Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Bleaching – Wave energy
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-25
2001-09-11
Einsmann, Margaret (Department: 1751)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Bleaching
Wave energy
C008S107000, C008S111000, C008S115520
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287346
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is in the field of bleaching compositions, preferably liquid or gel detergents. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for removing stains, odors and for disinfecting fabric by applying a bleaching composition, preferably a liquid or gel detergent composition, and subjecting the fabric to microwaves. This method provides enhanced cleaning and improved stain removal. These cleaning compositions comprise a bleaching agent, preferably diacyl peroxide in a liquid or gel detergent formulation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Detergents used for washing fabric in the home or institution have long been known. The body of art pertaining to fabric cleaning is immense and encompasses many formulations designed for stain removal, many including bleaches.
However, consumers continue to experience problems with stain removal on fabric. In particular, formulators have experienced difficulties in formulating detergents which remove both hydrophobic and hydrophilic stains. Typically for stain removal, formulators have turned to chlorine bleach or sources of hydrogen peroxide and bleach activators.
Numerous substances have been disclosed in the art as effective bleach activators. One widely-used bleach activator is tetraacetyl ethylene diamine (TAED). TAED provides effective hydrophilic cleaning especially on beverage stains, but has limited performance on hydrophobic stains, dingy stains and body soils. Another type of activator, such as nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS) and other activators which generally comprise long chain alkyl moieties, is hydrophobic in nature and provides excellent performance on dingy stains and carotenoid stains.
It would seem that a combination of bleach activators, such as TAED and NOBS, would provide an effective detergent composition which would perform well on both hydrophilic and hydrophobic soils and stains. However, many of the hydrophilic activators developed thus far, including TAED, have been found to have limited efficacy, especially at laundry liquor temperatures below 60° C. Another consideration in the development of consumer products effective on both types of soils is the additional costs associated with the inclusion of two or more bleach activators. Accordingly, it is of substantial interest to the manufacturers of bleaching systems to find a less expensive type of bleaching activator.
Chlorine bleaches are effective for stain and/or soil removal. While chlorine bleach is a very effective cleaning agent, it is not compatible with a variety of detergent ingredients and may require lengthy soaking time in which the bleach and the stained fabric must remain in contact to ensure stain removal.
Another known bleaching source is diacyl peroxides (DAPs). Although DAPs have been disclosed for use in the laundry and anti-acne area, they have had limited success in liquid or automatic dishwashing detergent area. In the laundry field certain diacyl peroxides have been disclosed as beneficial in cleaning tea stains from fibrous material.
Another problem facing formulators is stability of the bleaching agents and other individual ingredients over time, especially in liquid products. This is particularly true for diacyl peroxides in alkaline conditions.
As a consequence to the above-identified problems, there has been a substantial amount of research to develop bleaching systems which are stable and effective in liquid formulations and in which the amount of soaking time needed to remove stains is greatly reduced.
By the present invention, it has now been discovered that certain bleaching agents are stable and perform very well on stains when the bleaching agent is applied to a fabric and subjected to microwaves. Accordingly, the present invention solves the long-standing need for an inexpensive bleaching system which performs efficiently and effectively under mixed soil load conditions, especially mixtures of hydrophobic and hydrophilic soils.
The detergent compositions provided herein have the property of removing stains, especially tea, fruit juice and carotenoid stains objected to by the consumer from fabrics when exposed to microwaving from any typical household or commercial microwave. The compositions have other cleaning benefits in addition to stain removal advantages such as deodorizing and disinfecting. Thus, provided herein is a method of removing stains from a fabric by applying a bleaching compositions and exposing the stained fabric to microwaves to provide powerful cleaning of wide-ranging stains while retaining the advantages of a stable, mild product matrix.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention herein is a method for treating fabrics comprising the steps of:
a) contacting, in the presence of water or a solvent which generates heat under microwave radiation, a fabric with a treating composition comprising an effective bleaching agent;
b) subjecting the fabric to microwaves for a sufficient period to effectively treat the fabric.
There are also provided embodiments wherein additional components, especially surfactant, solvent, clay, polycarboxylate thickeners, baking soda, carbonates, phosphates, hydrobenzoic acid, dicarboxylic acid, siloxanes, perfumes, bleach catalysts, water, and mixtures thereof. Said compositions have a pH of from about 3 to about 13.
Examples of bleaching agents which are highly preferred for use herein included: diacyl peroxide, a source of hydrogen peroxide with or without a bleach activator, chlorine bleach and mixtures thereof.
Although this method can be employed to assist in bleaching the fabric for any desired purpose, examples of likely uses include one or more of the following: stain removal, stain reducing, deodorizing, or disinfecting. The fabric after being treated with the bleach composition is then subjected to microwaves for a sufficient time to “treat” the fabric to the desired end result, i.e. stain reduction, deodorizing, disinfecting. Typically a “sufficient time” in step b) is from about 1 second to about 2 minutes, preferably from about 10 seconds to about 45 seconds.
The method herein when employed to remove or reduce stains is highly effective on hydrophobic stains such as tomato stains and dingy stains. However, the method can also be employed with very good results on hydrophilic stains such as tea stains. Other example wherein the method is highly effective include the reduction or removal of hydrophobic stains on hydrophobic fabrics and the reduction or removal of hydrophilic stains on hydrophilic fabrics. An example of hydrophobic stains on hydrophobic substrates include tomato sauce on acrylic. An example of hydrophilic stains on hydrophilic substrates include tea stains on cotton. Included below are examples of treating composition which can be employed in the method of this invention.
1) A sprayable liquid or sprayable gel detergent compositions especially effective at cleaning stains, deodorizing, and/or disinfecting fabric, comprising by weight:
(a) from about 0.1% to about 60%, preferably 0.1 to about 40%, more preferably from about 0.3% to about 10%, of a bleaching agent selected from the group consisting of:
i) diacyl peroxide having the general formula:
RC(O)OO(O)CR1
wherein R and R1 can be the same or different and are hydrocarbyls, preferably no more than one is a hydrocarbyl chain of longer than ten carbon atoms, more preferably at least one has an aromatic nucleus;
ii) a source of hydrogen peroxide;
iii) a source of hydrogen peroxide and a bleach activator;
iv) a chlorine bleach, preferably hypochlorite; and
v) mixtures thereof;
(b) from 0% to about 95% of a non-aqueous solvent;
(c) from 0% to about 50%, preferably about 2% to about 45%,more preferably from about 6% to about 30%, still more preferably from about 6% to about 12%, of a surfactant; and
(d) from 0% to about 7%, preferably from about 0.5% to about 5%, more preferably from about 0.75% to about 3%, of a thickener.
2) A gel detergent composition especially effective at cleaning stains and tough food soil from fabrics, comprising by weight:
(a) from about 0.1% to about 10%,
Hutton Howard David
Ofosu-Asante Kofi
Bolam Brian M.
Cook C. Brandt
Einsmann Margaret
Hasse Donald E.
The Procter & Gamble & Company
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