MXPA06014932A - Photo bleach compositions. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to compositions comprising a photosensitizer that can be used to provide aqueous fluids with bleaching capabilities, aqueous fluid photobleaching compositions having bleaching capabilities and processes of making and using same. Such compositions can provide bleaching and/or cleaning benefits that are similar to or better than hydrogen peroxide bleaching systems.

Description

PHOTOBLANKING COMPOSITIONS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to photobleaching compositions having bleaching capabilities, and processes for manufacturing and using the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional bleaching compositions usually employ hydrogen peroxide as a bleaching species or as an intermediate ingredient that is converted to a peracid. These systems can provide effective whitening. Unfortunately it is difficult to formulate stable versions of these systems that are also not volume efficient since the required bleaching components make up a considerable volume of any formulation. Although photo-bleach systems do not suffer from the formulation and volume problems of hydrogen peroxide systems, photo-bleach systems tend to be less effective since the short life of the bleaching species requires that the photosensitizer, oxygen, and light be present simultaneously in the place. In addition, the selection of effective photo-bleaches used in traditional photo-bleach systems is limited since photobleaches generally must be capable of being adsorbed on the dirty portion of the site. As a consequence, the photobleaching systems would be attractive if the life of the bleaching species could be extended to allow the diffusion of said species in the washing solution.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to photobleaching compositions comprising a photosensitizer which can be used to provide an aqueous liquid with bleaching capabilities, aqueous liquid cleaning compositions having photobleaching capabilities and processes for manufacturing and using the same. These and other aspects, features and advantages will be evident to those who have experience in the industry from reading the following detailed description and the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Definitions The term "photobleaching composition", as used herein and unless otherwise indicated, includes multipurpose or "high performance" cleaning agents in granular or powdered form; liquid, gel or multi-purpose paste cleaning agents, especially so-called high-performance liquids; liquid detergents for fine fabrics; agents for the manual washing of dishes, or agents of low performance for the washing of crockery, especially those of great volume of foam; agents for dishwashing, including the various types of tablets, granules, adjuvants and rinsing liquids, for domestic and institutional use; liquid disinfecting and cleaning agents, including those of the antibacterial type for washing hands, cleaning sticks, mouth rinses, denture cleaners, shampoos for carpets or trolleys, cleaners for bathrooms; shampoos and hair rinses; gels for shower and bath foams and metal cleaners; as well as cleaning aids such as bleach additives and "bar stain cleaners" or pretreatment type. The term "fabrics" and "cloth", as used herein, comprises articles of clothing, linens, curtains, and accessories for garments. The term also covers other articles made totally or partially with fabric, for example, bags, furniture covers, tarpaulins and the like. The term "dirt" means any unwanted substance in a fabric. The terms "water-based" or "hydrophilic" dirt refer to the dirt containing water at the time it came into contact with the cloth article or to the dirt retaining a significant portion of water in the cloth article. Examples of water-based soiling include, but are not limited to: beverages, dirt from many foods, water soluble dyes, body fluids, such as sweat, urine or blood, and dirt from outdoor spaces, such as grass and mud stains. The term "aqueous liquid", as used herein, means any liquid or mixture of liquids comprising more than 5%, more than 25%, more than 50% or alternatively more than 90% water. The term "soluble", as used herein, is used to describe one or more "photosensitizing" media capable of forming a solution at a concentration of at least 1 x 10"8 molar in water at a pH of use of 10 to 8. As used herein, articles a and a when used in a claim, for example, "an emulsifier" or "a photosensitizer" is understood to mean one or more of the material claimed or described, unless otherwise specified, all levels of the component or composition are expressed in reference to the active level of that component or composition, and are exclusive of impurities, for example, residual solvents or by-products; which may be present in commercially available sources All percentages and proportions are calculated by weight, unless otherwise indicated.All percentages and proportions are calculated based on the total composition, unless otherwise specified.

All temperatures are in degrees Celsius (° C) unless otherwise specified. All measurements are given in international standard units unless otherwise specified. It will be understood that each maximum numerical limitation given in this specification will include any lower numerical limitation, as if the lower numerical limitations had been explicitly annotated herein. Any minimum numerical limit cited in this specification shall include any major numerical limit as if such major numerical limits had been explicitly quoted herein. Any numerical range quoted in this specification shall include any minor interval that falls within the larger numerical range as if all minor numerical intervals had been explicitly quoted herein. All documents cited herein are considered incorporated in their relevant part as reference. The mention of any document should not be construed as an admission that it corresponds to a prior industry with respect to the present invention.

Photobleaching Compositions Applicants have discovered that certain photosensitizing compositions are unexpectedly suitable for incorporation in aqueous liquids. Suitable photosensitizing compositions usually contain a photosensitizer and an extender, and may contain optional ingredients such as anionic, cationic, nonionic, and zwitterionic surfactants. The solid compositions, based on the total weight of said composition, may comprise from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about 1% to about 25%, or even from about 5% to about 20% of a photosensitizer; from about 1% to about 99.9%, from about 5% to about 90%, or even from about 10% to about 50% of an extender, the balance of said compositions being an optional / additional ingredient. These solid compositions include, but are not limited to, powders and granules. The liquid photosensitizing compositions may comprise, based on the total weight of said composition, from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about 1% to about 25%, or even from about 5% to about 20% of a photosensitizer; from about 1% to about 99.9%, from about 5% to about 90%, or even from about 10% to about 50% of an extender, the balance of said photobleaching compositions being an aqueous liquid or a mixture of an aqueous liquid and an optional / additional ingredient. The solid photosensitizing compositions and liquid photosensitizer compositions mentioned above can be packaged in a kit containing instructions for use. Unlike common photobleaching compositions, the aforementioned compositions do not require that the photosensitizer, oxygen, light and place are present simultaneously since it is considered that the whitening species is formed in solution and also, due to the use of an extender, this species has enough life to spread to the dirty portion of the place. In addition, the use of an extender increases the selection of photosensitizers for the formulator, since these photosensitizers do not require that they be capable of being adsorbed on the dirty portion of the site.

Production process Without theoretical limitations of any kind, the applicants consider that the formation and concentration of whitening species other than atomic oxygen are a function of at least 4 variables: concentration of the reactant, time, oxygen concentration of the reactant mixture , and photon flow. As a consequence, although applicants consider that photobleaching compositions can be made by combining a photosensitizer and an extender, any aqueous liquid solvent and any optional ingredient, the light energy obtained from light having a wavelength that can be absorbed by the photosensitizer and / or the amount of oxygen in the composition or to a minimum is reduced to a minimum. the one that exposes the composition. For the purposes of the present invention, the wavelength of the light that any photosensitizer will absorb is determined by means of the Light Absorbance Test detailed in the Test Methods section of this specification. For the purposes of the present invention, the minimization of the light energy that the photosensitizer can absorb means that during processing those compositions are generally exposed to that wavelength of light at one of the following levels: less than about 1 milliwatt per meter square of solution surface exposed to that light, less than about 1x 10"4 watts per square meter of solution surface exposed to that light, or even less than about 1 microwatt per square meter of solution surface exposed to that light. For purposes of the present invention, oxygen minimization refers to that during processing, the compositions comprise less than about 1 x 10"2 moles of oxygen per liter, less than about 1 x 103 moles of oxygen per liter, and even less than about 1 x 10 ~ 4 moles of oxygen per liter. In use the photobleaching compositions can be made by exposing the photobleaching compositions described herein to light having a wavelength that can be absorbed by that of the photosensitizer and sufficient oxygen to provide said composition with a dissolved oxygen content greater than about 1 x. 10'9 moles per liter, greater than about 1 x 10"6 moles per liter, or even greater than about 1 x 10" 3 moles per liter. Generally, the amount of that light energy needed to produce those compositions in use is greater than about 1 x 10 ^ milliwatts per square meter of solution surface exposed to that light, greater than about 1 milliwatt per square meter of solution surface exposed to that light, or even greater than 1 x 10"2 watts / square meter of solution surface exposed to that light, said light energy can be provided by any suitable source, including but not limited to a light source located in a appliance, said household appliance is suitable for cleaning and / or fabrics.

Method of use A place, including a surface or a fabric, can be bleached by contacting at least a portion of said place with a liquid version of the photobleaching compositions of the applicants, further characterized in that the extensor and the photosensitizer are dissolved in a liquid watery or dissolve while in contact with the place. These compositions can be in pure form or diluted in a washing solution. As the experienced technician will appreciate, contact includes but is not limited to immersion and spraying. After this step of contacting, the place can optionally be washed and / or rinsed. This composition in use can be made during the time they are in contact with the article or articles to be washed.

Suitable materials Suitable materials for making the photobleaching compositions of the applicants include any photosensitizer or mixture of photosensitizers that generate singlet oxygen and that are soluble in an aqueous liquid. Suitable singlet oxygen photosensitizers include the water-soluble porphyrins and phthalocyanines and their complexes with a photoactive metal / non-metal selected from Sn, Ge, Pt, Pd, Pb, Si, Zn, Al. For example, sulfonated zinc phthalocyanine, sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine, silicon phthalocyanine-di-isoPEG 384 and other water soluble phthalocyanines described in U.S. Pat. no. 5,916,481, zinc-5,10,15,20-tetra (4-pyridyl) -21 H, 23H-porphine tetrakis (methochloride), tetrakis of benzoic acid, sodium salt. Other suitable photosensitizers include aromatic singlet oxygen photosensitizers and water-soluble heteroaromatics, such as acridinecarboxylic acid, perylene-tetracarboxylic acid, pyrenesulfonic acid, 9-fluorenone-1-carboxylic acid. Other photosensitizers soluble in water are methylene blue, rose bengal, riboflavin. Examples of superoxide photosensitizers include the substituted triethanolamine silicon phthalocyanines described in U.S. Pat. no. 6,225,273 and curcumin. Suitable water-soluble photosensitizers can be obtained from Sigma-Aldrich of ilwaukee, Wisconsin U.S. A. Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc. of Basel, Switzerland or can be prepared by the procedures described in the literature. Suitable extenders include species that form adducts with singlet oxygen or superoxide. For example, suitable atomic oxygen extenders include extenders selected from the group comprising furan, substituted furans, polyethoxylates, alkyl polyethoxylates, polynuclear aromatics, imidazole, substituted imidazoles, pyrrole, substituted pyrroles, and mixtures thereof. Examples of suitable extenders include: furfuryl alcohol, 2-furoic acid, 3-furoic acid, 3-furanmethanol, 2-benzofurancarboxylic acid, 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene, furfural, 2,5-dimethyl furan and mixtures thereof. These materials can be obtained from Sigma-Aldrich of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Other materials that may be useful as extenders include surfactants such as alkyl ethoxylates, for example, Neodol ™ 91-2.5 supplied by Shell Chemicals of Houston, Texas, USA. These surfactants can function as additional cleaning ingredients and as extenders.

Optional / Additional Ingredients Although not essential for the purposes of the present invention, the non-limiting list of additional ingredients illustrated hereafter are suitable for use in the present photobleaching compositions and can be desirably incorporated into preferred embodiments of the invention, by example to help or improve cleaning performance, to treat the substrate to be cleaned, or to modify the aesthetic characteristics of the photobleaching composition as is the case with perfumes, dyes, dyes or the like. The precise nature of these additional components and the levels of their incorporation will depend on the physical form of the composition and the type of cleaning operation in which they will be used. Suitable additional materials include, but not limited to, additional bleach activators, surfactants, additives, chelating agents, inhibitors for the transfer of dyes, dispersants, enzymes, and enzyme stabilizers, catalytic metal complexes, polymeric dispersing agents, antiredeposits clay and dirt, polishes, suds suppressors, dyes, perfumes, fabric elasticizing agents, fabric softeners, carriers, hydrotropes, process aids and / or pigments. In addition to the following discussion, suitable examples of those other additional ingredients and concentrations of use are included in U.S. Pat. num. 5,576,282, 6,306,812 B1 and 6,326,348 B1. Additional bleach activators. Suitable bleach activators that can be used in conjunction with the organic activator of the applicants include, but are not limited to, tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED), benzoylcaprolactam (BzCL), 4-nitrobenzoylcaprolactam, 3-chlorobenzoylcaprolactam, benzoyloxybenzenesulfonate (BOBS), nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS) ), phenylbenzoate (PhBz), decanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (C10-OBS), benzoylvalerolactam (BZVL), octanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (C8-OBS), perhydrolyzable esters, perhydrolyzable carbonates, perhydrolyzable imides and mixtures thereof. Surfactants Preferably, the photobleaching compositions of the present invention comprise a surfactant or a surfactant system characterized in that the surfactant can be selected from nonionic and / or anionic and / or cationic and / or ampholytic and / or zwitterionic and / or semi-polar nonionic surfactants. The surfactant or surfactant system is normally present at a level of about 0.1%, preferably about 1%, more preferably about 5% by weight of the photobleaching compositions to about 99.9%, preferably about 80%, more preferably about 35%, and most preferably about 30% by weight of the photobleaching composition. Additives The photobleaching compositions of the present invention preferably comprise one or more additives or detergent additive systems. When present, the compositions will usually comprise at least about 1% additive, preferably at least about 5%, more preferably about 10% to about 80%, preferably about 50%, more preferably about 30% by weight of the photobleaching composition. The additives include, but are not limited to, alkali metal, ammonium and alkanolammonium salts of polyphosphates, alkali metal silicates, alkali metal and alkaline earth metal carbonates, aluminosilicate additives, polycarboxylate compounds, ether hydroxy polycarboxylates, maleic anhydride copolymers with ethylene or vinyl methyl ether, 1,3,5-trihydroxy benzene-2,4,6-trisulfonic acid and carboxymethyloxysuccinic acid, the various alkali metal, ammonium and substituted ammonium salts of polyacetic acids such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and nitrilotriacetic acid, as well as polycarboxylates such as mellitic acid, succinic acid, oxydisuccinic acid, polymaleic acid, 1, 3,5-tricarboxylic acid, carboxymethyloxysuccinic acid, and the soluble salts thereof. Chelating agents. The photobleaching compositions of the present invention may also optionally contain one or more copper, iron and / or manganese chelating agents. Chelating agents, if used, will generally comprise about 0.1%, more preferably from about 3.0% to about 15% by weight of the photobleaching composition. Dye transfer inhibiting agents. The photobleaching compositions of the present invention may also include one or more dye transfer inhibiting agents. Suitable polymeric dye transfer inhibiting agents include, but are not limited to polyvinylpyrrolidone polymers, polyamine N-oxide polymers, copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole, polyvinyloxazolidones and polyvinylimidazoles or mixtures thereof. The dye transfer inhibiting agents, when present in the photobleaching compositions of the present invention, are at levels of about 0.0001%, more preferably about 0.01%, and most preferably about 0.0% by weight of the photobleaching compositions at about 10%, more preferably about 2%, and most preferably about 1% by weight of the photobleaching composition.

Dispersants The photobleaching compositions of the present invention may also contain dispersants. Suitable organic water-soluble salts are homo- or co-polymeric acids or their salts, in which the polycarboxylic acid comprises at least two carboxyl radicals separated from one another by not more than two carbon atoms. Enzymes The photobleaching compositions may comprise one or more enzymes that provide cleansing performance and / or fabric care benefits. Examples of suitable enzymes include, but are not limited to, hemicellulases, peroxidases, proteases, cellulases, xylanases, lipases, phospholipases, esterases, cutinases, pectinases, keratinases, reductases, oxidases, phenoloxidases, lipoxygenases, ligninases, pullulanases, tanases, pentosanases , malanases, ß-glucanases, arabinosidases, hyaluronidase, chondroitinase, laccase and known amylases, or mixtures thereof. Enzyme stabilizers. Enzymes for use in detergents can be stabilized by various techniques including the use of water soluble sources of calcium and / or magnesium ions in the photobleaching compositions. Bleach-reinforcing compounds. The photobleaching compositions of the present invention may comprise one or more bleach booster compounds such as a dioxirane, an oxaziridine, or an oxaziridinium or compounds capable of forming these species in place.

Among the bleach booster compounds suitable for use in accordance with the present invention are cationic, zwitterionic imines, anionic and / or polyionic mines having a net charge of about +3 to about -3, and mixtures of these. These imine bleach booster compounds of the present invention include those of the general structure: Formula I where, for the aforementioned Formula I, R1-R4 can be a hydrogen or an unsubstituted or substituted radical selected from the group consisting of phenyl, aryl, heterocyclic ring, alkyl or cycloalkyl radicals. Among the preferred bleach booster compounds are the zwitterionic bleach boosters, which are described in U.S. Pat. num. 5,576,282 and 5,718,614. Other bleach booster compounds include cationic bleach boosters such as those described in U.S. Pat. num. 5,360,569, and 5,370,826. Catalytic metal complexes. The photobleaching compositions of the applicants may include catalytic metal complexes. One type of metal-based bleach catalyst is a catalyst system comprising a transition metal cation of defined bleach catalyst activity such as copper, iron, titanium, ruthenium, tungsten, molybdenum or manganese cations, an auxiliary metal cation of low activity or without catalytic bleaching activity such as zinc or aluminum cations, and a sequestrant with defined stability constants for the catalytic and auxiliary metal cations, especially ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetra (methylene) phosphonic acid and water soluble salts of the same. These catalysts are described in U.S. Pat. 4,430,243. The photobleaching compositions herein, if desired, can be catalyzed by a manganese compound. These compounds and concentrations of use are well known in the industry and include, for example, the manganese-based catalysts described in U.S. Pat. no. 5,576,282. Cobalt bleach catalysts are known, and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. num. 5,597,936 and 5,595,967. The compositions herein may also suitably include a transition metal complex of a macropolycyclic rigid ligand - by its abbreviation "MRL". As a practical matter, and not by way of limitation, the photobleaching compositions and the cleaning processes of the present invention can be adjusted to provide about at least one part per one hundred million active MRL species in the aqueous wash medium, and preferably provide from about 0.005 ppm to about 25 ppm, more preferably from about 0.05 ppm to about 10 ppm, and most preferably from about 0.1 ppm to about 5 ppm, of the MRL in the wash solution. Preferred transition metals in the transition metal bleach catalyst include manganese, iron and chromium. Preferred MRLs herein are a special type of ultra rigid ligand that is a bridge, such as 5,12-diethyl-1, 5,8,12-tetraazabicyclo [6.6.2] hexadecane. Suitable MRLs of transition metals are prepared rapidly by known procedures such as those described, for example, in WO 00/332601 and in U.S. Pat. no. 6,225,464.

Test methods Light absorbance test (Process to determine the wavelength of light absorbed by a photosensitizer) 1.) Dissolve a sufficient quantity of a photosensitizer selected from the chosen solvent to obtain a maximum absorbance, between 250 nanometers and 700 nanometers , of 1. 2.) For the purposes of this invention, any wavelength of light characterized in that said photosensitizer has an absorbance of 0.01 is considered to be a wavelength absorbed by the photosensitizer EXAMPLES EXAMPLE 1 The following bleaching composition is prepared by combining sulfonated zinc phthalocyanine, imidazole and the additional cleaning ingredients while avoiding exposure to light. Sulfonated zinc phthalocyanine 0.1% Imidazole 1% Additional cleaning ingredients csp 100 grams of the bleaching composition described above is added to 30 liters of aqueous washing solution in a suitable washing machine and the washing solution is illuminated with a light source which emits in at least one of the absorbance peaks of the sulfonated zinc phthalocyanine while stirring for a period of 15 minutes. The washing solution is removed and the fabrics are rinsed.

EXAMPLE 2 The following bleaching composition is prepared by combining silicon phthalocyanine-di-isoPEG 384, benzofurancarboxylic acid and cleaning adjuvants while avoiding exposure to light.

Silica phthalocyanine di-isoPEG 384 0.01% Benzofurancarboxylic acid 0.5% Additional cleaning ingredients qs 100 grams of the bleaching composition described above are added to 30 liters of aqueous washing solution in a suitable washing machine and the washing solution is illuminated with a light source emitting in at least one of the absorbance peaks of the phthalocyanine of silicon-di-isoPEG 384 while stirring for a period of 15 minutes. The washing solution is removed and the fabrics are rinsed.

EXAMPLE 3 The following bleaching composition is prepared by combining Acridinecarboxylic acid, 2-furoic acid and additional cleaning ingredients while avoiding exposure to light.

Acridinecarboxylic acid 0 5% 2-furoacetic acid 5% Additional cleaning ingredients csp 100 grams of the bleaching composition described above are added to 30 liters of aqueous washing solution in a suitable washing machine and the wash solution is illuminated with a light source emitting in at least one of the absorbance peaks of the acridinecarboxylic acid while stirring for a period of 15 minutes. The washing solution is removed and the fabrics are rinsed.

EXAMPLE 4 The following bleaching composition is prepared by combining 9-Fluorenone-1-carboxylic acid, 5-benzimidazolecarboxylic acid and the Additional cleaning ingredients while avoiding exposure to light 9-Fluorenone-1-carboxylic acid 0 1% 5-Benz? M? Dazolcarboxylic acid 1% Additional cleaning ingredients csp 100 grams of the bleaching composition described above are added to 30 liters of aqueous washing solution in one Proper washing machine and washing solution is illuminated with a light source emitting in at least one of the absorbance peaks of 9-fluorenone-1-carboxylic acid while stirring for a period of 15 minutes. The washing solution is removed and the fabrics are rinsed. While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It has been intended, therefore, to cover in the appended claims all changes and modifications that are within the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. A photobleaching composition comprising, on the basis of the total weight of the composition: a.) A photosensitizer soluble in water; b.) an extender; and c.) any balance of the photobleaching composition is a material selected from an aqueous liquid, an additional ingredient or mixtures thereof.

2. The photobleaching composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises, based on the total weight of the composition: a.) From 0.1% to 50%, preferably from 1% to 25%, more preferably 5%. % to 20% of the water-soluble photosensitizer; and b.) from 1% to 99.9%, preferably from 5% to 90%, more preferably from 0% to 5% of the extender.

3. The photobleaching composition according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises, based on the total weight of the composition: a.) From 1 ppm to 1000 ppm, preferably from 5 ppm to 500 ppm, more preferably 10 ppm. ppm to 300 ppm of the water-soluble photosensitizer; b.) from 100 ppm to 10,000 ppm, preferably from 200 ppm to 5000 ppm, more preferably from 500 ppm to 2000 ppm of the extender; and c.) the balance of the photobleaching compositions is an aqueous liquid, and optionally an additional ingredient.

4. The photobleaching composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that: a.) The water-soluble photosensitizer is selected from the group consisting of porphyrins, phthalocyanines, aromatic C8-C70, photosensitizers of superoxide, and mixtures thereof, preferably the water-soluble photosensitizer is selected from the group consisting of sulfonated zinc phthalocyanine, sulfonated aluminum phthalocyanine, silicon phthalocyanine-di-isoPEG 384, pyrene sulfonic acid, and mixtures thereof; b.) the extender is selected from the group consisting of furan, substituted furans, alkyl ethoxylates, polyethoxylates, alkyl polyethoxylates, polynuclear aromatics, imidazole, substituted imidazoles, pyrroles, substituted pyrroles, and mixtures thereof, preferably the extender is selected from the group formed by alkyl ethoxylates, imidazole, 2,5-dimethylfuran, 2-furoic acid, 3-furoic acid, and mixtures thereof. The photobleaching composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the composition is a solid or liquid comprising an aqueous liquid. 6. The photobleaching composition according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the extender comprises a surfactant. 7. A method for cleaning and / or bleaching a fabric or surface comprising the steps of; a.) provide the photobleaching composition of any preceding claim with sufficient oxygen so that the photobleaching composition comprises oxygen at a level of 1 x 10 ~ 9 moles per liter of the photobleaching composition and sufficient light energy to generate the whitening species, preferably the light energy is, based on the light that has a wavelength that is absorbed by the photosensitizer used, enough to produce more than 1 x 10"4 milliwatts / square meter of the surface of the solution exposed to light; preferably the light energy is provided by a light source located in or on a suitable household appliance for cleaning and / or bleaching a fabric or surface, and b) contacting a fabric or surface with the photobleaching composition during or after generating the bleaching species c) optionally rinsing and / or washing the fabric or surface 8. A process for making a composition otoblanking, the process comprises the step of combining a water-soluble photosensitizer, an extender and optionally a material selected from an aqueous liquid, an additional ingredient or mixtures thereof to form the photobleaching composition. 9. The process according to claim 8, further characterized in that the water-soluble photosensitizer, an extender and optionally a material selected from an aqueous liquid, an additional ingredient or mixtures thereof are combined in such a manner that the water-soluble photosensitizer, an extender and optionally a material selected from a aqueous liquid, an additional ingredient or mixtures of these are exposed to less than 1 milliwatt of light, which has a wavelength absorbed by the water-soluble photosensitizer, per square meter of the surface of the solution exposed to light and oxygen. so that the resulting mixture comprises less than 1 x 10"2 moles of oxygen per liter.