Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting – deodorizing – preser – Process disinfecting – preserving – deodorizing – or sterilizing – Using disinfecting or sterilizing substance
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-09
2003-05-20
McKane, Elizabeth (Department: 1744)
Chemical apparatus and process disinfecting, deodorizing, preser
Process disinfecting, preserving, deodorizing, or sterilizing
Using disinfecting or sterilizing substance
C424S405000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565804
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to aqueous cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting and mold and mildew inhibiting compositions for non-porous hard surfaces such as glass (e.g., mirrors and shower doors), glazed porcelain, metallic (e.g., chrome, stainless steel, and aluminum), ceramic tile, enamel, fiberglass, Formica®, Corian® and plastic. The compositions utilize surprisingly low concentrations of particular alcohols as well as advantageously leave very low levels of residue on the surface.
BACKGROUND ART
Complete elimination of pathogenic micro-organisms on various surfaces, especially hard surfaces where such organisms may stay active for relatively long periods of time, has long been a goal of those charged with cleaning and maintaining in an antiseptic fashion kitchens and bathrooms in the home, as well as in commercial and institutional settings such as hospitals, medical clinics, hotels and restaurants. A further goal has been to prevent the formation of allergens caused by the growth of mold and mildew on bathroom surfaces.
A variety of chemical disinfecting agents have been developed to accomplish these goals. However, some of these agents have disadvantages in that some are corrosive, unpleasant to smell or capable of staining certain surfaces that commonly need to be cleaned and disinfected. Additionally, if the agents are volatile organic compounds, the compositions are environmentally disadvantageous when utilized at higher concentrations. Furthermore, some disinfecting agents contain components which leave residual solids on surfaces such as glass, polished tile, or metals which detract from the visual appearance of these surfaces.
Chlorine bleaches such as aqueous sodium hypochlorite have long been recognized as being effective against all types of micro-organisms, provided that the bleach is used in sufficiently high concentrations, such as 5,000 ppm (0.5%) of active sodium hypochlorite and higher, depending on the micro-organism to be eliminated. These types of solutions are recommended for use for disinfecting an area where blood or other potentially pathogenic biological contaminants have been spilled or released and total disinfection is required. At such high levels of sodium hypochlorite, the sensory irritation from the chlorine smell from the bleach simply makes this agent undesirable for routine cleaning and disinfection of, for example, hospital rooms, where patients remain in the room during and after the cleaning and disinfection process.
Disadvantageously, hypochlorites may also stain or degrade some surfaces such as Formica®. Additionally, bleaches demonstrate high reactivity with other cleaning agents. For example, bleach when combined with ammonia produces harmful chloramine gas. Also, bleach when combined with an acid based cleaner produces chlorine gas, which is potentially hazardous.
Consumers are also highly sensitive to streaking and hazing which may develop on windows, shower doors and mirrors, and the like. A desirable cleaner should produce a surface which exhibits little or no change in clarity and optical properties from the moment of use and ideally remain that way for weeks and months. In the context of the present invention, streaking can be defined as a visible diffractive layer which causes light scattering. Hazing can be described as a misty diffractive layer that covers the entire surface developing instantly or over time, which clouds the surface. Most cleaning products leave behind a thin residual film of product in intimate contact with the surface. Hydrogen bonding to the surface oxides and/or hydroxides with continuous attachment produces an optically clear film. Small breaks or disruptions in these continuous residual films cause diffractive streaks which are visible to the naked eye. Similarly, residual diffractive particles will also be visible to the naked eye. Specific formulation techniques are required to maintain the integrity of a homogeneous residual film and to eliminate residual diffractive particles on the cleaned surface.
Chemical and optical stability of the residual surface film may be achieved by maintaining a proper balance of surfactants and coupling agents in the formula. More typically, however, the formulator will prepare a cleaning composition to ensure stability of the composition and the delivery of good disinfecting properties without considering the residual film properties and optical effects. For example, Quaternary ammonium compounds have long been recognized as being useful for their antibacterial properties, as can be seen from U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,669 to Dadekian; U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,147 to Schaeufele; U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,151 to Like et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,790 to Green et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,398 to Sheets et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,505 to Frazier. However, quaternary ammonium compounds have a tendency to contribute to visible streaking on glass and other surfaces.
An additional disadvantage of quaternary ammonium based compositions is that the addition of common highly efficacious cleaning surfactants such as anionic surfactants is not possible due to incompatibility. Accordingly, more costly surfactants must be employed in quaternary ammonium formulations.
Further, quaternary ammonium compounds are known eye and skin irritants, thus special care must be taken by the user of compositions employing these compounds.
To minimize expense, undesirable odors and possible detrimental effects of disinfecting agents on surfaces to be disinfected, it is desirable to minimize the amount of disinfecting or mold and mildew inhibiting agents used while still retaining efficacy. As will be explained in greater detail below, it has been found that a combination of specific alcohols, and glycol ethers at a pH in the range of from about 4.0 to about 13.0 provides a composition that is effective as a cleaner, disinfectant and a mold and mildew prevention agent on non-porous hard surfaces.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
One object of this invention is to provide compositions that can be used in a method of cleaning and disinfecting various surfaces. Another object of this invention is to provide such compositions that inhibit mold and mildew growth on surfaces.
A particularly advantageous object of this invention is to provide compositions that can be used in household, commercial and institutional settings for cleaning and disinfection purposes that are more tolerable to people remaining in the area disinfected because the smell of the compositions is more appealing to the user than if highly concentrated hypochlorite bleach compositions were used as the active disinfectant. Yet another object is to provide cleaning, disinfecting and mold and mildew inhibiting compositions that do not have high concentrations of certain compounds which are prone to corrode or stain surfaces to be treated.
Further, it is an object of this invention to provide disinfectancy and mold and mildew inhibition on surfaces at reduced levels of environmentally disadvantageous volatile organic compounds.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of using the composition as a rinsing aid to maintain a clean and disinfected shower and prevent the build-up of undesirable deposits on shower surfaces.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the potential of disinfecting compositions to cause visible streaks on glass and polished surfaces when compared to disinfectants containing quaternary ammonium compounds.
These and other objects of the present invention are provided by applying to a non-porous hard surface, an effective amount of an aqueous cleaning composition comprising an aliphatic alcohol, a glycol ether or ethers, and optionally, a secondary alcohol selected from the group consisting of monohydric alcohols, dihydric alcohols, trihydric alcohols and polyhydric alcohols, at a pH in the range of from about 4.0 to about 13.0. The composition may also contain other conventional materials including, but certainly not limited to; surfactants, chelating agents, pH modifiers, hydrotropes, fragra
McKane Elizabeth
S.C. Johnson & Son Inc.
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