CLEANING COMPOSITION

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cleaning composition and to a cleaning method in the industrial or household field comprising the use of said composition.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a substrate from a contaminant in the industrial or in the household field, wherein said method comprises at least applying to the part of said substrate to be cleaned an aqueous composition (C) comprising: i. at least one organic acid selected from citric acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid and the respective sodium or potassium salts and mixtures thereof; ii. at least one solvent selected from methanol, ethanol, propanol and isomers thereof, propylene glycol, butanol and isomers thereof, a water soluble low molecular weight ester, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl formate, dimethyl carbonate, esters of carbonic acid, and mixtures thereof; and iii. at least one surfactant selected from coco-glucoside, alkyl polyglucoside, glyceryl oleate, a linear sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl ether sulfate, soy lecithin, soy lysolecithin, and mixtures thereof, so as to obtain an aqueous mixture comprising the components of the aqueous composition (C) and the residues of the contaminant.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous composition (C) comprises the organic acid i. in an amount from 0.4 to 45% by weight with respect to the total volume of the aqueous composition (C).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous composition (C) comprises the solvent ii. in an amount from 1.5 to 20% by weight with respect to the total volume of the aqueous composition (C).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous composition (C) comprises the surfactant iii. in an amount from 0.1 to 7% by weight with respect to the total volume of the aqueous composition (C).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acid i. is citric acid or the solvent ii. is ethyl acetate, ethanol, methyl acetate, methyl formate, dimethyl carbonate or mixtures thereof or the surfactant iii. is coco-glucoside, wherein the acid i. is citric acid, the solvent ii. is ethanol or ethyl acetate, dimethyl carbonate or mixtures thereof and the surfactant iii. is coco-glucoside.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous composition (C) further comprises an emulsifying agent from soy lecithin, soy lysolecithin, and mixtures thereof and, also limonene, citral or another similar terpene or mixtures thereof.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein in the aqueous composition (C) limonene, citral or another terpene analog thereof, or mixture thereof, is present in an amount from 0.1 to 7.5% by weight with respect to the total volume of the aqueous composition (C).

8. The method according to claim 1, comprising the step of cleaning household objects, furniture, houses, clothes, cutlery, tableware and/or kitchenware using the aqueous composition (C).

9. A cleaning composition (C) in liquid form comprising at least water and: i. at least one selected from citric acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid and the respective sodium or potassium salts thereof, and mixtures thereof, in an amount from 0.4 to 45% by weight with respect to the total volume of the composition, ii. at least one solvent selected from methanol, ethanol, propanol and isomers thereof, propylene glycol, butanol and isomers thereof, a water soluble low molecular weight ester, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, ethyl formate, dimethyl carbonate, esters of carbonic acid, and mixtures thereof, in an amount from 1.5 to 20% by weight of the total volume of the composition, and iii. at least one surfactant selected from coco-glucoside, alkyl polyglucoside, glyceryl oleate, a linear sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl ether sulfate, soy lecithin, soy lysolecithin, and mixtures thereof in an amount from 0.1 to 7% by weight of the total volume of the composition.

10. The cleaning composition according to claim 9, wherein the acid i. is citric acid or the solvent ii. is ethyl acetate or ethanol or dimethyl carbonate or mixtures thereof or the surfactant iii. is coco-glucoside, wherein the acid i. is citric acid, the solvent ii. is ethyl acetate or ethanol and the surfactant iii. is coco-glucoside.

11. The cleaning composition according to any one of claim 9, which comprises an emulsifying agent selected from soy lecithin, soy lysolecithin, and mixtures thereof and, also, limonene or another similar terpene.

12. The composition according to claim 11, wherein limonene, or another terpene analog is present in an amount from 0.1 to 7.5% by weight with respect to the total volume of the composition.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

[0091] An amount of 1-1.5 litres of cleaning composition according to the present invention consisting of citric acid at the concentration of 20% by weight/total weight of the concentration, with ethyl alcohol added at 4% by weight/total weight of the concentration, and a surfactant at 6% was tested on a machine for foodstuffs of about 8-10 m.sup.3 of volume, contaminated by calcium based deposits, animal fats, sugars, cereals both of a dairy and of a poultry farming plant.

[0092] Through a cleaning treatment by spraying the solution, rinsing and finally drying with a dry cloth, such composition allowed the removal of all the limescale, the biological and carbonaceous elements accumulated, the oxides formed during the operation of said machine at the aforesaid dairy and poultry farming plant, bringing the machine back to a “brilliant” polished state.

EXAMPLE 2

[0093] On a two-phase system comprising salty sea water (700 g, lower phase) and crude oil (about 3 g, upper phase) in an aluminium container, an aqueous composition containing citric acid (about 200 g/L), ethyl alcohol (about 40 g/L) and coco-glucoside (about 60 g/L), as well as limonene and other additives, was sprayed through a common manually operated sprayer. After 2/3 sprays the whole organic (black) phase was removed and the aqueous phase below is clear (treatment sequence shown in FIG. 1).