R fully pressurised iron. Table 1 shows the extent of carry-over for three 'Vaporesse' perfume variants (ex Lever Faberge) using a full tank (900ml) in the steam generator. Total volume expelled was over 4 periods of 30 seconds of steam iron operation. Batches of product were also prepared with reduced levels of perfume and solvent.

Comparative example: carryover level of three perfume variants.
Total Volume expelled	Sol and Fresh	Sol and Opium	Sol and Lily
Vaporesse Control	301.272g	314.670g (most carry-over)	305.715g
Half conc. of perfume and solvent	236.273g	150.498g	149.808g

From the results it can be seen that the level of carry-over is influenced by the level of perfume and/or solvent present. In the worst case over one third of the water content of the steam generator emerged as water rather than steam.

Table 2 shows the benefit of adding anti-foaming oil to compositions based on the worst performer in Table 1. Experiments were performed at a range of filling levels, a range of perfume levels and with and without solvent. DPG is dipropylene glycol. In all cases the base was the Sol and Opium variant of Vaporesse with the level of perfume shown. Levels of carry-over should be as low as possible, although below 35g water carry-over is considered acceptable (these results are shown in bold). Table 3 shows comparative examples with oil, which is not an effective foam-breaker (sunflower oil). 1-Acethylpiperazine is a known anti-foaming agent used in industrial steam boilers. SPE Ryoto Sugar Ester (ER-290) is used as antifoam in canned drinks.

The effect of castor oil on water carryover level of a steam generator iron
	Total Volume expelled over 4 periods of 30 seconds	Volume in tank
Clear Product		900ml	800ml	700ml	600ml
Yes	0.16% perfume	54.2g	108.3g	20.8g	0.3g
Yes	0.2% DPG and 0.005% castor oil
No	0.16% perfume,	104.7g	36.2g	5.4g	1.1g
No	0.2% DPG and 0.01% castor oil
Yes	0.08% perfume,	34.8g	14.9g	0.8g	0.5g
Yes	0.1% DPG and 0.005% castor oil
Yes	0.12% perfume,	69.9g	2.7g	12.5g	0.9g
Yes	0.15% DPG and 0.005% castor oil
No	0.16% perfume	215.4g	152.9g	132.9g	0.9g
No	0.005% castor oil
No	0.08% perfume	191.8g	134.6g	94.5g	12.1g
No	0.005% castor oil

The results of Table 2 show that Castor oil is effective in reducing carry-over provided that it is solubilised in the composition and the level of perfume is not too high. Tables 3 below, shows that a reduction of carry-over was not obtained with other antifoam species that were suitable for use in a steam generator.

Comparative Examples: effect of sunflower oil, 1- Acethylpiperazine and SPE Ryoto Sugar Ester (ER-290) on water carryover level
Total Volume expelled	Volume in tank
	900ml	800ml	700ml	600ml
0.16% perfume,
0.2% DPG	280.762g	-	-	106.249g
0.001%1-Acethylpiperazine
0.16% perfume,
0.2% DPG	300.416g	-	-	83.783g
0.005%1-Acethylpiperazine
0.16% perfume,
0.2% DPG	141.460g	-	-	151.525g
0.001% sunflower oil
0.16% perfume,
0.2% DPG	299.491g	205.932g	-	79.159g
0.005% sunflower oil
0.16% perfume,
0.2% DPG	154.076g	147.866g	86.166g	42.711g
0.005% SPE Ryoto (ex Mitsubishi)
0.16% perfume.	224.301	64.029	-	160.090
0.2% DPG
0.005% linseed oil (ex Sigma Aldrich)

Table 4 below shows results obtained when ironing both synthetic and natural fabrics (coloured and white) with a fully pressurised steam generator iron for 2 minutes using steam with a tank filled to 900ml). These proved no negative staining or malodour.

The effect of using castor oil in our formulations for steam generator irons
Formulation	Fabric type
	Black-cotton	Black- polyester/cotton	White-cotton
	Perfume	Staining	Perfume	Staining	Perfume	Staining
0.16% perfume and 0.2% DPG 0.005°s castor oil	1	No	1	No	1	No
0.16% perfume 0.2% DPG	1	No	1	No	1	No
0.08% perfume 0.1% DPG 0.005% castor oil	1	No	1	No	1	No
0.08% perfume 0.1% DPG	1	No	1	No	1	No

A trained perfume panel detected the same level of perfume for both the full and half level samples The perfume intensity scale of 0-5 is defined by 0 having no detectable perfume and 5 having overwhelming intensity perfume. It is believed that the presence of the oil contributes to perfume intensity/persistence and ease of iron glide (lubrication) if present in sufficient amount.

Claims

An ironing aid composition for use in a steam generating chamber of a fully pressurised steam generator iron comprising:

a) 0.001 to 5 wt.% of a water-soluble perfume; and

b) water having a French Hardness of 20 or below, and,

c) less than 200 PPM of a foam breaking oil
An ironing aid composition according to claim 1 which comprises less than 0.2 wt.%, preferably less than 0.01 wt.%, more preferably less than 0.001 wt.%, most preferably less than 1 ppm of anionic, cationic, nonionic and amphoteric surfactant.
An ironing aid composition according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the water-soluble perfume comprises water-soluble solvent and perfume ingredients, the weight ratio of water-soluble solvent to perfume ingredients being no more than 20:1.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the water-soluble perfume comprises at least five, preferably at least 7, more preferably at least 10 different perfume ingredients.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising 0.1 ppm to 3 wt. % of a preservative.
An ironing aid composition according to claim 5, wherein the preservative is present in an amount of between 0.5 and 1 wt.%.
An ironing aid composition according to one of claims 5 and 6, wherein the preservative is selected from aromatic, linear or branched C1-C20 alcohols and mixtures thereof.
An ironing aid composition according to claim 7, wherein the preservative is selected from benzyl alcohol and phenoxy ethanol.
An ironing aid composition according to claim 7, wherein the preservative is benzyl alcohol.
An ironing aid composition according to claim 5, wherein the preservative comprises at least one isothiazolone-based compound.
An ironing aid composition according to claim 10, wherein the preservative is Kathon (RTM) CG IPC II.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of claims 10 and 11, wherein the preservative is present in an amount of between 1 and 15 ppm.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which further comprises a 0.0001 to 1 wt.% of a buffer, such that the pH of the composition is greater than or equal to 6.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of the preceding claims, which further comprises 0.0001 to 3 wt. % of sequestrants and/or scale-poisoning agents.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the total amount of solvent is from 0.001 to 25 wt.%.
An ironing aid composition according to claim 15, wherein the solvent is selected from the group of dipropylene glycol, propylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol and mixtures thereof.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of the preceding claims whereby at least 0.05 wt.% more preferably at least 0.1 wt% of said water-soluble perfume dissolves under the conditions as herein described.
An ironing aid composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the foam breaking oil is a vegetable oil.
An ironing aid composition according to claim 18 wherein the vegetable oil is castor oil.
A method for the preparation of a perfumed ironing water which comprises the steps of forming a pre-mix comprising:

a) A foam breaking oil, and,

b) perfume and/or a solvent

and subsequently adding the premix to water.
A steam generator iron comprising a steam generating unit and an ironing unit, the two said units being linked by a flexible hose, characterised in that the steam generating unit comprises at least one tank containing water, perfume and a foam breaking oil.