Patent ID: 7390775

Claim:
A thickened bleach composition comprising (a) about 0.1 wt. % to about 10 wt. % of an active chlorine-containing bleach component; (b) greater than 0 but less than about 6 wt. % of an amine oxide-containing surfactant thickening system comprising at least one amine oxide, wherein about 75% or greater of the amine oxide is one or more linear C 14 -C 18 alkyl dimethyl amine oxide and wherein at least about 10% of the one or more linear C 14-18 alkyl dimethyl amine oxide comprises a linear C 16 alkyl dimethyl amine oxide or a linear C 18 alkyl dimethyl amine oxide; (c) from about 0.0001 to about 0.05 wt. % of a polymer comprising a water-soluble anionic homopolymer or anionic heteropolymer containing at least one styrenic monomer, said polymer having a molecular weight of from about 2000 to about 1,000,000; (d) an alkaline agent present in an amount sufficient to provide a pH to said composition of about 10 or greater; (e) from about 0.1 to about 1 wt. % of a co-surfactant which is at least one member selected from the group consisting of C 9-14 alkyl carboxylate soaps, C 8-16 alkane sulfonates, C 10-18 acyl sarcosinates, neutralized salts of mono/di-phosphate esters of C 6-12 alcohols, neutralized salts of mono/di-phosphate esters of C 8-16 ethoxylated alcohols, C 8-18 alkyl betaines, aryl sulfonates, alkyl aryl sulfonates, alkyl diphenyloxide sulfonates, benzoates, and sulfonate salts of toluene or xylene or cumene; and (f) water; wherein said polymer reduces both viscosity and fluidic elasticity of said composition providing said composition with a viscosity of at least about 500 cps at 20°-25° C. and rendering said composition pourable at a temperature of about 25° C. or less; and wherein said surfactant thickening system is present to said polymer in a wt. ratio of from about 1500/1 to about 30/1.