Cleaning paste with soluble abrasive

A hard surface highly viscous cleaning composition comprising by weight about 65-80% of an organic liquid vehicle consisting essentially of about 15-35% water miscible organic solvents and about 35-70% of a nonionic surfactant mixture containing an ethoxylated fatty acid as one of the surfactants, and sodium hydroxide which reacts in situ with the ethoxylated fatty acid to form a clear organic, nonflowable gelled vehicle, substantially free of water. Another feature of this invention is the stable suspension of about 10-25% of a water soluble particulate builder-abrasive in said nonflowable organic gel which is in the form of a viscous cleaning gel product.

BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART 
The present invention relates to the formulation of a stable, hard surface 
detergent composition in the form of a non-pourable viscous cleaning 
composition, substantially free of water, i.e., having a maximum water 
content of 6% by weight, comprising a gelled mixture of an organic liquid 
vehicle consisting essentially of organic solvents and nonionic 
surfactants including an ethoxylated fatty acid as the essential component 
in the in situ gelation of said liquid vehicle, upon the addition of a 
small amount of about 0.7-1.5% by weight sodium hydroxide. The addition of 
gel-insoluble ingredients, particularly a water-soluble inorganic 
builder-abrasive, to the gel mixture forms a viscous paste product 
containing a stable suspension of the relatively large particles of said 
abrasive. 
The abrasive is insoluble in the gel product, but soluble in water. Thus, 
after using this paste product to clean a hard surface, the water applied 
to rinse off the cleaning product dissolves both the gel and the 
abrasives, and leaves no gritty residue on or around the cleaned surfaces. 
The prior art is replete with hard surface cleansers containing abrasives 
both in the form of scouring powders and in liquid form. Water insoluble 
abrasives as the major and primary cleaning component in scouring powder 
cleansers is well known, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,833. However, 
the use of said water-insoluble abrasives in hard surface scouring powder 
cleansers has been found to leave an unpleasant gritty residue on the 
cleaned surface. This problem has been addressed in the prior art by 
substituting a water soluble abrasive for all or part of the insoluble 
abrasive, resulting in a composition wherein the water soluble components 
rinse away with the wash water, leaving substantially no residue on the 
cleaned surface, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,347. Another method 
of addressing the abrasive residue problem is the use of a powdered or 
particulate water-insoluble abrasive having a maximum particle size under 
0.15 mm., and about 8% by weight of the abrasive particle having a 
diameter of about 0.037 mm or larger for effective cleaning, and a small 
amount of an organic hydrotrope (i.e., sodium cumene sulfonate) to improve 
grease removal, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,640. 
Likewise, hard surface liquid detergent composition containing 
water-insoluble abrasives suspended in an aqueous medium encounter the 
problems of stability as well as the difficulty of complete removal of the 
insoluble abrasive particles from the cleaned surface. These problems have 
been addressed in the prior art preparing a heavy duty liquid detergent 
composition containing a water soluble builder salt having colloidal-size 
particles (below 1 micron and usually below 0.1 micron), dispersed in an 
aqueous medium containing a fatty acid amide emulsifying agent as 
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,506. Other means of addressing the 
stability problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,186 wherein is 
disclosed a water-insoluble abrasive dispersed in an aqueous medium 
containing tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, sodium soap, diethanolamide and 
about 0.25-1.5% methanol or ethanol to prevent the separation of the 
aqueous liquid into two layers. Another means of addressing the stability 
problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,055 wherein an aqueous hard 
surface cleaning composition containing water insoluble abrasive is 
suspended in a thickened aqueous medium with at least 1% clay as the 
thickening agent, said thickened system preventing separation of the 
abrasive from the liquid medium. The presence of fluoride salts enhances 
the ability of the clay-thickened system to hold the abrasive particles in 
suspension. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,692 also discloses a thickened aqueous scouring 
cleanser, free of syneresis (separation of solids from liquid), containing 
a water insoluble abrasive suspended in an aqueous medium containing a 
colloidal aluminum oxide thickener, water soluble alkali metal inorganic 
salts such as the phosphates, polyphosphates, carbonates, etc., and about 
0.5-3% of a surfactant and a halogen bleach. European Patent Application 
No. 0.193,375 resorts to the use of a water soluble salt, which functions 
both as an abrasive and detergency builder, such as sodium bicarbonate, 
tripolyphosphate, and the like, in a pourable, homogenous 
abrasive-containing aqueous detergent composition for cleaning hard 
surfaces, and also containing a mixture of anionic and nonionic 
surfactants in the weight ratio of 1:1 to 9:1 anionic to nonionic 
surfactant. 
A hard surface, water-based cleanser in paste form comprising 50-65% sodium 
bicarbonate and 50-35% by weight water containing sodium chloride and a 
fatty acid (C.sub.12 -C.sub.16) diethanolamide is disclosed in U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,179,414. 
Water-based gels containing at least 40% nonionic surfactant and 2-10% 
water soluble builder salts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,067 as a 
flowable gel laundry detergent composition. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,908 also discloses a laundry detergent composition in a 
stable flowable form, containing 25-55% of a phosphate builder salt, 5-40% 
of an anionic surfactant in 30-50% of an aqueous medium containing alcohol 
in the weight ratio of 5:1 to 20:1 water to alcohol. 
Also, non-aqueous liquid pasty or gelatinous detergent compositions having 
scouring properties is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,826, comprising a 
dispersion of a normally solid water soluble anionic surfactant and a 
solid particulate water soluble inorganic salt (a builder salt) and a 
suspending agent such as highly-voluminous oxides (silica, magnesia, 
alumina or clay) in about 19-79% of a water-miscible organic liquid 
solvent such as a polyhyrdic alcohol (glycerol, ethylene glycol, and the 
like), and optionally a lower monohydric alcohol (ethanol, methanol, 
etc.). Another organic solvent-based gelled or thickened hard surface 
cleaning composition which is flowable and pourable is disclosed in U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,865,756 comprising a gelling agent which functions as an 
abrasive such as colloidal silica, an alkaline builder salt such as water 
soluble phosphates and silicantes, a surfactant, a water insoluble 
abrasive, i.e., calcium silicate, and about 55-90% of an organic cleaning 
solvent such as a major amount of an aliphatic hydrocarbon mineral spirit 
mixed with 4-7% ethylene glycol monobutyl ether. U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,770 
also discloses a pourable non-aqueous water-soluble organic solvent-based 
thixotropic liquid detergent composition containing glycols and glycerol 
as the organic solvent, an anionic surfactant, and a phosphate builder in 
suspension. 
However, none of the above mentioned patents disclose a hard surface 
non-pourable viscous cleaning composition, substantially free of water, 
comprising a gelled mixture of an organic liquid vehicle consisting 
essentially of water-soluble organic solvents and nonionic surfactants 
including an ethoxylated fatty acid as one of the surfactants, and a small 
amount of sodium hydroxide which reacts in situ with the ethoxylated fatty 
acid to form a clear organic, non-flowable gel, and about 10-25% of a 
water soluble builder-abrasive suspended in said gelled vehicle. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It has now been found that the formulation of present novel organic 
cleaning composition is based on the ability of ethoxylated fatty acid, 
i.e., ethoxylated lauric acid, a react with sodium hydroxide in organic 
media and form a gel with the media. Another feature of present novel 
formulation is the incorporation of a water-soluble abrasive material into 
the organic gelling mixture. This enables the preparation of viscous 
products containing inorganic solids suspended in a gelled organic 
vehicle. While this abrasive is insoluble in the gelled vehicle, it 
becomes soluble upon dilution of the product with water. Cleaning with the 
undiluted product is aided by the mild abrasive action of the abrasive, 
i.e., sodium pyrophosphate. The entire product dissolves in water leaving 
no gritty residue on or around the cleaned surfaces. Furthermore, this 
abrasive becomes a "surfactant builder" when the product is used diluted. 
Household surfaces such as ceramic and formica surfaces can be cleaned 
with present novel products in the absence or presence of water without 
scratching the surface. This product, both undiluted and diluted, has 
significantly improved cleaning efficiency provided by the triple action 
of the organic solvent, the nonionic detergent and the abrasive. In the 
diluted product, the abrasive dissolves in the water and becomes a 
detergency builder. The hard surface organic viscous product in accordance 
with this invention can function as a spray cleaner, a scouring cream and 
a floor and wall all purpose cleanser. Simulated floor cleaning tests show 
that at 3 g/l of present novel cleaning product performed better than "Mr. 
Clean" at 15 g/l. this translates to 5 bottles of Mr. Clean being equal to 
1 bottle of present cleaning product. 
Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a novel 
hard surface viscous organic cleaning product comprising an ethoxylated 
fatty acid and sodium hydroxide dissolved in an organic vehicle which 
react in situ to form a gelled vehicle. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a novel viscous organic 
cleaning composition containing inorganic water-soluble particulate 
abrasive suspended in the gelled organic vehicle. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide an abrasive-containing 
organic gel which dissolves in water leaving no gritty residue on or 
around the cleaned surfaces. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide an all purpose organic 
cleanser having threefold cleansing action. 
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be 
set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will 
become apparent upon examination of the following specification or may be 
learned by practice of this invention. 
To achieve the foregoing and other objects in accordance with the present 
invention as embodied and broadly described herein, the novel, stable, 
hard surface non-pourable organic cleaning gel composition of this 
invention comprises about 65-80% of weight of an organic liquid vehicle 
consisting essentially of about 15-35% by weight of a water miscible 
organic solvent, about 35-70% of a nonionic surfactant mixture containing 
an ethoxylated fatty acid as one of the surfactants, and a small amount of 
about 0.7-1.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide, which reacts in situ with 
the ethoxylated fatty acid to form a clear, nonflowable gelled vehicle, 
substantially free of water, capable of suspending water-soluble inorganic 
particulate abrasive. 
More specifically, the organic gel composition of present invention 
comprises about 65-80% by weight of a substantially water-free organic 
vehicle consisting essentially of about 15-35% by wight of a water soluble 
organic solvent and about 35-70% by weight of a nonionic surfactant 
mixture containing an ethoxylated fatty acid as one of the surfactants, 
about 0.7-1.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide, gelled by the in situ 
reaction of the ethoxylated fatty acid with the sodium hydroxide; and 
about 10-25% by weight of an inorganic water soluble particulate abrasive 
(builder salt) uniformly suspended in the gelled vehicle. 
The water miscible organic solvent is selected from the group consisting of 
lower alkyl glycol ethers, lower alkyl monohydric alcohols, lower alkyl 
dihydric alcohols, and mixture thereof. 
The described hard surface cleaning products of present invention are 
stable, non-pourable, clear, thick (viscous) pastes, having a minimum 
viscosity of about 14,000-15,000 cps units measured on Brookfield HATD 
viscometer. The viscosity of the gel product provides a stable suspension 
of relatively large particles of water-soluble abrasives, i.e., larger 
than colloidal sized particles. The product of present invention has many 
applications as an all purpose cleaner. Undiluted with water, the product 
can be used as a scouring cleaner for sinks and tubs, and as a spot 
cleaner for soiled hard surfaces, providing triple cleaning action due to 
the coaction of the organic solvent, the nonionic detergent and the 
abrasive, without leaving a gritty residue conventional with abrasive 
cleansers. Present novel organic pastes diluted with water can be used as 
a floor and wall cleaner. Present novel organic cleaning pastes can also 
be used as a waterless hand cleaner, particularly for mechanics and 
gardeners; for cleaning industrial and institutional cooking vessels, 
urns, etc. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The major essential component of present nonpourable viscous cleaning 
composition is the nonionic surfactant system which constitutes about 
35-70% by weight of a mixture of nonionic surfactants containing about 
6-38% of an ethoxylated fatty acid, and about 10-64% of the other 
ethoxylated nonionic surfactants which may be a fatty alcohol, an alkyl 
phenol, a propylene oxide-propylene glycol condensation product, or a 
mixture thereof. More specifically, the additional ethoxylated nonionic 
surfactant may be selected from the group consisting of a polyethylene 
oxide condensate of an alkyl phenol having an alkyl group containing about 
6 to 12 carbon atoms, a polyethylene oxide condensate of an aliphatic 
alcohol containing about 8 to 22 carbon atoms, a polyethylene oxide 
condensate of the condensation product of propylene oxide with propylene 
glycol having a molecular weight of about 1500 to 1800, and mixtures 
thereof. Typical examples of polyethylene oxide condensates of alkyl 
phenol are nonyl phenol condensed with about 9.5 moles ethylene oxide per 
mole nonyl phenol, dodecyl phenol condensed with about 12 moles of 
ethylene oxide per mole of phenol. Typical examples of ethoxylated 
alcohols include about 6 moles ethylene oxide condensed with one mole of 
tridecanol, myristyl alcohol condensed with about 10 moles ethylene oxide, 
C.sub.10 -C.sub.14 fatty alcohol condensed with about 6 moles ethylene 
oxide, C.sub.10 -C.sub.14 alcohol condensed with 5 moles ethylene oxide 
per mole alcohol (Alfonic 1012-60). Examples of the polyethylene oxide 
condensates of the condensation product of propylene oxide with propylene 
glycol are commercially available as Pluronic surfactants marketed by the 
Wyandotte Chemicals Corporation. The liquid character of this product is 
retained up to the point where the polyoxyethylene content is about 50% of 
the total weight of the condensation product. Examples of ethoxylated 
fatty acids include lauric, palmitic, stearic acid, etc., ethoxylated with 
about 5 to 10 ethylene oxides per mole fatty acid. A preferred fatty acid 
ethoxylate is lauric acid having 9 ethylene oxides (Alkasurf-L-9). The 
presence of the ethoxylated fatty acid in the organic vehicle is essential 
in the formation of the gel, for the in situ reaction in the organic 
solvent with the sodium hydroxide to form a small amount of a soap which 
thickens and gels the organic liquid media. A small amount of sodium 
hydroxide evokes time-delayed hydroysis followed by gelation of the 
vehicle holding the ethoxylated fatty acid. 
Another essential component of present cleaning composition is the water 
miscible organic solvent in an amount of about 15-35% by weight of the 
total formulation. The organic solvent provides an organic media for the 
in situ reaction between the ethoxylated fatty acid and the sodium 
hydroxide in the gelling of the organic media. Suitable organic water 
miscible solvents include the lower alkyl monohydric alcohol, lower alkyl 
dihydric alcohols (glycols), the lower alkyl glycol ethers, and mixtures 
thereof. Examples of water soluble lower monohydric alcohols are ethanol, 
iso-propanol, and butanol. Examples of suitable glycols are ethylene 
glycol, diethylene glycol (Carbitol), and propylene glycol. Examples of 
lower alkyl glycol ethers are the diethylene glycol monobutyl ether having 
the formula: C.sub.4 H.sub.9 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH also 
known as Butyl Carbitol (Union Carbide) glycol monobutyl ether having the 
formula: C.sub.4 H.sub.9 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH and the like. It is 
preferred to use a mixture of monohydric and dihydric alochol and most 
preferably a mixture of a monohydric alcohol, and dihydric alcohol and a 
glycol ether as the solvent for the nonionic surfactant mixture. 
Another essential ingredient in present viscous cleaning composition is a 
water-soluble inorganic particulate abrasive, suspended in the gelled 
vehicle, in an amount of about 10-25% by weight of the total composition. 
The abrasive is insoluble in the gel, but soluble in water. The water 
soluble abrasive particles are relatively large particles of about 1/2 mm 
in diameter. The viscosity of the gelled vehicle which is a minimum of 
14,000 to 15,000 cps units, is capable of maintaining the large particles 
in suspension. Suitable water soluble abrasives are selected from the 
group consisting of alkali metal phosphates, polyphosphates and 
carbonates. Examples of suitable water soluble abrasives include 
pyrophosphates such as tetrasodium or tetrapotassium pyrophosphates, 
tripolyphosphates, tetrapolyphosphates, carbonates, etc. This abrasive 
becomes a surfactant-builder when the product is used diluted and is 
readily removed from the cleaned surface, leaving no gritty residue. The 
preferred abrasives include tetrasodium pyrophosphate, and sodium 
carbonate. 
The hard surface cleaning composition of this invention also may contain 
minor amounts of conventional additional components to impart any desired 
characteristic, which are compatible with the gel and do not adversely 
affect the gel structure. Suitable additives include coloring agents, 
perfumes, preservatives, antiseptic agents and the like. These additives 
constitute a maximum of 15% by weight of the composition. 
The cleaning compositions of present invention are generally prepared by 
mixing the organic water miscible solvent components with an ethoxylated 
fatty acid and at least one additional nonionic surfactant component to 
form a clear, low viscosity liquid vehicle; adding a sodium hydroxide 
solution to the clear liquid vehicle and mixing until the liquid gels, 
which may vary from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the 
amounts of the components; and lastly admixing the water soluble abrasive, 
color, perfume and any other additional conventional ingredient with the 
gelled vehicle, until the abrasive is uniformly dispersed throughout the 
gelled vehicle and a paste is formed. The cleaning composition is packaged 
in any suitable container, both flexible or rigid. The paste can also be 
extruded from a collapsible container. 
The final cleaning gel product is a stable thick (viscous) creamy, hard 
surface cleaner, substantially free of water, and has an alkaline pH 
within the range of about 8-11. It can be applied to the surface to be 
cleaned in any suitable manner, i.e., with a sponge or a cloth, followed 
by rinsing the surface with water, leaving no gritty residue. 
The following examples merely illustrate the invention, but it is 
understood that the invention is not limited thereto. All amounts of 
various ingredients in the examples and elsewhere in the specification are 
by weight unless otherwise specified.