Liquid dish cleaning compositions containing hydrogen peroxide

[0002] This invention relates to a liquid dish cleaning composition which is designed to remove stains from surfaces and also disinfect surfaces like dishes, countertops, sponges, while maintaining good foaming grease cutting, rinsing and mildness properties.

[0003] The present invention relates to novel light duty liquid detergent compositions with high foaming and good grease cutting properties as well as disinfecting properties.

[0004] The prior art is replete with light duty liquid detergent compositions containing nonionic surfactants in combination with anionic and/or betaine surfactants wherein the nonionic detergent is not the major active surfactant. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,985 an anionic based shampoo contains a minor amount of a fatty acid alkanolamide. U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,398 discloses a betaine-based shampoo containing minor amounts of nonionic surfactants. This patent states that the low foaming properties of nonionic detergents renders its use in shampoo compositions non-preferred. U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,335 also discloses a shampoo containing a betaine surfactant as the major ingredient and minor amounts of a nonionic surfactant and of a fatty acid mono- or di-ethanolamide. U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,204 discloses a shampoo comprising 0.8 to 20% by weight of an anionic phosphoric acid ester and one additional surfactant which may be either anionic, amphoteric, or nonionic. U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,334 discloses an anionic-amphoteric based shampoo containing a major amount of anionic surfactant and lesser amounts of a betaine and nonionic surfactants.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,935,129 discloses a liquid cleaning composition containing an alkali metal silicate, urea, glycerin, triethanolamine, an anionic detergent and a nonionic detergent. The silicate content determines the amount of anionic and/or nonionic detergent in the liquid cleaning composition. However, the foaming properties of these detergent compositions are not discussed therein.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,515 discloses a heavy duty liquid detergent for laundering fabrics comprising a mixture of substantially equal amounts of anionic and nonionic surfactants, alkanolamines and magnesium salts, and, optionally, zwitterionic surfactants as suds modifiers.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,195 discloses an aqueous detergent composition for laundering socks or stockings comprising a specific group of nonionic detergents, namely, an ethylene oxide of a secondary alcohol, a specific group of anionic detergents, namely, a sulfuric ester salt of an ethylene oxide adduct of a secondary alcohol, and an amphoteric surfactant which may be a betaine, wherein either the anionic or nonionic surfactant may be the major ingredient.

[0008] The prior art also discloses detergent compositions containing all nonionic surfactants as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,154,706 and 4,329,336 wherein the shampoo compositions contain a plurality of particular nonionic surfactants in order to affect desirable foaming and detersive properties despite the fact that nonionic surfactants are usually deficient in such properties.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,787 discloses a piperazine based polymer in conditioning and shampoo compositions which may contain all nonionic surfactant or all anionic surfactant.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,091 discloses high viscosity shampoo compositions containing a blend of an amphoteric betaine surfactant, a polyoxybutylenepolyoxyethylene nonionic detergent, an anionic surfactant, a fatty acid alkanolamide and a polyoxyalkylene glycol fatty ester. But, none of the exemplified compositions contain an active ingredient mixture wherein the nonionic detergent is present in major proportion which is probably due to the low foaming properties of the polyoxybutylene polyoxyethylene nonionic detergent.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,526 comprising a nonionic surfactant, a betaine surfactant, an anionic surfactant and a C₁₂-C₁₄fatty acid monoethanolamide foam stabilizer.

[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 6,147,039 teaches an antibacterial hand cleaning composition having a low surfactant content.

[0013] It has now been found that a liquid dish cleaning composition which has desirable cleaning and foaming properties that can also be antibacterial can be formulated with a sulfonate surfactant, an alkyl sulfate surfactant, a solubilizer, polyethylene glycol, a magnesium inorganic salt, a proton donating agent, hydrogen peroxide, and water.

[0014] An object of this invention is to provide a liquid dish cleaning composition that can also be antibacterial which comprises a sulfate anionic surfactant, a sulfonate anionic surfactants, a solubilizer, polyethylene, hydrogen peroxide, a proton donating agent, a magnesium inorganic salt and water, wherein the composition does not contain any silicas, abrasives, acyl isoethionate, 2-hydroxy-4,2′,4′-trichloridiphenyl ether, phosphoric acid, phosphonic acid, boric acid, alkali metal carbonates, alkaline earth metal carbonates, alkyl glycine surfactant, cyclic imidinium surfactant, or more than 3 wt. % of a fatty acid or salt thereof.

[0015] Another object of this invention is to provide a liquid dish cleaning composition with desirable high foaming and cleaning properties which kills also bacteria.

[0016] Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

[0017] This invention relates to a liquid dish cleaning composition that can also be antibacterial, which comprises approximately by weight:

[0018] (a) 16% to 30% of an alkali metal, ammonium or alkaline earth metal salt such as sodium salt of a sulfonate surfactant;

[0019] (b) 7% to 16% of an alkali metal or ammonium salt such as sodium of an alkyl sulfate surfactant;

[0020] (c) 0 to 5% of a magnesium inorganic salt;

[0021] (d) 0 to 10% of a solubilizer;

[0022] (e) 0.1% to 5% of a proton donating agent;

[0023] (f) 0.05% to 5% of hydrogen peroxide;

[0024] (g) 0% to 5% of polyethylene glycol; and

[0025] (h) the balance being water, wherein the composition has a pH of 3 to 6, more preferably 3.5 to 5.5 and has a viscosity of 100 to 1,000 cps, more preferably 150 to 500 cps at 25° C. using a #2 spindle at 50 rpm as measured on a Brookfield RVTDV-II viscometer, wherein the composition does not contain any grease release agents such as choline, chloride or buffering system which is a nitrogenous buffer which is ammonium or alkaline earth carbonate, amine oxide surfactants, guanidine derivates, alkoxylalkyl amines and alkyleneamines C₃-C₇alkyl and alkenyl monobasic and dibasic acids such as C₄-C₇aliphatic carboxylic diacids which do not contain a hydroxy group, boric acid, phosphoric acid, zwitterionic surfactant, amino alkylene phosphonic acid and alkyl polyglucoside surfactants and the composition is pourable and not a gel and has a complex viscosity at 1 rads⁻¹of less than 0.4 Pascal seconds.

[0026] The anionic sulfonate surfactants which may be used in the detergent of this invention are selected from the consisting of water soluble and include the sodium, potassium, ammonium, magnesium and ethanolammonium salts of linear C₈-C₁₆alkyl benzene sulfonates; C₁₀-C₂₀paraffin sulfonates, alpha olefin sulfonates containing about 10-24 carbon atoms and C₈-C₁₈alkyl sulfates and mixtures thereof.

[0027] The paraffin sulfonates may be monosulfonates or di-sulfonates and usually are mixtures thereof, obtained by sulfonating paraffins of 10 to 20 carbon atoms. Preferred paraffin sulfonates are those of C_12-18carbon atoms chains, and more preferably they are of C_14-17chains. Paraffin sulfonates that have the sulfonate group(s) distributed along the paraffin chain are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,503,280; 2,507,088; 3,260,744; and 3,372,188; and also in German Patent 735,096. Such compounds may be made to specifications and desirably the content of paraffin sulfonates outside the C_14-17range will be minor and will be minimized, as will be any contents of di- or poly-sulfonates.

[0028] Examples of suitable other sulfonated anionic detergents are the well known higher alkyl mononuclear aromatic sulfonates, such as the higher alkylbenzene sulfonates containing 9 to 18 or preferably 9 to 16 carbon atoms in the higher alkyl group in a straight or branched chain, or C_8-15alkyl toluene sulfonates. A preferred alkylbenzene sulfonate is a linear alkylbenzene sulfonate having a higher content of 3-phenyl (or higher) isomers and a correspondingly lower content (well below 50%) of 2-phenyl (or lower) isomers, such as those sulfonates wherein the benzene ring is attached mostly at the 3 or higher (for example 4, 5, 6 or 7) position of the alkyl group and the content of the isomers in which the benzene ring is attached in the 2 or 1 position is correspondingly low. Preferred materials are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,174, especially those in which the alkyls are of 10 to 13 carbon atoms.

[0029] The C_8-18ethoxylated alkyl ether sulfate surfactants have the structure

[0030] wherein n is about 1 to about 22 more preferably 1 to 3 and R is an alkyl group having about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms, more preferably 12 to 15 and natural cuts, for example, C_12-14or C_12-16and M is an ammonium cation or a metal cation, most preferably sodium.

[0031] The ethoxylated alkyl ether sulfate may be made by sulfating the condensation product of ethylene oxide and C_8-10alkanol, and neutralizing the resultant product. The ethoxylated alkyl ether sulfates differ from one another in the number of carbon atoms in the alcohols and in the number of moles of ethylene oxide reacted with one mole of such alcohol. Preferred ethoxylated alkyl ether polyethenoxy sulfates contain 12 to 15 carbon atoms in the alcohols and in the alkyl groups thereof, e.g., sodium myristyl (3 EO) sulfate.

[0032] Ethoxylated C_8-18alkylphenyl ether sulfates containing from 2 to 6 moles of ethylene oxide in the molecule are also suitable for use in the invention compositions. These detergents can be prepared by reacting an alkyl phenol with 2 to 6 moles of ethylene oxide and sulfating and neutralizing the resultant ethoxylated alkylphenol. The concentration of the ethoxylated alkyl ether sulfate surfactant is about 1 to about 8 wt. %.

[0033] The proton donating agent is selected from the group consisting of inorganic acids such as sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid and hydroxy containing organic acid, preferably a hydroxy aliphatic acid, which are selected from the group consisting of lactic acid or citric acid, orthohydroxy benzoic acid , salicylic or glycolic and mixtures thereof.

[0034] Polyethylene glycol which is used in the instant composition has a molecular weight of 200 to 1,000, wherein the polyethylene glycol has the structure

[0035] HO(CH₂CH₂O)_nH

[0036] wherein n is 4 to 52. The concentration of the polyethylene glycol in the instant composition is 0 to 5 wt. %, more preferably 0.1 wt. % to 5 wt. %.

[0037] The major class of compounds found to provide highly suitable cosurfactants over temperature ranges extending from 5° C. to 43° C. for instance are water-soluble polyethylene glycols having a molecular weight of 150 to 1000, polypropylene glycol of the formula HO(CH₃CHCH₂O)_nH wherein n is a number from 2 to 18, mixtures of polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol (Synalox) and mono and di C₁-C₆alkyl ethers and esters of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol having the structural formulas R(X)_nOH, R₁(X)_nOH, R(X)_nOR and R₁(X)_nOR₁wherein R is C₁-C₆alkyl group, R₁is C₂-C₄acyl group, X is (OCH₂CH₂) or (OCH₂(CH₃)CH) and n is a number from 1 to 4, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, an alkyl lactate, wherein the alkyl group has 1 to 6 carbon atoms, 1methoxy-2-propanol, 1methoxy-3-propanol, and 1methoxy 2-, 3- or 4-butanol.

[0038] Representative members of the polypropylene glycol include dipropylene glycol and polypropylene glycol having a molecular weight of 150 to 1000, e.g., polypropylene glycol 400. Other satisfactory glycol ethers are ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (butyl cellosolve), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (butyl carbitol), triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, mono, di, tri propylene glycol monobutyl ether, tetraethylene glycol monobutyl ether, mono, di, tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monohexyl ether, diethylene glycol monohexyl ether, propylene glycol tertiary butyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monopropyl ether, ethylene glycol monopentyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monopropyl ether, diethylene glycol monopentyl ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, triethylene glycol monoethyl ether, triethylene glycol monopropyl ether, triethylene glycol monopentyl ether, triethylene glycol monohexyl ether, mono, di, tripropylene glycol monoethyl ether, mono, di tripropylene glycol monopropyl ether, mono, di, tripropylene glycol monopentyl ether, mono, di, tripropylene glycol monohexyl ether, mono, di, tributylene glycol mono methyl ether, mono, di, tributylene glycol monoethyl ether, mono, di, tributylene glycol monopropyl ether, mono, di, tributylene glycol monobutyl ether, mono, di, tributylene glycol monopentyl ether and mono, di, tributylene glycol monohexyl ether, ethylene glycol monoacetate and dipropylene glycol propionate.

[0039] The magnesium inorganic salt is selected from the group consisting of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, magnesium oxide and magnesium chloride and mixture thereof.

[0040] The instant light duty liquid nonmicroemulsion compositions can contain about 0 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, more preferably about 1 wt. % to about 8 wt. %, of at least one solubilizing agent selected from the group consisting of a C_2-5mono, dihydroxy or polyhydroxy alkanols such as ethanol, isopropanol, glycerol ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and hexylene glycol and mixtures thereof and alkali metal cumene or xylene sulfonates such as sodium cumene sulfonate and sodium xylene sulfonate. The solubilizing agents are included in order to control low temperature cloud clear properties.

[0041] The instant formulas explicitly exclude alkali metal silicates and alkali metal builders such as alkali metal polyphosphates, alkali metal carbonates, alkali metal phosphonates and alkali metal citrates because these materials, if used in the instant composition, would cause the composition to have a high pH as well as leaving residue on the surface being cleaned.

[0042] The final essential ingredient in the inventive compositions having improved interfacial tension properties is water. The proportion of water in the compositions generally is in the range of 10% to 95%.

[0043] The liquid cleaning composition of this invention may, if desired, also contain other components either to provide additional effect or to make the product more attractive to the consumer. The following are mentioned by way of example: Colors or dyes in amounts up to 0.5% by weight; bactericides in amounts up to 1% by weight; preservatives or antioxidizing agents, such as formalin, 5-bromo-5-nitro-dioxan-1,3; 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothaliazolin-3-one, 2,6-di-tert.butyl-p-cresol, etc., in amounts up to 2% by weight; and pH adjusting agents, such as citric acid or sodium hydroxide, as needed. Furthermore, if opaque compositions are desired, up to 4% by weight of an opacifier may be added.

[0044] In final form, the instant compositions exhibit stability at reduced and increased temperatures. More specifically, such compositions remain clear and stable in the range of 0° C. to 50° C., especially 4° C. to 43° C. Such compositions exhibit a pH of 3 to 6, more preferably 3.5 to 5.5. The liquid cleaning compositions are readily pourable and exhibit a viscosity in the range of 100 to 1000 millipascal.second (mPas.) as measured at 25° C. with a Brookfield RVTDV-II Viscometer using a #2 spindle rotating at 50 RPM. Preferably, the viscosity is 150 to 500 mPas.

[0045] The following examples illustrate the hand dish cleaning compositions of the described invention. Unless otherwise specified, all percentages are by weight. The exemplified compositions are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, the proportions in the examples and elsewhere in the specification are by weight.

[0046] The following composition in wt. % was prepared by simple mixing procedure: