Cleaning composition

Details Cleaning composition Cleaning composition

2001-07-19

2004-01-27

Delcotto, Gregory (Department: 1751)

Cleaning compositions for solid surfaces, auxiliary compositions

Cleaning compositions or processes of preparing

For cleaning a specific substrate or removing a specific...

C510S235000, C510S237000, C510S245000, C510S254000, C510S264000, C510S433000, C510S499000, C510S503000, C510S506000, C510S507000, C510S101000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06683036

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is in the field of hard surface cleaning compositions, in particular it relates to products and methods suitable for the removal of cooked-, baked- and burnt-on soils from cookware and tableware.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cooked-, baked- and burnt-on soils are amongst the most severe types of soils to remove from surfaces. Traditionally, the removal of cooked-, baked- and burnt-on soils from cookware and tableware requires soaking the soiled object prior to a mechanical action. Apparently, the automatic dishwashing process alone does not provide a satisfactory removal of cooked-, baked- and burnt-on soils. Manual dishwashing process requires a tremendous rubbing effort to remove cooked-, baked- and burnt-on soils and this can be detrimental to the safety and condition of the cookware/tableware.
The use of cleaning compositions containing solvent for helping in the removal of cooked-, baked- and burnt-on solids is known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,573 provides a method for treating hard surfaces soiled with cooked-on, baked-on or dried-on food residues comprising applying a pre-spotting composition to the soiled article. The composition applied comprises surfactant, builder, amine and solvent. U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,007 provides an aqueous hard surface cleaning composition for removing hardened dried or baked-on grease soil deposits. The composition comprises nonionic surfactant, chelating agent, caustic, a glycol ether solvent system, organic amine and anti-redeposition agents.
WO-A-94/28108 discloses an aqueous cleaner concentrate composition, that can be diluted to form a more viscous use solution comprising an effective thickening amount of a rod micelle thickener composition, lower alkyl glycol ether solvent and hardness sequestering agent. The application also describes a method of cleaning a food preparation unit having at least one substantially vertical surface having a baked food soil coating. In practice, however, none of the art has been found to be very effective in removing baked-on, polymerized soil from metal and other substrates.
Thus, there is still need for cleaning compositions and methods used prior to the washing process of tableware and cookware soiled with cooked-on, baked-on or burnt-on food in order to facilitate the removal of these difficult food residues. There is also a need for cleaning compositions and methods having improved efficacy in baked-on soil removal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hard surface cleaning composition for removing cooked-, baked- or burnt-on soils (such as grease, meat, dairy, fruit, pasta and any other food especially difficult to remove after the cooking process) from cookware and tableware (including stainless steel, glass, plastic, wood and ceramic objects), wherein the composition comprises an organoamine solvent. In general terms, the composition has a liquid surface tension of less than about 26 mN/m, preferably less than about 25 mN/m, preferably less than about 24.5 mN/m and more preferably less than about 24 mN/m and a pH, as measured in a 10% solution in distilled water, of at least 10.5. The organoamine solvent is present in the compositions herein in an effective amount, i.e., in an amount effective to provide cooked-, baked- or burnt-on soil removal functionality. The efficacy of the organoamine solvent at low liquid surface tensions and high pH appears to be related to its ability to act as an agent for swelling, hydrating or otherwise solvating the cooked-, baked- or burnt-on soil. A soil swelling agent is understood herein to be a substance or composition capable of swelling cooked-, baked- or burnt-on soil deposited on a substrate after treating said substrate with the soil swelling agent without the application of external mechanical forces. Soil swelling effect can be quantified by the soil swelling index.
The composition of the invention preferably has a pH, as measured in a 10% solution in distilled water, from at least about 10.5, preferably from about 11 to about 14 and more preferably from about 11.5 to about 13.5. In the case of cleaning of cooked-, baked- or burnt-on soils cleaning performance is related in part to the high pH of the cleaning composition. However, due to the acidic nature of some of the soils, such as for example cooking oil, a reserve of alkalinity is desirable in order to maintain a high pH. On the other hand the reserve alkalinity should not be so high as to risk damaging the skin of the user. Therefore, the compositions of the invention preferably have a reserve alkalinity of less than about 5, more preferably less than about 4 and especially less than about 3. “Reserve alkalinity”, as used herein refers to, the ability of a composition to maintain an alkali pH in the presence of acid. This is relative to the ability of a composition to have sufficient alkali in reserve to deal with any added acid while maintaining pH. More specifically, it is defined as the grams of NaOH per 100 cc's, exceeding pH 9.5, in product. The reserve alkalinity for a solution is determined in the following manner.
A Mettler DL77 automatic titrator with a Mettler DG115-SC glass pH electrode is calibrated using pH 4, 7 and 10 buffers (or buffers spanning the expected pH range). A 1% solution of the composition to be tested is prepared in distilled water. The weight of the sample is noted. The pH of the 1% solution is measured and the solution is titrated down to pH 9.5 using a solution of 0.25N HCL. The reserve alkalinity (RA) is calculated in the following way:
RA
=% NaOH×Specific gravity
% NaOH=
ml
HCl×Normality of HCl×40×100/Weight of sample aliquot titrated(
g
)×1000
The addition of low level of surfactant selected from anionic, amphoteric, zwitterionic, nonionic and semi-polar surfactants and mixtures thereof, to the composition of the invention aids the cleaning process and also helps to care for the skin of the user. Preferably the level of surfactant is from about 0.05 to about 10%, more preferably from about 0.09 to about 5% and more preferably from 0.1 to 2%. A preferred surfactant for use herein is an amine oxide surfactant.
The soil swelling index (SSI) is a measure of the increased thickness of soil after treatment with a substance or composition in comparison to the soil before treatment with the substance or composition. It is believed, while not being limited by theory, that the thickening is caused, at least in part, by hydration or solvation of the soil. Swelling of the soil makes the soil easier to remove with no or minimal application of force, e.g. wiping, rinsing or manual and automatic dishwashing. The measuring of this change of soil thickness gives the SSI.
The amount of substance or composition necessary to provide soil swelling functionality will depend upon the nature of the substance or composition and can be determined by routine experimentation. Other conditions effective for soil swelling such as pH, temperature and treatment time can also be determined by routine experimentation. Preferred herein, however are organoamine solvents effective in swelling cooked-, baked- or baked-on soils such as polymerised grease or carbohydrate soils on glass or metal substrates, whereby after the organoamine has been in contact with the soil for 45 minutes or less, preferably 30 min or less and more preferably 20 min or less at 20° C., the organoamine has an SSI at 5% aqueous solution and pH of 12.8 of at least about 15%, preferably at least about 20%, more preferably at least about 30% and especially at least about 50%. Preferably also the choice of organoamine is such that the final compositions have an SSI measured as neat liquids under the same treatment time and temperature conditions of at least about 100%, preferably at least about 200% and more preferably at least about 500%. Highly preferred soil swelling agents and final compositions herein meet the SSI requirements on polymerized grease soils according t

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