Citrate salt bathroom cleaners

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9790456-B2
Application number	US-201313787890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2013
Priority date	Dec 20, 2012
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A hard surface cleaning composition, namely a bathroom cleaning composition, using fully neutralized ethanolamine citrate salts is disclosed. The cleaning composition is unexpectedly safe to use, environmentally-friendly and efficacious for removal of soap scum and water hardness stains at mildly acidic and/or alkaline pHs. Methods of using the same are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning composition consisting of:
from about 5 wt-% to about 65 wt-% of a fully neutralized ethanolamine citrate salt;
from about 5 wt-% to 50 wt-% of a nonionic surfactant;
from about 5 wt-% to about 50 wt-% of water; and
from about 0 wt-% to 10 wt-% of an additional functional ingredient,
wherein the composition has a pH between about 7-11 in a concentrate composition and a pH between about 7-10 in a use solution composition,
wherein said composition provides improved stain removal from any conventional bathroom surfaces compared to sodium citrate or another monovalent alkali metal citrate at an equivalent pH; and
wherein the additional functional ingredient is selected from the group consisting of a preservative, fragrance, dye, biocide, antimicrobial, solvent, and combinations thereof.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein said ethanolamine citrate salt is selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine citrate salt, diethanolamine citrate salt, triethanolamine citrate salt and a combination thereof.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the nonionic surfactant is a C8-C16 alkyl polyglycoside and the additional ingredient is at least one of a preservative, fragrance, or dye.

4. The composition of claim 1 wherein the fully neutralized ethanolamine citrate salt is present in an amount from about 10 wt-% to about 50 wt-%.

5. A cleaning composition consisting of:
from about 5 wt-% to about 65 wt-% of citric acid;
an ethanolamine neutralizing agent;
from about 5 wt-% to 50 wt-% of a nonionic surfactant;
from about 5 wt-% to about 50 wt-% of water; and
from about 0 wt-% to 10 wt-% of an additional functional ingredient,
wherein the composition has a pH between about 7-11 in a concentrate composition and a pH between about 7-10 in a use solution composition, and
wherein said composition generates in-situ a fully neutralized ethanolamine citrate salt, said composition provides improved stain removal from any conventional bathroom surfaces compared to sodium citrate or another monovalent alkali metal citrate at an equivalent pH; and
wherein the additional functional ingredient is selected from the group consisting of a preservative, fragrance, dye, biocide, antimicrobial, solvent, and combinations thereof.

6. The composition of claim 5 wherein said ethanolamine neutralizing agent is selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine and a combination thereof.

7. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the nonionic surfactant is a C8-C16 alkyl polyglycoside and the additional ingredient is at least one of a preservative, fragrance, or dye.

8. The composition of claim 5 wherein the cleaning composition provides at least substantially-similar cleaning performance as sodium citrate.

9. A method for cleaning bathroom surfaces and/or other hard surfaces comprising:
contacting a soiled surface in any conventional bathroom for a period of time sufficient to remove hard water soils and/or soap scum stains with an aqueous composition consisting of from about 0.5 wt-% to about 65 wt-% of a fully neutralized ethanolamine citrate salt, from about 5 wt-% to 50 wt-% of a nonionic surfactant, from about 5 wt-% to about 50 wt-% of water; and from about 0 wt-% to 10 wt-% of an additional functional ingredient, wherein the composition has a pH between about 7-11 in a concentrate composition and a pH between about 7-10 in a use solution composition; and
removing said soils from said surface,
wherein the additional functional ingredient is selected from the group consisting of a preservative, fragrance, dye, biocide, antimicrobial, solvent, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said contacting is for a period from about 30 seconds to about 30 minutes.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising rinsing the soiled surface, using a mechanical force to remove said soils, or both.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said fully neutralized ethanolamine citrate salt is an ethanolamine citrate salt selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine citrate salt, diethanolamine citrate salt, triethanolamine citrate salt and a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Larson Iii Dale Curtis
• Levitt Mark Dennis

Classifications

• C11D7/3218 Primary

  Alkanolamines or alkanolimines · CPC title

• C11D1/66

  Non-ionic compounds {(C11D1/002, C11D1/004, C11D1/008 take precedence)} · CPC title

• C11D11/0023

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• C11D7/265

  Carboxylic acids or salts thereof · CPC title

• C11D3/044

  Hydroxides or bases · CPC title