Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CLEANING SOLUTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cleaning solution, and more particularly,
relates to a
novel cleaning solution containing lignin sulfonate as the primary cleaning
agent.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many different types of compositions have been developed during the years for
cleaning
varying substrates. These cleaning substances have included solvents and
detergents. While
compositions containing various solvents and detergents function effectively,
they can, in the
case of solvents, be dangerous to employ and the problem of disposal of the
solvent is always
present.
Detergents have also been widely used; however, they are frequently not as
effective as
the harsher solvents. Furthermore, biodegradability of detergents is an ever
present issue.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide for a cleaning agent, and
which cleaning
agent is effective and biodegradable.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of cleaning
a surface,
the method comprising the step of applying an aqueous cleaning solution to the
surface wherein
the active cleaning ingredient of the aqueous cleaning solution consists
essentially of a
lignosulfonate.
Lignosulfonates have been utilized in cleaning solutions in the prior art.
Thus, for
example, in United States Patent 6,475,290 issued November 5, 2002, there is
taught a method
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for the cleaning of a substrate to remove hydrocarbon therefrom, the method
comprising the
step of applying to the substrate a composition comprising a lignosulfonate
and a microbially
effective amount of micro organisms.
Similarly, in United States Patent 6,288,015 there is taught a cleaning
composition
comprising a liquid multi phase composition with at least two continuous
phases and which
contains a relatively small proportion of a lignosulfonate.
Surprisingly, according to the present invention, it has been found that many
different
types of surfaces may be cleaned by applying an aqueous solution wherein the
active cleaning
ingredient consists essentially of a lignosulfonate.
Surprisingly, it has been found that the lignosulfonate is effective, even
without the
microbial bacteria, to clean different types of surfaces.
Lignosulfonates are salts of lignin sulfonic acid which is the reaction
product of lignin and
sulfurous acid which is obtained in the sulfite pulping of wood to obtain
cellulose. Various
lignosulfonates are known including alkaline metal and alkaline earth metal
lignosulfonates and
the ammonium lignosulfonates, all of which are suitable for the purposes of
the present
invention.
The method of the present invention can be applied to many different types of
surfaces.
Thus, the surface may be either vertical or horizontal or at some other angle.
The surface may
comprise practically any material as the lignosulfonate is generally not
considered to be
deleterious to any of the known surfaces. Thus, the lignosulfonate can be
applied to all types of
flooring material (with appropriate caution taken for materials adversely
affected by water).
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The concentration of the lignosulfonate in the aqueous solution may vary
depending upon
the particular use of the cleaning solution. Generally, a ratio of between 3
ml and 60 ml of
lignosulfonate per liter of water is satisfactory with a preferred ratio being
between 6 ml to
30 ml per liter of water.
The cleaning solution may, if desired, contain other ingredients with the
understanding
that the main cleaning ingredient is the lignosulfonate. Thus, the cleaning
solution may include
certain enzymes, surfactants, polymers, etc.
The cleaning solution may be used over a wide PH range __ i.e. between 2 and
13.
The cleaning solution will be applied by appropriate means depending on the
surface
being treated. Thus, it may be poured, sprayed, or wiped on. Appropriate
cleaning implements
may be used in conjunction with the above.
In some embodiments, and in particular those on a horizontal surface, the
cleaning
solution may be applied and left for a period of time. Scrubbing implements
may be utilized
with the remaining solution/debris being appropriately removed.
Having thus generally described the invention, reference will be made to the
following
examples illustrating embodiments thereof
Example 1
This was conducted at a popular steakhouse which serves meals from brunch to
dinner to
many thousands of customers weekly. The restaurant has seating for
approximately 1200 plus
banquet and conference rooms and halls. Previous cleaning efforts included
using various
types of pads, lemon oil stainless steel polish, stainless steel scratch pads,
chisels, knives, spray
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bottles, buckets and recycled rags. Floors in the kitchen areas tended to
become slippery, dry or
wet.
Application procedure:
Step 1: General cleaning - Blended 30 ml of dry ammonium lignosulfonate (ALS)
in
4.5 liters of hot water in a mop bucket. The mixture was allowed to let stand
for about 5 to
minutes.
Step 2: Mopping and degreasing kitchen floors - Blended 45 ml of ALS with 4.5
liters of
hot water and was allowed to let stand for at least 90 minutes.
Description of activity:
1) Cleaned stainless steel salad dressing counter. Left no milky white residue
- no lemon
oil polish required.
2) Cleaned stainless steel cafeteria style shelves in the plating area.
3) Cleaned wood chopping boards.
4) Cleaned (plastic housing) order-printing machines.
5) Cleaned large oval plastic serving trays.
6) Mopped unfinished floor under plating area.
7) Entire salad prep area including equipment (grill cooking surface, deep
fryers, dual
burner grill and toaster)
8) Mopped tiled entrance area (30 ml to 9 liters of water). The mop head
remained 80% to
90% clean (white) appearance. Floor was not slippery when wet and dried within
45 to 70
seconds.
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9) Cleaned steel and glass doors on the kitchen (convection) ovens, without
spraying in
advance, just using a scratch pad and in seconds - clean stainless steel
finish. Using a stainless
steel scratch pad the door was completed in less than one minute. In both
approaches, staff
comments include your product is stronger, faster and superior (than the
harsh/strong chemical
previously being used)" and "cleans easily with less effort, energy and time",
plus, "the other
products do not leave a polished/shiny finish after cleaning".
10) Hood and filter areas above the cooking grills and exterior of the
equipment. Product
was sprayed on (60 ml to 4.5 liters ratio) the surfaces multiple times and
left for about 10
minutes. Cleaning conducted in the same manner as in step 9 above, using the
same dilution
and cleaning implements.
11) All washrooms were effectively cleaned with the product from "top to
bottom". It
eliminated foul odors in areas commonly soiled with urine crystals such as
mensroom urinals,
while the mopping application addressed the floor section beneath the urinals.
Toilets, urinals,
handles, faucets, seats, counters, paper towel and soap dispensers, sinks and
chrome fixtures
cleaned to a sparkling shine.
12) Kitchen hoods (under the grilling/cooking areas), cast iron grill plates
with hard
packed carbon caked in the grates, wire racks in the ovens, metal housing for
the lights above
the cooking area, were all submerged into two large (app. 23 liters) sinks.
One hundred and
fifty ml of the product was poured into each sink along with hot water.
Solution was mixed by
hand using a whisk. The items were soaked for about 45 to 60 minutes prior to
being removed
without using gloves or protective eyewear. Each item is then aggressively
cleaned using the
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usual cleaning implements and system they would employ with their previous
chemical cleaner.
The lignosulfonate cleaned the equipment better than their regular chemicals,
with less effort
and no concern of being in danger of coming into contact with the
lignosulfonate. Aside from
the fact that they were able to start cleaning earlier than usual, they also
used infinitely less
cleaning material thus dramatically lowering the cost of this operation.
The staff was interviewed following use of the product and there was a
positive reaction
as use of the instant composition eliminated multiple cleaning products. Also,
working with the
product was felt to be safe and it proved to work as well or better than any
of the other previous
cleaning products used. Furthermore, it eliminated the step of having to apply
a stainless steel
lemon oil polish to the kitchen.
Example 2
This was conducted at a independently owned and operated luxury hotel with
extensive
meeting and banquet facilities.
Maintenance procedure:
Housekeeping: cleaning is done on a 24-hour basis with guestrooms done during
the day,
as well as all of the public areas and a first cleaning of the restaurant in
the afternoon. The
evening houseperson spot cleans public areas and washrooms, including brass
cleaning. The
overnight cleaner does the second cleaning of the restaurant, the pool and hot
tub area, loading
dock, all public washrooms, and the lobbies.
Kitchen: Dishwashers maintain equipment and floor during the day and evening.
The
evening kitchen shift will commence cleaning of line after initial rush is
over. Major floor
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cleaning is done on the overnight shift by kitchen staff as well. Problem
areas to clean are
corners and baseboards, as the auto scrubber is too large and bulky to work
effectively in those
areas.
Housekeeping Application Procedures:
General cleaning - Blended 300 ml of ammonium lignosulfonate in a plastic
container
with 23 liters of lukewarm water. This mixture was left exposed to air
overnight. It was then
dispensed into 1 liter spray bottles. This mixture was used initially for all
cleaning, including
floor cleaning.
Glass cleaning - 30 ml of ammonium lignosulfonate per 4.5 liters of lukewarm
water was
blended in the same type of 23 liter dispensing container. This mixture ratio
was found to be
more effective for glass cleaning.
Kitchen Application Procedure:
General kitchen cleaning - for kitchen degreasing, a ratio of 90 ml per gallon
of lukewarm
water was used. Again, the mixture was allowed to sit overnight.
Application Diary:
Housekeeping - The hotel decided to have a special test team of four room
attendants and
one public area attendant use the product. This was done due to scheduling
restrictions.
It was also found that the initial cleaning of guestroom bathtubs, toilets,
and sinks took a
higher than "normal" amount of scrubbing effort due to the fact that the
lignosulfonate was
actually removing years of chemical cleaner residue. After the initial use of
the product,
subsequent cleaning was completed at a much faster and easier pace. It was
found that glass and
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mirror cleaning was more effective using the lower ratio of 30 ml per 4.5
liters. One of the
room attendants on the test team told her supervisor that the hotel should be
charging more
money for the rooms as they were so much cleaner now.
The hotel has 25 smoking rooms in its 155-room inventory located on the 2nd
floor of the
Tower section. Keeping these rooms clean and smelling clean has always been
more
challenging. During the period of this field test, a cigar smoker occupied one
of the smoking
rooms, and the room was saturated with smoke. The room was cleaned with the
product, as
were the drapes and carpet with a light spray of the product. After
inspection, the floor
supervisor was pleasantly surprised to find the aroma of cigar smoke was gone.
Normally, the
room would need to be put out of order and aired out for at least a day, along
with liberal use of
an air freshener.
An area that has always been a challenge is the tile floor of the pool area.
Due to
inadequate drainage, the floor has a number of "pools" of water left on it
which cause staining
and creates an algae problem. Normal approach to cleaning these problems would
be handled
using a concrete acid cleaner (approximately $40.00 per gallon) and the
hotel's tri head rotary
machine. The cleaning has always been less than effective according to the
Executive
Housekeeper, as the acid could not be used on the tile border around the pool
due to the
possibility of contamination of the pool water. The Executive Housekeeper led
a team in
cleaning the pool deck with lignosulfonate and was delighted with the results.
The pool deck
was mopped with lignosulfonate and left to sit for about fifteen minutes. Then
the rotary
machine equipped with soft brushes was run over the deck. The algae was
removed, and the
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pool deck including the edge around the pool itself was scrubbed. The water
was tested after
some lignosulfonate was allowed to "spill" into
the pool, and there was no significant change in either the PH or bromide
levels.
The product and the rotary machine then tackled another problem area. The tile
floor in
one of the men's public washrooms is a textured tile, and regular mopping with
a chemical
cleaner would leave dirt residues in both the grout and nooks and crannies of
the tiles. Again,
the representatives used a spray bottle of lignosulfonate to lightly wet down
about four 12 x 12
tiles. The product lay on the floor for 5 minutes. Within seconds of the
brushes scrubbing the
tile, the dirt literally flaked off of both the tile and the grout.
Initially, the field test was to be restricted to the housekeeping area only.
However, some
kitchen staff heard of the cleaning effectiveness of lignosulfonate and asked
to try it. A
demonstration of lignosulfonate was arranged, and the product was used to
effectively clean
grills in the ovens. Subsequently, the kitchen received their own 22.5 liter
container of
lignosulfonate that was used to clean the floor, the hoods, and the stainless
steel tables and
equipment. The dishwashing staff even found another use when some
lignosulfonate was
sprayed into a large pot that had burned food on the bottom. After spraying
the pot with
lignosulfonate and letting it sit for ten minutes, the burned food residue
lifted right off The
dishwashing staff member stated that he just had saved himself a good 30
minutes of
scrubbing. Even the line cooks started using lignosulfonate by cleaning a
salamander in less
than 10 minutes, which normally would take twice that time. The thing that
really impressed
the kitchen staff was the fact that they did not need to wear masks,
respirators, heavy aprons, or
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acid resistant gloves.
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