MXPA01003520A - Cleaning compositions - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention there is provided a cleaning composition comprising a polymeric thickening system of at least two homo or copolymers.

Description

CLEANING COMPOSITIONS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to cleaning compositions, especially to thickened liquid cleaning compositions that exhibit effective cleaning performance and viscosity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The cleaning performance and efficient viscosity of the cleaning compositions are two requirements that direct the acceptance of the cleaning products by the consumer. Effective cleaning of surfaces is important, especially in greasy and oily soils, and / or where the composition is then diluted. However, viscosity is also a key factor in the preparation of said cleaning composition. The viscosity of the cleaning composition should be high enough to allow the cleaning compositions to remain on the surface being cleaned, for a period sufficiently long to ensure effective cleaning. Said requirement is of particular utility in cleaning compositions intended to be applied "as is" to non-horizontal structural surfaces such as walls, windows and sanitary fittings such as sinks, bathrooms, showers, sinks and toilets. More particularly, viscosities of 10 cps at 4000 cps are suitable. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide cleaning compositions having effective cleaning performance and viscosity. Thickened cleaning compositions are known in the art. The most commonly used thickener is a high molecular weight polycarboxylate polymer, ie, on a scale of 500,000 to 4,500,000. Further, for best results, it is preferred that the polycarboxylate polymer be interlaced. EP 834 549 and EP 812 904 describe cleaning compositions comprising said polymeric thickeners. However, the applicant has found disadvantages in the use of said polymeric thickeners, since while the polymer provides adequate viscosity increase, the relaxing effort of the composition is also increased. The effect of the increase in the relaxation effort is that the composition becomes too thick, so that it does not spread easily on the surface, and is therefore difficult to use and / or rinse. In addition, it has been found that air bubbles may occasionally be trapped in the composition during its manufacture, which are difficult to remove and not acceptable to the consumer. The Applicant has now found that the polymeric thickener system described herein provides the thickening of the composition without the disadvantages of the thickener systems previously used, as described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning composition comprising a polymeric thickener system comprising a polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer having a molecular weight in the range of 500,000 to 4,500,000, and a polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer having a molecular weight of 500 to 10,000. In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for cleaning a hard surface by applying to said surface an effective amount of a composition of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION POLYMER THICKENER SYSTEM The compositions of the present invention comprise a polymeric thickener system. The benefits of using the polymers described herein against others described in the art, for example, cellulose polymers such as guar gum or xanthan gum, are based on the fact that they are more stable in the presence of bleach (especially hypochlorite bleach), they provide better Thickening efficiency, and do not raise the value of the relaxation effort to levels that could cause fluidity problems. The polymeric thickener system of the present invention comprises at least two polycarboxylate polymers; a low molecular weight polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer, and a high molecular weight polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer. By "high molecular weight" is meant a polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer having a molecular weight in the range of 500,000 to 4,500,000, more preferably 1,000,000 to 4,000,000. The most preferred high molecular weight polymers for use in present, they contain from 0.5% to 4% by weight of an entanglement agent, wherein the entanglement agent tends to connect the linear chains of the polymers to form the resulting entangled products. Suitable entanglement agents include polyalkenyl polyethers. Preferred homopolymers include polyacrylate polymers. Preferred copolymers comprise monomers of acrylic acid in combination with other monomers of maleic acid, maleic anhydride, methacrylic acid, succinic acid, vinyl ester, and / or mixtures thereof. Preferred monomers of the homopolymer or copolymer species contain a carboxylic group. The molecular weight of the monomers containing carboxylate group typically ranges from 25 to 200, preferably from 50 to 150, more preferably from 75 to 125. In addition, other monomers may be present in the monomer mixture, if desired, such as ethylene and propylene, which function as diluents. Preferred high molecular weight polycarboxylate polymers for use herein are polyacrylate polymers. Especially preferred polymers are those of the polyacrylate type including those marketed under the trademarks Carbopol® (especially Carbopol®ETD 2691, available from Goodrich), Acrysol® ICS-1, Polygel® and Sokalan®. Preferred polyacrylate copolymers are those containing acrylic acid and (C5-C10) alkyl acrylate as monomers (commercially available under the trademark Carbopol® 1623 and Carbopol® 695 from BF Goodrich). More preferred are the copolymers of acrylic acid and maleic anhydride (commercially available under the trademark Polygel® DB, Polygel® DV, Polygel® DA) and the copolymers of acrylic acid and vinyl ester (commercially available under the trademark Polygel® DR from 3V Sigma). Mixtures of any of the high molecular weight polycarboxylate polymers, described hereinabove can also be used. The second component of the polymeric thickener system is a low molecular weight polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer. By "low molecular weight" is meant a polycarboxylate polymer having a molecular weight of from 500 to 10,000, more preferably from 800 to 6,000, most preferably from 1,000 to 4,000.

Preferred low molecular weight homopolymers are non-crosslinked and are more preferably polyacrylates. The most preferred copolymers comprise acrylic acid in combination with at least some other type of monomer. An especially preferred low molecular weight polymer is Polygel® W30 available from 3V Sigma. The ratio of the high molecular weight polymer: the low molecular weight polymer is preferably from 50: 1 to 1:10, more preferably from 30: 1 to 1: 1, most preferably from 10: 1 to 5: 1. The compositions of the present invention are of shear thinning, which means that the viscosity decreases with increasing shear rates. Viscosity is measured using any suitable viscosity measuring equipment currently available. The viscosity of the composition is preferably in the range of 10 cps to 4000 cps, more preferably 50 to 1000 cps, most preferably 100 to 550 cps, when measured using a Carrimed rheometer at 25 ° C and an effort velocity cutting from 10 to 100 The polymeric thickener system is preferably present at a level of 0.1% to 10%, more preferably 0.5% to 5%, and most preferably 0.7 to 2%.

Surfactant A highly preferred but optional component of the cleaning composition described herein is a surfactant. The surfactant can be selected from anionic, nonionic, cationic, amphoteric, zwitterionic surfactants, or mixtures thereof. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the cleaning composition comprises an anionic surfactant system as described in more detail in the applicant's co-pending patent application. The anionic surfactant system consists of at least one linear short-chain anionic surfactant and a branched long-chain anionic surfactant. The anionic surfactants are selected from sulfates, sulphonates, alkoxylated sulfates (preferably propoxylated, more preferably ethoxylated), phosphates, or mixtures thereof. The short chain surfactants have from 5 to 9 carbon atoms, while the long chain surfactant has from 10 to 16 carbon atoms. A preferred short-chain surfactant is Empimin from C7-9, available from Albright and Wilson. A preferred long chain surfactant is C12-13 branched sulfate based on Isalchem 123, available from Albright and Wilson. In another preferred aspect, the surfactant system further comprises a branched short chain anionic surfactant. A suitable anionic surfactant is 2-ethylhexylsulfate, available from Albright and Wilson under the trademark Empicol 0585 / A.

Optional components The compositions according to the present invention may comprise a number of optional ingredients such as bleaching agents, fatty acids, radical scavengers, antimicrobial compounds, detergency builders, chelating agents, pH regulators, bactericides, solvents, enzymes, hydrotropes, colorants, bleach activators, soil suspending agents, dye transfer agents, brighteners, anti-dusting agents, dispersants, dye transfer inhibitors, pigments, perfumes and dyes. A highly preferred optional ingredient according to the present invention is a hypochlorite bleaching agent, preferably an alkali metal hypochlorite. Advantageously, the compositions of the invention are stable in the presence of this bleaching agent. Although alkali metal hypochlorites are preferred, other hypochlorite compounds may also be used herein, and may be selected from calcium and magnesium hypochlorite. A preferred alkali metal hypochlorite to be used herein is sodium hypochlorite. The compositions according to the present invention can comprise hypochlorite bleaching agents, so that the active chlorine content in the composition is from 0.1% to 4%, preferably from 0.5% to 2% by weight.

Another optional component of the present invention is an alkali metal salt of a C8-Ci8 fatty acid. These fatty acids are used as suds suppressors. Fatty acids suitable for use herein may be any C 8 -C 8 fatty acid, preferably fully saturated, preferably a sodium, potassium or lithium salt, more preferably the sodium salt. Suitable fatty acids can be selected from caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and mixtures of suitably hardened fatty acids, derived from natural sources such as tallow, coconut oil, peanut oil and oil of babassu Other suitable suds suppressors include C10-C18 alkoxylated blocked alcohols. However, more preferably, the foam suppressant consists of a mixture of fatty acid, preferably coconut fatty acid (for example, Prifac 5900, available from Unichem), and alkoxylated blocked alcohol, preferably C12-C14 ethoxybutoxymethyl ether ( for example, Plurafac LF231, available from BASF). The compositions according to the present invention comprise from 0.1% to 2%, preferably less than 0.6% by weight of the composition, of fatty acids. An additional optional component of the present invention is a radical scavenger. Such radical sweepers are used as stabilizers. A radical scavenger suitable for use herein is an aromatic molecule that contains a carboxyl group ring substitution. Suitable examples of radical scavengers for use herein include meta- and para-chlorobenzoic acid, benzoic acid, meta-, ortho- and para-methoxybenzoic acid, meta-nitrobenzoic acid, para-bromobenzoic acid, salicylic acid, 5-sulfosalicylic, 3,5-dimethylsalicylic acid, and paratoluic acid. Of the above materials, ortho-methoxybenzoic acid is preferred. The compositions according to the present invention comprise from 0.01% to 15% by weight, preferably from 0.1% to 0.8% by weight, and more preferably from 0.2% to 0.5% by weight of the composition, of radical scavengers. An optional requirement of the compositions according to the present invention is that the pH is greater than 10, preferably greater than 11, more preferably greater than 12. This is achieved by the addition of 0.4% to 2% of a caustic alkali . Caustic alkalies suitable for use herein include sodium and potassium hydroxide. The compositions according to the present invention comprising hypochlorite, preferably have a pH greater than 12 for hypochlorite stability. The compositions according to the present invention are preferably aqueous, and preferably comprise from 80% to 95%, more preferably from 85% to 90% water. The compositions according to the present invention are prepared by methods well known in the art, such as the methods described in GB 1 329 086, with the exception of the polymer which is predispersed in an aqueous acidic solution of pH 3, and then neutralized until pH 7 before beginning to add the other components. The compositions according to the present invention can then be prepared by mixing all the ingredients in a non-metallic apparatus at room temperature, or in hot water. If fatty acid is used, it is melted before it is added to the mixture. Preferably, the surfactant mixture is first prepared by adding the short chain surfactant to the long chain surfactants. Other optional components such as perfume and the alkali metal hypochlorite are then added with stirring. The dyes, if present, are added after all the other ingredients have been mixed. The compositions according to the present invention preferably have a viscosity of 10 cps at 4000 cps, more preferably 50 cps at 2000 cps., most preferably from 150 cps to 1000 cps, measured with a Carrimed rheometer at a temperature of 25 ° C and a shear rate of 15-100 s' When the composition is in a sprayed form, the viscosity of said spray compositions it is preferably 15 cps at 40 cps. The compositions of the present invention can be used for a variety of cleaning purposes such as cleaning hard surfaces, whereby the thickened nature of said compositions results in a more durable adhesion to the surface than the unthreaded compositions. By "hard surface" is meant herein any surface such as restrooms, sanitary fittings such as sinks, showers, sinks and toilets, kitchens, sinks, upper stove surfaces, top surfaces of tables, refrigerators, walls, windows, and the like .

Packaging Form of the Compositions The compositions herein can be packaged in a variety of suitable detergent packages known to those skilled in the art. The liquid compositions herein can be desirably packaged in manually operated spray supply containers, which are usually made of synthetic organic polymer plastic materials. Accordingly, the present invention also encompasses liquid cleaning compositions of the invention packaged in a spray dispenser, preferably in a shot spray dispenser. Of course, such spray dispensers allow uniformly applying to a relatively large area of a surface to be cleaned, liquid cleaning compositions suitable for use in accordance with the present invention, thus contributing to the cleaning properties of said compositions. Said spray-type dispensers are particularly suitable for cleaning vertical surfaces. Surprisingly, it has been observed that the spraying of a liquid composition containing a polycarboxylate polymer, contrary to compositions that do not contain said polymer, is beneficial to avoid or reduce the inhalation of the composition by the user as said composition is sprinkled. . The present advantage is preferably observed when the cleaning composition is as defined above. Accordingly, the use of a polycarboxylate polymer in a liquid cleaning composition is provided, said composition being in a sprayed form, to prevent or reduce the inhalation of said composition by the user as said composition is sprayed. Preferably, the liquid cleaning composition is as defined above. Suitable spray dispensers to be used in accordance with the present invention include manually operated foam release dispensers and marketed, for example, by Specialty Packaging Products, Inc. or Continental Sprayers, Inc. These types of dispensers are described, example, in documents US-4,701, 311 to Dunnining et al., and US-4,646,973 and US-4,538,745 to Focarracci. Particularly preferred to be used herein are spray type dispensers such as T 8500® or T 8900®, commercially available from Continental Spray International, or T 8100®, commercially available from Canyon, Northern Ireland. In said dispenser, the liquid composition is divided into fine liquid droplets, resulting in a spray that is directed onto the surface to be treated. Of course, in said spray-type dispenser, the composition contained in the body of said dispenser is directed through the head of the spray-type dispenser by energy communicated to a pumping mechanism by the user, as said user activates said pumping mechanism. More particularly, at the head of said spray-type dispenser, the composition is forced against an obstacle, for example, a grid or a cone or its like, thereby providing shocks to help atomize the liquid composition, i.e. to facilitate the formation of liquid drops. The present invention further encompasses a method for cleaning a hard surface, by applying to said surface, an effective amount of a composition of the invention. Said composition can be applied in pure form or after having been diluted with water. Preferably, said composition is diluted up to 200 times its weight of water, preferably 50 to 150 times its weight of water, and more preferably 75 to 95, before it is applied to said surface. When the composition is diluted before use (until reaching a total active level of the order of 1.2%), the composition will still advantageously provide effective cleaning performance. In the preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, wherein said composition is applied in diluted form to a hard surface to be cleaned, it may not be necessary to rinse the surface after the composition has been applied.

EXAMPLES The examples provided below are not intended to be limiting, and only provide an example of the type of formulation that is provided by the applicant. All amounts are given in percent by weight of the total composition.

The # 1 high molecular weight polymer is Polygel DR 3V Sigma. The high molecular weight polymer # 2 is Carbopol ETD2691 from Goodrich. The low molecular weight polymer is Polygel W30 from 3V Sigma.

Claims (8)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A cleaning composition, characterized in that it comprises a polymeric thickener system comprising a first polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer having a molecular weight in the range of 500.00 to 4.500.000, and a second polycarboxylate homopolymer or copolymer having a molecular weight on the scale of 500 to 10,000.

2. The cleaning composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that the first polycarboxylate polymer is a polyacrylate polymer.

3. The cleaning composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the first polymer is interlaced.

4. The cleaning composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the second polycarboxylate polymer is a polyacrylate polymer that is not interlaced.

5. The cleaning composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the first and second polymers are copolymers containing at least two types of monomer, wherein at least one of the monomers is acrylic acid.

6. - The cleaning composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the ratio of the first polymer: the second polymer is from 50: 1 to 1: 10.

7. The cleaning composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the viscosity of the composition is in the range of 10 cps to 4000 cps, measured as described herein.

8. A method for cleaning a surface, characterized in that it comprises applying a composition according to any of the preceding claims, to the surface, and optionally rinsing afterwards.