FR2542187A1 - WINDOW CLEANER - Google Patents

Abstract

A dry glass cleaner in the form of a flexible, porous substrate base which is impregnated with fine particles of a water-insoluble solid which are adapted to disperse the dirt present on a soiled glass surface into a thin, opaque film when the cleaner is moistened and wiped over the glass surface.

Description

The present invention relates to a product for
wash the windows.

 Silica is the main raw material used in the manufacture of window glass, mirror surfaces, glass furniture surfaces, etc.

These surfaces are consistent, hard and non-porous
Various types of soils commonly attach to such surfaces, including environmental pollutants, airborne cooking fats, bird droppings, stains from cosmetics, fingerprints , etc.

 Most commercially available window cleaning products need to be effective if the user rubs a film of an aqueous solution or emulsion on the soiled glass. Although the detergents or surfactants used in these products can contribute to some extent to the cleaning process by facilitating the dispersion of greasy dirt, the main cleaning effect is due to the physical removal of dirt from the glass by moving the towel, sponge or cloth. The importance of the effort required by the user to effectively clean a glass surface is compounded by the fact that the transparent liquid films of cleaning product which are deposited do not give a clear indication of the measurement in which the glass has been coated or cleaned.

One solution to this problem is the cleaning product known as Glass Wax (Gold Seal Co.,
Bismark, ND) which is formed by dispersing fine particles of solid matter in water. A cloth moistened with Glass Wax leaves a cloudy film or mist on the surface of the glass after it has been rubbed on the glass and allowed to dry. This film allows the operator both to verify that the surface is completely covered, and then to ensure that the particles of cleaning product and soiling have been removed from the surface.

 However, Glass Wax is water based and the weight of the aqueous phase adds to the cost of shipping and storage. In addition, the product should be formulated to ensure the stability of the dispersed solid phase until the product is used. Because of the importance of the water / solid ratio, the user must also wait until the wet glass is practically dried before cleaning by wiping.

 The object of the invention is therefore to provide a product which minimizes the effort required to clean a glass surface.

 Another object of the invention is to provide a window cleaning product which is suitable for applying to a glass surface a film containing solids which immediately indicates the extent covered, and which is easy to remove.

 Another object of the invention is to provide a product for cleaning windows which is inexpensive to manufacture, transport and store.

 Other objects, advantages and new features of the invention will appear to the specialist from the description which follows.

 The objects of the invention are achieved with a dry cleaning product in the form of a flexible substrate base which is impregnated with fine particles of diatomaceous earth insoluble in water and with a small amount of organic detergent of synthesis and / or particles of a smectite clay. When the base is moistened, which may be in the form of a porous sheet, and passed over a glass, ceramic or other non-porous surface, the water-insoluble material is physically transferred to the glass surface where it mixes with the stain to leave a thin film or mist visible.

Then remove the film or mist, in the dry, partially dry or damp state, by wiping the glass surface with an uncoated paper or cloth towel.

 The cleaning products of the invention are prepared by impregnating a flexible and porous substrate base with an aqueous dispersion of fine particles of diatomaceous earth combined with at least one dispersing agent or particles of smectite clay. Preferably, both a dispersing agent and clay particles combined with diatomaceous earth are used to impregnate a base sheet. Water is then evaporated from the impregnated base to leave the solid particles of diatomaceous earth and the clay particles and / or the detergent, uniformly distributed in the interstices and on the surface of the sheet practically dry. the clay and / or the dispersing agent function to facilitate the adhesion of the film of soiling and of diatomaceous earth to the surface of the glass and also to increase the cleaning power of the cleaning products by facilitating the dispersion of the particles of soil so as to form the opaque film.

 The size of the particles which form the solid phase of the dispersions used to impregnate the base sheets is chosen so that they are thin enough to penetrate into the interstices of the base sheet and leave a coherent and opaque film when wiping the glass surface with cleaning product. The particles must also be insoluble in batten, wettable and inert with respect to the surfaces which one seeks to clean.

 Among the diatomaceous earths useful as components of the present products for cleaning windows, prefers the treated high volume diatomaceous silicas. A silica product particularly appreciated for application in the invention is the Snow Floss (Manville Corp., Denver, Col.) which has a surface of 20-30 m2 / g, absorbs about 190 o of its weight of oil and has a 0.3% sieve residue at 0.044 mm mesh size (325 mesh).

Another silica product that can be used alone or in combination with other silicas is the siliceous diatomaceous earth Celatom MN-23 # (Eeagle Picher,
Cincinatti, Ohio), which has a 0.3 sieving residue
at 0.044 mm mesh size and a median particle diameter of 2.0 microns. When used in combination with other solids, the diatomaceous earths preferably constitute about 50-80% of the total amount of solids used, or better 65-75%.

The particulate clays useful as optional components in the cleaning products of the invention include the wettable smectite clays generally described in US Pat. No. 4,062,647 mentioned here for reference. Particularly useful clays are those of the bentonite class, such as Volclay R (344 Bentonite, Whittaker,
Clark & Daniels, Inc., S. Plainfield, NJ) of which 96% of the particles are less than 44 microns in size and which comprises approximately 58-64% of silica and 18-21% of alumina.

Volclay has a 10% residue on sieving at 0.840 mm mesh size. Bentonite clays are believed to increase the effectiveness of cleaning products by lightly polishing the glass surfaces when the solid film is removed and by facilitating the adhesion of the particulate film to the glass surface.

When pressed, the clay particles preferably comprise about 5-45% of the total solids used, preferably about 25-35%.

 The solid particles are stirred in excess water to form the aqueous dispersions used to impregnate the base sheets. These dispersions can be formulated to comprise about 3-35%, preferably 5-25X, of at least one, and preferably of a mixture of two or three, water-insoluble particulate solids, such as a mixture two diatomaceous earths and a bentonite clay. When both diatomaceous earth and bentonite clay are used to form the dispersions used to impregnate the base sheets, it is preferred that the diatomaceous earth comprise most of the solid mixtures used. large amounts of clay have a detrimental effect on the results of the present cleaning products in that the film thus deposited becomes more difficult to remove.

Between these concentration limits, the dispersions obtained are generally stable, preferably for 24 hours, or better for at least 3 days to a week at room temperature. This stability is desirable for processing reasons, since this time is obtained for storing the dispersions between the manufacturing operations, that is to say when preparing different substrates, and for preparing the dispersions in large batches that the '' not all can be used at the same time.Stable dispersions also allow regular application of solid particles on substrate sheets
A minor but effective amount of one or more dispersing agents such as a detergent or surfactant can also be used to facilitate formation of the dispersion and to facilitate uniform wetting of the sheet. When used as a component of the cleaning agents of the invention, the dispersing agents are used in amounts effective to adhere the solid particles present in the dispersion to the surface of the glass in a regular film, while allowing easy removal of the film of dispersed impurities and solid particles without leaving streaks, dust, and without unnecessary effort. Useful dispersants readily adhere to solid particles and are therefore removed with the solids when the film is removed by cleaning the glass. The detergents useful in the dispersions of the invention are generally described in US Pat. Nos. 3,755,180 and 4,062,647 referred to herein by reference, and include the preferred synthetic nonionic and anionic organic detergents.

Particularly preferred nonionic detergents are described by RKLehne in Cosmetics,
Science and Technology, E. Sagarin, dir. publ., Wiley
Interscience, éditeur (1957) page 574 here mentioned for reference. These detergents include the condensation products of a C8 to C22 fatty acid with a dimer, a trimer or a higher polymer of a C2 to C5 polyhydric alcohol, i.e. the polyoxyethylene esters of lauric acid, oleic acid or stearic acid which incorporate an ethylene oxide to fatty acid molar ratio of about 1-10: 1. Diglycol-laurate is a preferred member of this class of detergents.

 Useful anionic detergents include anionic detergent salts having C8 to C22 alkyl substituents such as alkali metal soaps of higher water-soluble fatty acids, e.g. ex.

sodium myristate and sodium palmitate; detergent salts of alkali metals and sulphated and sulphonated water-soluble alkaline earth metals containing a hydrophobic higher alkyl moiety (typically containing about 8 to 22 carbon atoms) such as higher alkyl or aryl salts mono- or polynuclear-sulfonates having 1 to 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl group (eg, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, magnesium tridecylbenzenesulfonate, lithium or potassium pentapropylenebenzenesulfonate); alkali metal salts of alkylnaphthalene sulfonic acids (sodium methylnaphthalene sulfonate, Petro @ AA, Petrochemical Corporation); monoglycerides of sulfated higher fatty acids such as the sodium salt of the sulfated monoglyceride of coconut oil fatty acids and the potassium salt of the sulfated monoglyceride of tallow fatty acids; alkali metal salts of sulfated fatty alcohols containing from about 10 to 18 carbon atoms (eg, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium stearyl sulfate); alkali metal salts of higher fatty esters of low molecular weight alkyl sulfonic acids, e.g. ex. fatty acid esters of the sodium salt of isethionic acid; fatty ethanolamide sulfates; fatty acid amides of amino-alkyl sulfonic acids p. ex. taurine lauric acid amide; as well as many other organic anionic surfactants such as sodium xylenesulfonate, sodium naphthalene sulfonate, sodium toluenesulfonate; and their mixtures. Particularly preferred are the fatty alcohol salts obtained from sulfated ethyleneoxy such as sodium, potassium or ammonium sulfates, condensation products of about 1-4 mol of ethyleneoxide with a C12 n-alkanol. at C15, that is to say sodium myristyl triether sulphate.

 When used, the total detergents used constitute from about 0.25 to 3.0%, preferably from about 0.5 to 2.5% by weight of the dispersions of the invention. Mixtures of nonionic and anionic detergents are preferably used as the dispersing agent, the nonionic detergent forming the major part of the mixture. Thus, it has been found that a ratio of nonionic detergent to anionic detergent of about 10-1.5: 1, preferably about 9-2: 1, is particularly effective.

 It has also been found that C2 to C5 polyhydric alcohols, such as alkylene diols, glycerol, erythritol, pentaerythritol, etc., are useful as optional dispersants in proportions similar to those used in the case of detergents . Propylene glycol is a particularly used polyhydric alcohol.

 A minor but effective amount of an inorganic or organic thickening agent such as ammonium carbonate may also include an optional component of the present dispersions. When present, the thickening agent preferably constitutes up to about 3.0% by weight of the dispersion, for example 0.5 2.0%. It is expected that the ammonium carbonate possibly used to stabilize the present dispersions is decomposed and removed during the drying step used in the preparation of the products for cleaning the windows.

 When a detergent is used in the dispersions of the invention, it is optionally possible to use a hydrocarbon solvent, for example an amount of a naphthenic hydrocarbon pg Kfinic C10 to C14 such as kerogen equal to or less than the amount of detergent used. It has been found that the oil-in-water emulsion obtained improves the stability of the particulate dispersion in some cases. When a hydrocarbon solvent is used, it is present in an amount of up to about 2.5%, preferably 1.1-1.5% by weight.

The hydrocarbon solvent also evaporates from the sheet during the drying process.

 It is also possible to incorporate into the dispersions a minor amount of dye effective for coloring the dried leaves, for example less than about 0.1% of pink rhodamine. It is also possible to incorporate into the dispersions secondary quantities of other adjuvants such as perfumes, antimicrobial agents, etc., in quantities suitable for the purposes which they aim to achieve.

 Preferred aqueous dispersions useful for impregnating porous base sheets to form the window cleaning products of the invention therefore comprise about 5-25% by weight of a main amount of diatomaceous earth combined with a secondary amount of clay smectite dispersed in water in the presence of about 0.25-3.0X of dispersing agent. It is also possible to use, where appropriate, approximately 1.1-1.3% of inorganic thickener, and approximately 0.9-1.5% of kerosene or of a similar hydrocarbon solvent mixture.

 The dispersions of the invention are formed by adding the ingredients to vigorously stirred hot water until a uniform dispersion is obtained, then sieving the dispersion and applying it to the porous substrate base by n ' any suitable method of immersion, spraying or spreading.

The porous substrate base may further be formed from any suitable absorbent material, such as thin sheets of fabric, foam or paper, which absorbs about 3 to 8 times, and preferably about 4 to 7 times, its dry weight in water, and which has sufficient wet strength to maintain its cohesion during application of the dispersions, rewetting and use by the end user. Preferred sheets are those made of cellulosic materials, in whole or in part, to provide a highly absorbent product. Thus, a useful base can be prepared from a non-woven cellulosic textile bonded with a thermoplastic binder such as fiberglass. air laminated wood Airtex @
SC 150 HL (James River Paper Co ,, Green Bay, Wisconsin) which weighs approximately 86 g / m2, has a thickness of approximately 0.086 mm and a wet strength of 3050 g / strip of 76.2 mm in machine direction and 2550 g / 76.2 mm strip in the transverse direction. You can also use fabrics such as linen and cotton in, Qu to form, the base sheet.

The impregnated sheets are then dried, for example in an oven, until practical removal
all water and all other volatile components
possibly present. Preferred detergents are
choose from those who are not lost during the stage
drying. Cleaning products prepared from this
way have about 8-64.5g / m2, preferably about
11-54 g / m2 or better about 21.5-43 g / m2 of solids.

Preferably, the dispersed solid particles consti
kill up to about 75%, or better about 50% by weight
of the base sheet. Products for cleaning
Preferred finished (dried) panes therefore comprise a cellulosic support sheet impregnated with about 40-50% by weight of a mixture of solid particles, i.e. about 25-35% of diatomaceous earth and about 10-15 % smectite clay; about 1-5% non-ionic detergent and about 0.5-3% anonic detergent. After drying, the leaves retain only small amounts of water, i.e. about 1-10%. A 0.074 m2 cleaning product prepared in this way is suitable for cleaning approximately 71.54 m of glass. When wetting the glass cleaning products, the aqueous dispersion is regenerated and can be spread on a glass surface when wipes it with the leaf. The particulate solids and, possibly, the detergent thus released can disperse and absorb grease and oil and physically mix with loose soil to form a uniform opaque film which is easily removed from glass in the wet state, practically dry or dried with a cloth or damp towel. Thus, a dried strip of film formed by the application of a product for cleaning the humidified panes to a glass surface must be able to be completely removed by 5 to 6 passages at most, preferably 1 to 3 passages of a dry paper towel applied to the film at a pressure of about 0.07 kg / cm, a force close to the erasing force applied by the average user to the dried film on a vertical glass surface.

 The invention will be described in more detail with reference to the detailed examples which follow.

EXAMPLE I - WINDOW CLEANING PRODUCT
We vigorously aqite water (107.361 q) at 43.3, C in a flash mixer and add 8.154 kg of Volclay, followed after 10 minutes with 5.436 kg of Snow Floss and 12.231 kq of Celatom MN-23 . Continue to stir for another 15 minutes. Diglycol laurate (1.903 kg) and 0.815 kg of sodium myristyltriether sulfate are mixed for exactly 3 minutes and then added. After 10 minutes of doubt, Rhodamine Pink dye (75 g) is added. The dispersion obtained is stable for 1 week at 25 "C. The dispersion is pumped through a sieve with 1.190 mm mesh opening and deposited in the roll on a 254 mm wide sheet of Airtex SC 150 HL fiber moving at 30.48 m / minute. The wet layer is dried in an oven with hot air at 190.6 "C (one pass of 20 seconds) and it is cut into rectangles of 254 x 304.8 mm to obtain sheets for cleaning the windows having 37.7 g of solid per m2. When moistened and passed through a surface of soiled glass, they deposit a thin uniform and opaque film of solid particles on the glass, which is easy to remove with a dry and clean cloth without leaving traces or streaks. Specifically, it has been found that a 25.4 mm wide dry strip can be completely removed from the film applied to a glass sheet by two passes of a dry paper towel. applied to the horizontal film- at a pressure of 0.07 kg / cm.

EXAMPLE II - DISPERSIONS FOR WINDOW CLEANING
Following the method of Example I, dispersions of the composition given in Table I are prepared.

All aqueous dispersions keep their stability at room temperature for at least a week.

When kerosene is used it is added to the dispersion with the detergent.

TABLE I - DISPERSIONS FOR WINDOW CLEANING
PONDERAL PERCENTAGE
Ingredient ABCDE
Volclay 4 4 - 4 2.0
Snow Floss - 4 2 4 2.0
Celatom MN-23 6 6 - 6 3.0
Kerosene - - - 0.6 1.2
Diglycol Laurate - - 1.0 1.0 1.8
Ammonium carbonate - - - 1.2
Propylene glycol - - - -
Water 90 86 97 83.2 90
TABLE I - CONTINUED Ingredient FGHIJK
Volclay 5.6 2> 4 4.4 4.0 5.6 3.0
Snow Floss 5.6 2.4 4.4 2.8 5.6 2.0
Celatom MN-23 7.6 4.4 6.4 620 7.6 4.5 Kerosene - - - - - -
Diglycol Laurate 0.6 0.6 EO 0.6 0.6 18 O
Ammonium carbonate - 0.9 9.9 1.2 1.2 1.2 Propylene glycol w
Water 81.6 89.3 83.3 85.2 80.4 88.3
The dispersions of Example I and of Examples II
AK are suitable for impregnating base sheets to form products for cleaning windows.

 When preparing the preceding dispersions, the quantity and the type of particles insoluble in water are chosen so that the dispersions, with the additives when used, are sufficiently stable to allow their regular application on the substrate base. As noted in Table I, stable dispersions can be prepared from the solid particles alone, although effective amounts of one or more of the following are also preferably employed: dispersing agent, hydrocarbon solvent and agent thickening.

 Although certain embodiments representative of the invention have been described here for clarification, it will appear to specialists that modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (29)

 1. Dry product for cleaning windows, characterized in that it comprises a porous base-impregnated with solid particles insoluble in water comprising siliceous diatomaceous earth and at least one element of the group consisting of particles of smectite clay and a dispersing agent, said particles being adapted to disperse the dirt present on a soiled glass surface into a thin opaque film when the product is cleaned to clean and passed over the glass surface, said film being easy to remove from the surface.  2. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 1, characterized in that the porous base comprises a sheet of fabric or fiber capable of absorbing approximately 3 to 8 times its weight of water.  3. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 2, characterized in that the sheet comprises non-woven cellulosic fibers bonded with a thermoplastic binder.  4. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 2, characterized in that the sheet is impregnated with solid particles by coating the sheet with a stable aqueous dispersion comprising said particles, then by drying the coated sheet.  5. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 4, characterized in that the dried and impregnated sheet comprises approximately 8-64.5 g of particles per 2  6. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 5, characterized in that the dried impregnated sheet comprises approximately 21.5-43 g of particles per m2.  7. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 4, characterized in that the dispersion comprises approximately 3-35S of solid particles.  8. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 4, characterized in that the dispersion comprises 4-20% of solid particles.  9. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 8, characterized in that the dispersion also comprises approximately 0.25-3.0% of one or more dispersing agents.  10. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 9, characterized in that the dispersing agent comprises a nonionic detergent. 11. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 10, characterized in that one dispersing agent further comprises an anionic detergent.  12. Glass cleaning product according to claim 10, characterized in that the ratio of nonionic detergent to anionic detergent is about 10-1.5: 1.  13. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 2, characterized in that the porous base comprises a cellulose sheet impregnated with about 40-50% by weight of a mixture of solid particles comprising diatomaceous earth and clay smectite, and about 0.25-3.0% of a mixture of a nonionic detergent and an anionic detergent.  14. Glass cleaning product according to claim 13, characterized in that the ratio of nonionic detergent to anionic detergent is about 9-2: 1.  15. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 13, characterized in that it further comprises a dye based on rhodamine.  16. Glass cleaning product according to claim 14, characterized in that the cellulosic sheet is impregnated with approximately 1 to 5% of nonionic detergent and approximately 0.5 to 3% of anionic detergent.  17. A product for cleaning windows according to claim 14, characterized in that the anionic detergent is a salt of a fatty alcohol obtained from a sulfated ethyleneoxy.  18. Product for cleaning the windows according to claim 14, characterized in that the non-ionic detergent is diglycol laurate.  19. Method for cleaning a soiled non-porous surface by moistening a practically dry cleaning product, characterized in that the cleaning product used comprises a thin flexible porous base impregnated with solid particles of diatomaceous earth and at least one element of the group consisting of smectite clay particles and a dispersing agent, in that the moistened cleaning product is passed over the non-porous surface so as to deposit a thin opaque film of dispersed stain and particles on the surface; the film is at least partially dried; and wipe to remove the film.  20. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the non-porous surface is a glass surface.  21. The method of claim 19, characterized in that the porous base comprises a sheet of non-woven fiber absorbing water.  22. The method of claim 21, charac terized in that the sheet comprises cellulose fibers bonded with a thermoplastic binder.  23. The method of claim 20, characterized in that the sheet is impregnated with about 21.5-43 g of solid particles per m2.  24. The method of claim 20, charac terized in that the diatomaceous earths constitute about 65-75% of the total solid particles.  25. The method of claim 24, charac terized in that the clays constitute about 25-35% of the total particles.  26. The method of claim 19D characterized in that said non-porous surface is a glass surface, the sheet comprises cellulose fibers and has a water absorption capacity of about 4-7 times the dry weight of the sheet, the sheet is impregnated with about 11-54 g of solid particles per m2, the diatomaceous earth constitutes about 50-80S of the total solids, and the dispersing agent comprises a nonionic detergent and an anionic detergent.  27. Dry product for cleaning windows, characterized in that it comprises a cellulosic base sheet, said sheet being impregnated with approximately 25-352 by weight of smectite clay particles, approximately 1-5% of nonionic detergent and about 0.5-3% anionic detergent.  28. Cleaning product according to claim 27, characterized in that the nonionic detergent comprises the condensation product of a fatty acid in C8 to C22 with a dimer of a C2 to C5 polyhydric alcohol and the anionic detergent comprises sodium, potassium or ammonium sulphate of the condensation product of approximately 1-4 Moles of ethyleneoxide with an n-alkanol in C12 to C15.  29. Cleaning product according to claim 28, characterized in that the nonionic detergent comprises diglycol laurate and the anionic detergent comprises sodium myristyl triether sulfate.