LAVATORY CLEANSING COMPOSITIONS

Abstract: A solid lavatory cleansing composition comprises phenyl ethyl alcohol at a level of at least 2,5 % by weight which acts as a fragrance and also as an antibacterial agent.

Description: Title: Lavatory Cleansing Compositions Field of the Invention This invention relates to lavatory cleansing compositions and particularly concerns solid lavatory cleansing compositions either intended to be positioned in a toilet bowl or urinal in such a manner that the composition is rinsed with water on flushing (toilet rim blocks or toilet rinse blocks) or intended to be positioned in a toilet or urinal cistern, immersed in flush water (in-cistern blocks). Background to the Invention Solid lavatory cleansing compositions are well known. See, for example, EP0167210, EP0350227, EP0462643, EP0526437, WO95/25162 and US4666671, for a discussion of solid compositions intended for use in toilet bowls, ie toilet rim blocks or toilet rinse blocks. GB 2290300 discloses toilet rim blocks comprising polyvinyl alcohol or partially hydrolysed polyvinyl acetate with fragrance material that may include a small amount of beta phenyl ethyl alcohol, at a level of 0.47% by weight. Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a solid lavatory cleansing composition comprising phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA) in an amount of at least 2.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition. PEA is a known fragrance material and acts to impart desirable fragrance properties to the composition. PEA also has antibacterial properties, so this material also acts to impart antibacterial properties to the composition. The composition may be otherwise of generally conventional formulation. The composition desirably comprises surfactant, preferably anionic surfactant, for cleaning purposes. Surfactant is suitably present in an amount in the range 25 to 75% by weight, conveniently 25 to 50% by weight, preferably 30 to 40% by weight of the total weight of the composition. Anionic surfactants which can be used in the present invention include for example the alkali metal alkyl substituted benzene sulphonates, alkali metal long chain alkyl sulphates, alkali metal ether sulphates derived from long chain alcohols and alkyl phenols, alkali metal alkane sulphonates, alkali metal olefin sulphonates and alkali metal sulphosuccinates, of which the sodium salts are preferably used. Preferred anionic surfactants are sodium C 9 -C, 4 alkyl benzene sulphonates, sodium C π -C 2 o olefm sulphonates, sodium C,,-C 2 o alkane sulphonates and sodium long chain C 10 -C, 4 alkyl sulphates or mixtures thereof, sodium alkyl benzene sulphonates being particularly preferred as the main surfactant component. In addition, other types of surfactants, such as nonionic surfactants including ethoxylated nonionic compounds, fatty acid alkanolamides and amine oxides, may be incorporated as desired, but only in amounts not exceeding 20% by weight, preferably less than 10% by weight, since they could otherwise tend to affect the foaming properties and rate of wear of the composition. The composition desirably also includes a filler, which is suitably present in an amount in the range 20 to 75 % by weight, preferably 40 to 65 % by weight, more preferably 50 to 60% by weight of the total weight of the composition. The filler can be an electrolyte, such as sodium sulphate, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate and phosphates, such as sodium triphosphate, hexametaphosphate, pyrophosphate and orthophosphate; or and inert material, such as calcite, clay and urea. A mixture of filler materials may be used. Fragrance, comprising PEA possibly in combination with other fragrance materials, is typically present in an amount in the range 5 to 20% by weight, eg about 10% of the total weight of the composition. The fragrance preferably comprises at least 50% by weight of the weight of the fragrance, corresponding to PEA levels in the composition of at least 2.5 % to at least 10% by weight of the total weight of the composition. The composition may additionally include a solubility control agent to reduce solubility of the composition and so extend the life of the composition in use. Suitably solubility control agents include natural polysaccharide gums such as guar gum, xanthan gum, tragacanth, carragheenan, etc and their semi-synthetic analogues as produced by fermentation. Other solubility control agents may additionally or alternatively be used, including waxes, such as waxes of natural origin, polyethylene waxes an amide waxes; long chain (eg. containing more than 10 carbon atoms) fatty alcohols such as stearyl or behenyl alcohol; long chain, (eg. containing more than 10 carbon atoms) fatty acids, such as stearic acid, and their salts; esters of long chain fatty alcohols with aliphatic carboxylic acids, such as stearyl acetate; esters of long chain fatty acids with mono or polyhydric alcohols, such as ethyl stearate or giycerol tristerate or mono-, di- or tri- glycerides of natural origin; fatty acid mono- or di- alkanolamides, such as coconut monoethanolamide; ethoxylated products of fatty acid mono- or di- ethanolamides containing low amounts, eg. 2 to 4 units, of ethylene oxide per mole; paradichlorobenzene; or long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons of natural of synthetic origin. Preferred solubility control agents are generally insoluble fragrance materials, particularly pine oil, which function both as fragrances and solubility control agents. Solubility control agent, if present, is suitably used in an amount in the range 1 to 10% by weight, preferably 2 to 5% by weight of the total weight of the composition. Suitable levels depending on factors including composition ingredients and intended block life, and can be readily determined by experiment. Use of solubility control agent such as pine oil may enable PEA to be used at lower levels than would otherwise be the case without compromising performance. The composition may optionally also contain non-surfactant nonionic polymeric materials, such as polyethylene glycols and minor ingredients, such as dyes, germicides, fungicides, bleaches, opacifiers and the like as desired. For example, in-cistem products typically include dye to colour the flush water, but this is not essential. The composition is conveniently in the form of a block, which suitably has a weight in the range 20 to 150 grams, preferably in the range 50 to 80 grams. The block may be of any suitable desired shape and size for positioning in a toilet bowl or urinal for a rim block or for location in a cistern for an in-cistern block. The composition may be conveniently formed into blocks by mixing the ingredients to form a dough, extruding the dough and cutting the extruded dough, eg as described in EP 0167210. For a rim block, the composition is typically placed in or on a suitable container of holder designed to be suspended from the rim of a toilet bowl or urinal, to hang within the bowl or urinal just below the rim in a position for the composition to be rinsed with flush water on flushing of the toilet. The container or holder is conveniently of plastics material and usually has apertured walls to enable flush water to contact and flow past the composition. In a further aspect, the invention provides a container or holder having located therein or thereon a solid lavatory cleansing composition in accordance with the invention. An in-cistern block is used by simply being p<- ced in a cistem immersed in the cistern water. No container or holder is used, although for handling/aesthetic purposes the block is usually wrapped in water-soluble film. The invention will be further described, by way of illustration, in the following Examples. 5 Example 1 A solid lavatory cleansing composition intended for use as a rim block has the following formulation. % w/w Sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate 35 Fragrance (50% PEA) 10 Water 0.5 Sodium Sulphate (filler) 54.5 The ingredients are mixed to form a dough which is extruded and cut into lengths to form blocks having a weight of about 50 grams, as described in EP 0167210. The blocks are located in apertured plastics holders and in use are hung from the rim of a toilet bowl to be rinsed by flush water on flushing. The blocks have good cleansing properties, with the PEA acting as a fragrance and also as an antibacterial agent. Example 2 A solid lavatory cleansing composition intended for use as an in-cistern product was made by the method described in Example 1. The composition has the following formulation: % w/w Sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate 40.0 Sodium sulphate (filler) to 100 Fragrance (50% PEA) 6.0 Water 0.5 Dye - Acid Blue 9 4.0 Blocks of the composition of desired size and shape are wrapped in water-soluble film. In use, a wrapped block is located in a toilet cistern, immersed in the cistern water. The blocks have good cleansing properties, with PEA acting as a fragrance and also as an antibacterial agent. Example 3 A series of blocks of lavatory cleansing compositions were prepared as described in Example 1, but incorporating varying amounts of fragrance (50% PEA) and hence varying amounts of PEA. The germ kill efficacy of the blocks and also a number of commercially available bleach- containing lavatory cleansing compositions was then tested. The test protocol was as follows: Standard Dirty Water (S.D.W.) Containing approximately 10" cfu/mL Prepared from: 1. Synthetic hard water of 200 ± 10 mg/Kg hardness 18 parts 2. Horse serum (Oxoid, sterile) 2 parts 3. E.coli NCIB 9132 grown in Nutrient broth (Oxoid), diluted after 24hrs growth with sterile distiled water to give approx. 10 5 cfu/mL 1 part Samples Samples were dissolved in sterile distilled water, to give solutions of appropriate concentration corresponding with a block life of 500 flushes, each of 9L. Test Procedure At time zero, lrnL of S.D.W. (containing approximately 10,000 cfu) was added to 9mL of sample solution and after 2, 5, 10, 30, 60 and 120 minutes survivors were counted using pour plates and incubation @ 37 + 1°C for 24 hours. A blank test was also performed, using sterile distilled water in place of sample solution, to determine the number of cfu/mL added to the sample solutions. Results were as follows: Test Block 1 (0% PEA) Survivors after 2 minutes 9400 6% kill 5 minutes 10000 0% kill 10 minutes 9400 6% kill 30 minutes 7200 28% kill 60 minutes 6400 36% kill 120 minutes 3200 68% kill Test Block 2 (3.60% PEA) Survivors after 2 minutes 330 96.7% kill 5 minutes 330 96.7% kill 10 minutes 300 97% kill 30 minutes 270 97.3 % kill 60 minutes 240 97.6% kill 120 minutes 170 98.3% kill Test Block 3 (5.76% PEAt Survivors after 2 minutes 660 93.4% kill 5 minutes 660 93.4% kill 10 minutes 660 93.4% kill 30 minutes 440 95.6% kill 60 minutes 440 95.6% kill 120 minutes 220 97.8% kill Test Block 4 (12.69% PEA) Survivors after 2 minutes 1200 88% kill 5 minutes 660 93.4% kill 10 minutes 660 93.4% kill 30 minutes 440 95.6% kill 60 minutes 440 95.6% kill 120 minutes 220 97.8% kill Test Block 5 (19.16% PEA) Survivors after 2 minutes 440 95.6% kill 5 minutes 440 95.6% kill 10 minutes 440 95.6% kill 30 minutes 1000 90% kill 60 minutes 660 93.4% kill 120 minutes 440 95.6% kill S.C. Johnson Bleach Power Rim Stick Survivors after 2 minutes 4400 56% kill 5 minutes 660 93.4% kill 10 minutes 440 95.6% kill 30 minutes 440 95.6% kill 60 minutes 440 95.6% kill 120 minutes 440 95.6% kill Jeves Parazone Rim Stick Survivors after 2 minutes 390 96.1 % kill 5 minutes 260 97.4% kill 10 minutes 130 98.7% kill 30 minutes 50 99.5% kill 60 minutes 50 99.5% kill 120 minutes 10 99.9% kill Domestos Rim Stick Survivors after 2 minutes 180 98.2% kill 5 minutes 120 98.8% kill 10 minutes 50 99.5% kill 30 minutes 70 99.3% kill 60 minutes 40 99.6% kill 120 minutes 20 99.8% kill

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A solid lavatory cleansing composition comprising phenyl ethyl alcohol in an amount of at least 2.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition. 2. A composition according to claim 1, further comprising surfactant. 3. A composition according to claim 2, wherein the surfactant is anionic. 4. A composition according to claim 3, wherein the surfactant is sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate. 5. A composition according to claims 2, 3 or 4, wherein the surfactant is present in an amount in the range 25 to 75% by weight, conveniently 25 to 50% by weight, preferably 30 to 40% by weight of the total weight of the composition. 6. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising filler. 7. A composition according to claim 6, wherein the filler is sodium sulphate. 8. A composition according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the filler is present in an amount in the range 20 to 75% by weight, preferably 40 to 65% by weight, more preferably 50 to 60% by weight of the total weight of the composition. 9. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein fragrance, comprising phenyl ethyl alcohol possibly in combination with other fragrance materials, is present in an amount in the range 5 to 20% by weight of the total weight of the composition 10. A composition according to claim 9, wherein the fragrance comprises at least 50% by weight phenyl ethyl alcohol. 11. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more solubility control agents, preferably pine oil. 12. A composition according to any one of the preceding claims, in the form of a block. 13. A container or holder having located therein or thereon a solid lavatory cleansing composition in accordance with any one of of the preceding claims. 14. Use of phenyl ethyl alcohol for imparting antibacterial properties to a solid lavatory cleansing composition.

Inventors: CHANTLER STEPHEN JOHN, DOBSON PAUL HENRY, CHANTLER, STEPHEN, JOHN, DOBSON, PAUL, HENRY
Applicants: CHANTLER STEPHEN JOHN, DOBSON PAUL HENRY, QUEST INT, CHANTLER, STEPHEN, JOHN, DOBSON, PAUL, HENRY, QUEST INTERNATIONAL B.V.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: C11D17
IPC codes: A61L9, C11D1, C11D3, C11D17