Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
2-12142/AFR 105/~
Pulverulent non toxic cleaning agent for textile fittings of
large surface area:
`
The invention relates to a pulverulent non toxic
cleaning agent for rapidly and carefully cleaning carpets,
furnishing textiles and other textile fittings of large
surface area.
The in situ cleaning o~ carpets, furnishlng fabric~
and upholstered furniture covered with textiles presents
great practical difflculties.
The use of conventional stain-removing and clean-
~ng products, which are in the form of anhydrous or
aqueou~ liquids or foams, in fact presents major disad-
~antage~.
When applying this type of product 9 it is not
possible to avoid more or less complete impregnation in
depth of some or all of the fibres which constitute the
treated textile material, and thi~ impre~nation always
causes a certain migration or a certain leachlng of the
dyes and ~inishing agents 9 a~ well:as causing the forma-
tion of rings or sometimes evsn a shrinkage or felting of
the treated textile materlal.
Furthermore, the conventional liquid cleaning
agents, which generally contain surface a tive cleaning
substances 9 after drying generally leave on the fibre
re~idue3 of surfactants which impart to the textile
mate~ial a dull appearance and a greatly increa~ed ten-
dency to become soiled againO
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Furthermore, the time required for drying fibres
which are deeply i~pregnated with liquid is always ver~Y
long and is another major disadvantage of the use of such
products, especiall~ in the case of permanently fitted
carpets in areas of heavy traffic.
~ he present invention provides a novel ~leaning
agent for carpets and furnishing textile~ which does not
suffer from the dis~dvantages described above ~nd which
result~, more rapidly than the previously known products,
in better cleaning o~ textile surface~ soiled in variou~
ways.
Pulverulent cleaning products for the care of tex-
tiles are already known. Thus French Patent No.1,321,148
describes a uxea-formaldehyde resin powder impregnated
with a mixture of carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene
and petrol. Such a product can only be used spot-by-
spot on greasy stains and has no cleaning power whatsoever
in respect of more water-~oluble stains.
Other pulverulent cleaning products, wh~ch consist
of a synthetic macromolecular pulverulent substance, sl~ch
as polyurethane, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene,
polyviryl or acrylic resins and the like, lmpregnated with
anhydrous or aqueous sol~ent mixtures 9 are descrlbed ln
French Patent~ Nos. 2,015,972, 2,163,692 and 2,240,287, in
German Patent Application 2,021,677 and in British Patent
1,251,972.
HoweYer, none of these products is able to produce
entirely sati~factory cleaning of all the different
pos~lble types of soiling, whilst permanently lmparting a
fresh appearance to the treated textile.
In fact9 the pulverulent products known hitherto
h~ve a lower cleaning power than that of the liquid pro-
ducts and furthermore have the disadvanta~e of ~ubsequently
be~ng diffi~ult to remov~e completely from the textile
material, to the surface of which they tend to adhere and
remain stuc~.
. ~
'7~L3
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by
providing a novel cleaning agent for textile fittings of large
surface area, which agent comprises the following combination
of (A) ~ (B):
(A) about 30 to 70 parts by weight of an aqueous liquid
mixture of solvents comprising:
(a) about 15 to 90 % by weight of wa-ter,
(b) about lO to 85 % by weight of an organic solvent or of a
mixture of organic solvents selected from:
(a) one or more terpenic hydrocarbons which are liquid at 20C
and have boiling points, under atmospheric pressure, of
between 150 and 250C,
(~) mixtures of terpenic hydrocarbons (a) and aliphatic hydro-
carbons which are liquid at 20C and have boiling points, under
atmospheric pressure, of between 90 and 300C and
(~) mixtures of aliphatic hydrocarbons as defined under (~
and one or more oxygenated solvents selected from mono-and
dialkylethers of ethylene glycol wherein the alkyl moiety has
1 to 5 carbon atoms, ethylene glycol monoacetate and the
acetate of the ethylene glycol monoalkylethers as herein before
defined, and
~B) about 30 to 70 parts by weight of an absorbent
pulverulent carrier of which the mean parti~e size, in non
impreg~ated condition, is between about 5 tU and 1000 ~1, said
carrier being selected from
(i) powders of ligneous vegetable substances with an alveolar
structure,
~ii) starch powders,
~iii) dehusked cereal grain 10urs, and
~iiii) the binary and ternary mixtures of the compounds (i),
(ii) and ~iii)
all the proportions relating to the total weight of the liquid
mixture ~A).
The aqueous solvent mixture (A) according to the invention
generally contains about 30 to 89% and preferably about 40 to
60% by weight of water and ll to 60% by weight of an organic
solvent selected from (~) and (~) as hereinbefore defined.
This amount of water imparts to the cleaning agent according
to the invention an excellent cleaning power in respect of
water-soluble stains, a large number of stains due to food-
stuffs, in particular, being water-soluble.
The cleaning agents according to the invention can
contain various adjuvants such as perfumes, antistatic agents,
anti-redeposition agents, optical brighteners, pigments and,
above all, surfactants, microbicides, fungicides and
antioxidants in an amount of between 0 and 10 % by weight.
It is immaterial whether these adjuvants are soluble
in the aqueous phase ta) or in the oleophilic phase of the
mixture of components (b) of the solvent mixture ~A). They
can also consist of insoluble particles dispersed
homogeneously throughout the carrier (B).
These adjuvants are generally dissolved in one or other
of the components la) or (b) of the mixture (A~ or are mixed
with the carrier (B). They are generally present in
proportions of the order of 0~05 to 10% by weight, preferably
0.05 to 5~ by weight, calculated ei-ther relative to the
total weight of (A) or relative to the total weight of (~).
The pulverulent cleaning agents according to the
invention contain, completely and uniformly absorbed (or
adsorbed) on a pulverulent carrier, an aqueous liquid
mixture (A) of quite specific solvents, which allows very
efficient cleaning of virtually all types of the usual stains
and soiling.
According to the invention, component (b) of this
mixture (A) conains an organic solvent or a mixture of
organic solvents selected from
(a) one or more terpenic hydrocarbons which are liquid at
20C and have boiling points, under atmospheric pressure, of
between 150 and 250C,
(~) mixtures of terpenic hydrocarbons (a~ and aliphatic
hydrocarbons which are liquid at 20C and have boiling points,
under atmospheric pressure, of between 90 and 300C and
(~) mixtures at aliphakic hydrocarbons as defined under (~)
r
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and one or more oxygenated solvents selected flour mono-
and dialkylethers of ethylene glycaol wherein the alkyl moiety
has 1 to 5 carbon atoms, ethylene glycol monoacetate and the
acetates of the ethylene glycol monoalkylethers as herein
before defined. A preferred cleaning agent accordin~ to
the invention is that wherein the mixture (A) consists
essentially of 30 to 88,9% by weight of water and of a mixture
(~1) consisting essentially of: (Z) 10 to 50% by weight, of
an aliphatic hydrocarbon or a mixture of aliphatic hydro-
carbons which have boiling points, under atmospheric
pressure, of between 90 and 300C and evaporation indices
at 20C, measured relative to diethyl ether, of between 10
and 100, (Zl) 1 to 10 ~ by weight, of a solvent or of a
mixture of terpenic solvents, which have boiling points, under
atmospheric pressure, of between 150 and 250C and evaporation
indices at 20C, measured relative to diethyl ether, of
between 20 and 80, ~Cl) 0.05 to 5~ by weight of a surfactant
washing agent and (C2) 0,05 to 5 % by weight, of a
microbicidal and/or fungicidal preservative, all the
proportions relatin~ to the total weight of (A).
The component (Z) of the mixture (~1) advantageously
consists of a crude petroleum distillation cut which
preferably distils at between 130 and 250C under normal
atmospheric pressure. Such a solvent can for example be white
spirit, a petroleum distillation cut which distils approxi-
mately between 130 and 210C, or any other mineral spirit.
However this component can also consist of one or
more synthetic alkanes whose boiling points under atmos-
pheric pressure are located within the limits indicated above,
such as, for example, decane and/or dodecane.
The evaporation index of this component at 20C,
measured relative to the time required for the evaporation
of the same volume of diethyl ether, this latter time
being taken as unity, can be between 10 and ].00 and pre-
~ 71 3
ferably between 20 and 80 (the evaporation index of thediethyl ether being 1). This evapo~ation index is
measured by ~epositing 0.5 cm3 o~ the hydrocarbon on a
filter paper with the aid of a pipette and determining
the time required for its complete evaporation, a compari-
30n experiment being carried out simultaneou31r with
diethyl ether.
The terpene solvent component (a) is selected from
amongst the true terpene hydrocarbons such as the terpene
hydro~arbons of empirical formula CloH16 and optionally
from amongst the alcohol~, aldehydes and esters derived
~rom these terpenes. A fundamental characteristic of
the terpene solvent (a) i~ its volatility; unde~ atmos-
pheric pres~ure lts boiling point i~ preferably between
about 150 and 250C and more advantageously still between
150 and 200C, and its eYaporation index at ordinsry tem-
perature (20C) is preferably between 20 and 80 (rolative
to diethyl ether, of which the e~aporation index is 1),
and more advsntageously still ~etween 20 and 50.
The terpene ~olvent (~) can be selected, for
example, from amongst pinene (boiling point 157-166C),
carene (boiling point 165C), sabinene (boiling point
165C), myrcene (boiling point 167C), menthene ~boiling
point 168C), phellandrene (boiling point 171-175C),
ocimene (bolling point 177C), ~ylvestrene (boiling point
177C), limonene (boiling point 177C), d~pentene (boiling
point 178C), terpinene (bolling point 176-183~C), ter-
pinolene (boiling point 184C~ a~d terpinol ~boilin~ point
168C), which is a mixture o~ terplneols, terpinolene,
terpinene and dipent~ne; amongst these terpene hydro~
carbons, dipentene and above all limonen~ are very par-
ticularly preferred, as are the natursl extracts of
plant~ obtained by pressin~ or by distillation, which
contain a high proportion of ~he e terpene solvents
. "
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The terpen~ 901~ent ~a) can furthermore con~ist
oi, or contain, te~pene alcohol~ of empirical formula
ClbH160, CloH180 and ClgH200~ which exhibit the volatil~ty
characteristics ~et out above.
Examples of such alcohols are ocimenol (boiling
point 196C), linalol (boiling point 198C), the ter-
pinenols (boiling point 210-212C), myrcenol (boiling
point 213C), methylgeraniol (boiling polnt 216C),
~yrtenol (boiling point 224C), citronellol (boiling point
225C~, nerol (boiling point 227C) and geraniol (boiling
point 230C).
m e terpene aldehydes (a) can for example be
selected from amongst citral (boiling point 2l4-228oc~,
ethylcitral, i~ocyclocitral, phellandral (boiling point
174C), citronellal (boiling point 206C), hydroxycitro-
nellal9 dlhydrocitronnellal and the like.
m e terpene esters which may ronstltute all or
part of the solvent (a) are ~or example menthyl, citro-
nellyl, bornyl, isobornyl, anisyl and dihydroterpinyl
formate9 acetate and propionate, and the like, which
esters possess the general phy~ical properties ~t out
above.
m ese compounds are advantag20usly introduced into
the cleaning agents according to the lnvention in the form
of combined essences, or extracts, originsting from the
distillation or pressing of natural products which con-
tain a ma~or proportion of terpene products.
The cleaning agents according to the invention
can optionally contain, in addition to components
tb) and in proportlon~ not generally exc~eding 30% by
weight of (A), o~he~ supplement~ry soluent compounds
belonging to a great variety of solvent group~, for
example cycloal~phatlc hydrocarbons, halogen-containing
allphat~ch~xOE~br=,oxy-containing heterocyclic compounds ?
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cycloaliphatic and araliphatic alconols, aliphatic ethers
which may or may not contain hydroxyl groups, aliphatic,
ycloaliphatic and araliphatic esters, aliphatic, cyclo-
aliphatic, terpene and aromatic ketones, and the various
possible mixtures of these solvents.
Amongst the cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons there may
in particular be mentioned cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane,
tetralin and decalin.
The supplemen~ary halogen-containîng aliphatic
hydrocarbons can be selected from amongst carbon tetra-
chloride, methylene chloride, chloro~orm, l,l~dichloro-
ethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, l,1-dichloro~thylene, 1,2-
dichloroethylene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloro-
ethane, trichloroethylene, 191,2,2~trachloroethane,
tetrachloroethylene, pentachloroeth~ne, trichlorotri-
fluoroethane and perfluoroethane.
m e aliphatic hydroxylic compounds ~an for example
be select~d from a~ongst ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol,
the butanols1 ethylene glycol, diethylsne glycol, tri-
ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene
glycol and the ethers of diols and of aliphatic alcohols,
such a3, for example, the monomethy~, dimethyl~ monoethyl,
diethyl, monopropyl and dipropyl ethers of ethylene glycol,
dlethylene glycol and propylene glycol, or such as butoxy-
ethanol.
The araliphatic hydroxylic compound~ which can be
us~d by way o~ s~pplementary ~olvents are, ~or example9
phenoxyethanol or phenoxypropanol.
Water Gonstitutes ~he second obl~gatory`constituent
~ of the ~olvent mixture (A). This constituent in
effectenSures efficient cleaning of the more watersoluble
stains and soiling.
The components (a~ and (b) of the solvent mixture
(A~ are generally not miscible with one another in the
proportions in which they are used in the cleaning agents
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according to the invention. Thi is not imporkant because they
are subsequently used in turn to impregnate the absorbent
pulverulent carrier IB)r forming a heterogeneous microscopic
mixture of homogenous appearance.
The mixture of the solvents (~) present in the
cleaning agents of the invention has an unexpected synergistic
cleaning and detaching èfficiency in respect of the majority
of predominantly oil-soluble stains and soiling. The
simultaneous presence, in the cleaning agent according to the
invention, of substantial proportions of water such as defined
above considerably increases the spectrum of activity of the
solvent mixture (~) and leads to a ternary mixture of solvent
components (a) + (~) having virtually universal detaching
properties and exhib.iting a relatively high rate of evaporation,
in spite of the high propotions of water which it contains.
By way of example, an excellent cleaning agent
according to the invention is one wherein the solvent mixture
(A) consists of:
(a) about 3 to 7, and preferably 5 to 7, parts by
weight of water and
(~) about 1 to 5 and preferably 3 to 5,parts by weight
of white spirit and about 0.5 to 2 parts by weight of limonene
or of orange terpene (a).
Dissolving a small amount of a surfactant washing
agent in the solvent mixture, though not absolutely essential,
is nevertheless advantageous because it permits a rather
substantial increase in the detergency of the cleaning
agent according to thP invent$on. This ~urfactant can
be anionic, nonionic, catio~lc or amphoteric in nature.
- Thi~ surfactant is generally present in the s~lvent
medium in proportions of the order of 0.05 to 10% by weight
and preferabl~ of the order o~ 0.05 to 5~ by weight, cal-
culated relati~e to the total weight of component (A).
Pr~ferably a rather hydrophil~c ~urfactant is
chosen, or El mixture of oleophlll c ar~d/or hydrophilic
surfactants which are preferably ~oluble in wa^ter.
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Surfactants exhibiting these properties are to be
found in the majority of the chemical groups of surfactants.
Amongst these, the anionic surfactants are particu-
larly advantageous to use; they are, for example, alkyl-
sulfonates, alkylbenzenesulfonates, sulfosuccinic acid
esters, sulfates o fatty alcohols, ox condensation products
of an alkylene oxide with high molecular weight fatty alcohols,
with amides of fatty acids or with propylene gycols having
molecular weights of between 900 and 4,000. Preferred anionic
surfactants are those which are in form of their lithium
salts.
The cleaning agents according to the invention also
preferably contain a preservative capable of protecting the
final product against microbial and fungal deterioration.
The preservative is preferably introduced into the aqueous
phase of (A): it can be selected from amongst all known
microbicidal substances such as, for example, sodium ortho-
phenylphenates, hexylresorcinoll methyl, propyl and benzyl
para-hydroxybenzoate, para-chloro-meta-cresol, triethanol-
amine ortho-, meta- and para-hydroxybenzoate, dichloro-
acetamide and the like.
They can also contain antioxidants, for example
butylhydroxyanisols, butylhydroxyto]uene, citric acld and
mixtures of these products.
The fundamental characteristic of the pulverulent
carrier (B) is its absorption capacity and the mean size
of the particles of which it is composed.
The pulverulent carrier (B~ is preferably capable
of absorbing at least 80 to 300 % by weight of liquid (A),
these proportions relating to the weight of the non-
impregnated carrier.
The mean size of the particles of which it consists is
preferably between 5 and 1000 ~ and more particularly
between 50 and 300 ~.
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Numerous pulverulent carriers capable of providing
excellent cleaning agents by absorption o~ the solvent
mixture (A) according to the invention are described in
the prior art.
Such pulverulent carriers are for example inorganic
powders, such as powders o~ inorganio oxides~ and of alkali
metal, alkaline earth metal and ammonium salts, which may
be natural or ~ynthetic, for example hydrated aluminas,
silicas, silicates, clays, gla~s microspheres, carhonates,
b~carbonates ~uch as ammonium bicarbonate, borates~
chlorides, phosphates, citrates, Yar~ou~ sulfates and the
like~
Other examples o~ pulverule~t carriers are various
polymeric or copolymeric resins and pulverulent ~olid
synthetic polycondensation product~ derived from ethylene,
propylene, ~tyrene, acrylate~, acrylo~trile, alkad~ene~,
amides or maleic anhydride ? urea-formaldehyde ~esins,
phenol-formaldehyde resins, polyurethanes and the like.
Yet other examples of pulverulent carriers are the
various pulverulent.artificial cellulosic materials, for
e~ample the regenerated celluloses and the cellulose
acetates.
Howe~er, the pre~erred carrier ~or the clean~ng
agents according to the invention is selected ~rom amongst
the natural organic subs~ances o~ vegetable origin and
in particular powders of ligneous sub~tances, dehu3ked
cereal grain flours and starch powderA~.
The carrier (B) of the cleaning agents according
to the invention can in particular consist entirely of one
or other of thesQ materials of vegetable origin provided
that the particle size of this material and its absorption
capacity are in accordance with the fundamental character~
istics mentioned above.
The material or materlals of ~egetable origin
capable of forming the carrier ~B) are for ~xample selec-
ted from amongst wood flour~ cork powder, cereal husk
~4'~3
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powder, maize cob powder, brewer's draff, flour~ of
cereals such as wheat, tapioca, maize, rice, rye, 50y~,
barley, oats and the like and starch powders extracted
from potato 9 wheat, arrowroot, oats, garden peas,
beans, rice, maize, buckwheat, rye, barley and the likeO
A particularly ab~orbent carrier (B) which has
excellent mechanical properties and which ensures optimum
cleaning efficiency of the cleaning agent according to
the invention comprise~:
(a) about 4~ to 8Q96 by weight o~ a ligneous vegetable
substance~i), preferably o~ alveolar structure, capable o~
absorbing at least 100 per cent of its weight, in the dry
state, of sol~ent mixture (A),
(~) about 15 to 40% by weight of a starch powder(ii)and
(~) about 5 to 20% by wei~ht of a cereal flour(iii~,all
the proportions by weight relating to the total weight of
the carrier (B).
The preferred ligneou~ vegetable substanc~s are
those which at one and the same time have great hardnes~
and a preferably cellular structure, making it possible to
absorb or adsorb reversibly large amounts o~ liquids.
A particularly valued ligneous material in the
composltions according to the invention is a malze cob
powder; in ~act, it ha~ good hardnes~ and a cellular
~tructure which permit~ both good absorption of the liquid
(A), and it~ rapid liberation onto the fibre during the
cleaning operation.
The mean size o~ the particles of llgneous
material (a~ is preferably between 100 and 300 ~, and the
ldeal mean dimensions are about 150 to 200 ~.
During the cleaning operation the particle~ of
ligneous vegetable material of this siæe in fact exert a
mechanical rubbing actio~ on the ~ibrs, which~ without
damaging the surface of the fibre, facilitates the detach-
ment of soiling matter which ls solubllised by one or
other of the component3 ~a) ~r (b) of the solvent
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mixture, yie~ded up to the fibre by the carrier (B)~and is
then i~mediately absorbed by the ~ame carrier (B).
~ he pre~ence, in the carrier (B),of a cereal flour
of which the mean particle ~ize is also ad~antageously
betwee~ 5 and 1000 ~,but preferably between about lO0 ~nd
300 ~, efficiently rounds off the properties o~ the
cleaning agent accordlng to the invention, in that it
~a~ilitates rapid and homogeneous spreading over the
entire textile surface a~d considerably lncreases the
ea~e with which -the powder which remain~ on the fibre
after the evaporation of the solvent mixture c~n be
removed from the fibre.
The ideal mean particle size of the cereal ilour
grain3 is preferably within the limits of 125 to 280 ~.
Amongst the cereal $10ur8 mentioned abo~e, rice powder is
particularly valuable in the cleaning agsn~ according to
the invention because of ~he hardness, den~ity and roun~ed
shape of the particles o~ which lt is compo~ed.
The cleaning agents according to the invention
also advantageously contain a starch, which because of its
~ery special granular 3tructure and becau~e of the mean
size of its particle~, which is between 25 and 250 ~,
~mpart~ to the pulverulent cleaning mixture excellent
mechanlcal propertie~, fluidity propertie~, storage
characteristics ~nd slippage on the ~ibres, without ~n
any way increa~ng it~ adhe3ion to the textlle materials.
The optimum mean particle s$ze o~ the starch pow-
der used in the cleaning agents according to the invention
is advantageously between 40 and 200 ~.
The pulverulent carrier (B) according to the
invention has the advantage that it can absorb all the
solvent mixture (A) without losing its dry or semi-dry
pulverulent appearance and whilst retaining excellent
fluldity proper~ies, which ~t does even after very lon~
storag~. This carrler f~rther has the advantage that it
does not clog the bags of vacuum cleaners and above all
does not cause them to tear.
~4~7~L3
This pulverulent carrier (B) furthermore has the
advantage that it absorbs several ~olvent components
which are immiscible with one another and that it can,
when the absorbate is brought into contact with a text~le
material, liberate the greater part of its solvent com-
ponents, absorb the soiling matter and dry out to become
converted to a powd~r o~ which the various particles in no
way adhere to the textile fibres and can thus easily be
removed by simple brushing or by means of a medium~power
vacuum cleaner.
The c}eaning agents according to the invention are
prepared by simple impregnation of the whole of the pul-
verulent ~bsorbent mixture (B) with ~uccessive small
amount~ o~ each solvent component, followed by homogeni
~ation.
Preferably, the pulverulent carrier (~ fir~t
impregnated with the homogeneous mixture consistlng of th~
solvents (b) and, when the entire amount of sol-
vents (b) has been uniformly distributed over
this powder, water and the remainder of the ingredients
are added in succes~i~e small amounts until the pul~eru-
l~nt mixture ha3 been completely homogenised.
After screening, Q dry, semi~dry or moist powder
i9 obtained which doe~ not release dust when it is spread
over a textile ~urface, and whlch can, after drylng, be
removed from this carpet or the like by brushing or by
vacuum-cleaning, without rais~ng dust.
In order to clean a textile sur~ace or 2 carpet
with the aid of the composition according to the inventio~
about 10 to 50 grams, pre~erably 25 to 40 gram~, o~ pro-
duct are spread uniformly per square metre of textile 3ur~
face and thereafter the product is rapl dly rubbed
over the entir~ surface of the carpet by brushing with a
broom. After drying 9 the composition does not adhere
to the carpet in any way and can be immediately and
eaRily removed, without lea~ing traces, b~ means o~ a
medium-power vacuum cleaner; the carpet cleaned in thi3
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- 15 -
way exhibit~ a clean, ~"~fy and ~resh appearance.
The use of a composition according to the inven-
tion offers numerous advantage~c. It makes it po~sible
to clean a carpet or an upholstery fabric efficiently and
rapidly without wetting it deeply. It also makes it
possible ~requently to repeat the cleaning opsrations
without damage to the carpet or upholstery fabric trea+ed
in thi way~
Complete drying takes place very rapidly, gener-
ally in 20 to 30 minutes. . It i~ pos~ible to walk over
the carpet immediately after the application of the pro-
duct, without the risk of damage to the c~rpet and with-
out the risk of ~o~nteraoting the effect o~ the product.
This drying is very rapid because the pulYerulent com-
positlon according to the invention in no way wets ~he
~ub~trate, which always takes a very long time to dry i~
the cleaning ls carried out with the Yariou~ conventional
products, and only ~ery ~ htly wets the fibre~ which are
being cleaned.
In facty the cleaning compositiorsaccording to the
invention only liberate onto the ~ibre the amounts of
~ol~ents strictly necessary for deta~hment of the soiling
matter.
Another adv~ntage ln U3~ ng a composition according
to the invention resides in the fact that there is no
danger of the compo~ition ~orming rings or dulling the
colours, a~ happen~ very frequently with compositions in
the form o~ solutions or foams. Furthermore, the dust
and the ~olling matter detached ~rom the fibre during the
treatment are immediately absorbed by the pulverulent
carrier and there is no danger that they mightblow off,
or redepo~it, finally leaving a matt and dull appear~nce
of the carpet. Furthermore, the cleaning agent accor-
ding to the invention can ad~antageou~ly be employed for
cleaning f~agile textile materials, without any detriment
to these.
.
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Further, the compositions according to the inven-
tion make i~ possible to cause oil-soluble stains, which
are the most common and the most tenaclous stains 9 to
disappear very easily, whilst the essentially aqueous
shampoos only very partially remove such stains.
After treatment with a composition according to
the invention, the carpet acquires a durable clean and
fluffy appearance. It e~hibits resistance to soiling
comparable to that of a new carpet, which i5 not the case
with carpets treated with aqueous sha~poos and more par~
ticularly with shampoos which contain surfactants.
An important characteristic ~f the cvmpositions
according to the invention reside~ in the fact that pre-
ferably they contain one or more detergents or ~urfactants
which a~ter cleaning do not leave any electroætatic or
sticky re~idue on the fibre.
m e use of the compo~itionsaccording to the
invention is furthe~more particularly advantageous
because it does not require any special apparatus.
The compositions are ~uitable ~or all types of vegetable,
animal or synthetic fibres, such as wool, cotton, ~ute,
silk, regenerated cellulose, acetate rayon, polyamide
~ibres, polyester fibres, polyolefin ~ibres, poly-
vinylldene chloride fibre6, polyacrylic ~ibres and mix-
tures o~ these ~ibres, and furthermore for all types of
dyeings of these fibre~.
m e compositions according to the invention are
particularly suitable for the care of all types of
carpets, such as tufted carpets, needle-punched carpets
and more particularly long-pile (looped) carpets, which
are always very difficult to maintain with liquid com-
positions or compositions in the ~orm o~ a foam because
these products tend to stick the pile ha~ to one another.
In the examples which ~ollow, the parts and per-
centages, unless stated otherwise, are by weight, calcu-
lated relative to the total ~eight of the composition.
73L3
. - 17 -
Examvle~
600 g of each of the compositions described in
Table I (th~ figures indicated correspond to parts by
weight) are prepared by mixing for 10 minutes, in a powder
mixer, the pulverulent eompounds which constitute the
solid carrier of the ~ormulation. Thereafter the total
amount of solYents (b) are added, preferably by
spraying, followed by the aqueous component ~a);~ The
mixing i~ continued ~or one hour.
7~3
-18 -
Tabls I
, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
- Composition ~ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
_ ,, . _ _ . . _
Wood flour 3o 26
Brewer's draff 15 10
Urea-formalde-
hyde resin powder 3
Bran 25
Pulverised cork 15
Maize cob powder (1 ~0 3o ~5 27
Rice powder 8 7 20 10 10
R~e ~lo~ 8
Pearl barley 27
Maize ~tarch (2) 14 15 26 22
Potato starch 22 21 5
, ............. _ _ . . _ _ ;
White spirit (a) 19 20 19 19 20 15 20 19 20
Isopropylglycol 5
Dipentene ~-5 2.5 2 5
Linonene ~ 5 10 3-5
Terpenes from
oranges (b) 3~5 1.5 4
Perfume 0 5
. - _ _ _ _ _ _ . _
Water 24 24 24 24 ~5 26.5 3o 24 29-5
, _ _ . _ , _ _ __ _
Chloroacetamid2 (c) 0-3 0.2 0.3 0-3 0~5 0-3 1 0.~
Ultra~on W (d) 1.2 1~2 1.2 1.2 1-5 1.2 4 1.2 0~5
_ _ . ~ . _ _ _ .
Anti-soil redepo 002
sitlon product
. . ~ _ _ _ _ _ _ __~n _ __
An~t-t~c pr~c~ct _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 0 3
(1) Product derived from the woody ring which consti~
tutes the hard cylindrlcal part of the ~aize cob, and
obtained by grinding ~nd creening through a ieve
which allows particles o~ diameter less than or equal
to 170 microns to pass.
(~) A pulvsrulent product of which about 93~0 o~ the
particles have a diameter o~ between 40 and 80
-- 19
micronR, with the rema~nder of the particles havin~
a diameter which Gan range up to 200 microns.
(a) Aliphatic hydrocarbons containlng 5% of aromatic
hydrocarbons.
Dist~llation range: 149-195C.
Evaporation lndex relative to diethyl ether: 21.
(b) Terpene products obtained by extraction ~rom orange
peel essence; the greater part of this solvent con-
si~ts of limonene.
Distillation range: 170-185C.
Evaporation indsx relative to diethyl ether: 49.
(c) Dichloroacetamide of the ~ormula CHC12-CO-NH2.
~d) Sodium Z-heptadecyl-benzimidazole-di~ulfonate, manu-
factured ~y CIBA-GEIGY AG o~ Basle.
Comparison of the clean~ng power o~ the products des-
cribed in the prssent invention with the cleaning power
of conventional liquid shampoos and aerosol products.
The substrates u~ed consist of a vertical loop-
pile tufted carpet, of beige colour. The fibre~ consist
of a mixture of 60~ o~ polyamide and of 40% of polyester.
The underside consists of a ~tyrene-butadiene foam.
The thickness o~ this tufted carpet is 6 milli-
metres and its weight ig about 1,300 grams per square
metre.
The substrates used are squares of 10 cm side
length~
The tests consist of soiling the substrates with
a standard soiling composition a~d of then cleanlng them
with an appropriate product9 the cleanin~ product being
removed with the aid o~ a vacuum cleaner.
This process ls rPpeated 6 times in succession-
This makes it pos~bl~ at one and the same timeto measure the cleaning power o~ the product~ and to judge
their posslble tendency ~o foul the textile material by
leaving on the ~lbre~ detergen~s wh~ch are not completely
7~L3
- 20 -
removed by the vacuum cleaner.
m e Qoilin~ o~ the substrates i~ carried out by
means o~ a rotating drum, using 1 gram of stand~rd
soillng composition ~er 10 substrates o~ size lO x 10 cm.
The standard soiling composition is ground and
~creened to lO0 microns.
It has the following composition (proportions
being by weight):
39.0~ of humus
17.7% of cement
18.0% of natural silica
0.5% of carbon blacks
0.3% of ferric oxide
2.5% of vaæoline oil having a viscosity of 5.1 degrees
Engler At 50C
18.0% o~ clay
2.0% of stearic acid
2.0% of oleic acid.
The cleaning power o~ each product is e~aluated
by carrying out photometric measurements with th0
Dr. Lange photoelectric brilliance-meter, built by
ERICHSEN, at Hemer-Sundwig ~Federal Republic of Germany).
The product described in ExampleNo. 4 was ~hen compared
with 5 products A, B, C, D and E which are the most repre-
sentative products of the current Erench market, and com-
prise ~ liquid shampoos and 2 upholstery fabric cleanlng
products packaged in aerosol container~.
The re~lectometric values thus obtained are shown
in Table II below:
7:3~3
-- 21 --
Tab
_ ~FLECTOMETRIC VALUES
_ . . . _ __
Liquid I,~quid Liquid Aero- Aero- Pro-
shampoo shampoo shampoo sol sol durt
A B C pro- pro- of
duct duct Exam~
, _ ___. ___ __
St~rtlng sample 91.1 91- 7 92 . l 9o 7 9o 7 9o 3
Boiling 81~ 0 83 . 2 84 . 4 81. 5 84 . 7 83 ~ 7
cleaningx 87 0 4 87 l 87 4 84 9 85 9 87 . 2
soiling 81~ 0 83 . 2 84 . 4 81. 5 84 7 ~3 ~ 7
~ter 2nd 86 . 7 86 . 0 87 3 86 . l 86 . 6 88 . 6
After 3rd 80 . 7 81. 2 81. 4 81. 2 79 .1 80 7
soiling
Ai~ter 3rd 85 . 2 84 9 95 .1 84 . O 84 ~1 87 . 4
cleaning
~oili ng 7g . 2 78 . 9 ao . 3 79 o 76 5 78 . 2
After 4th 83.0 82.8 82.4 79-8 79.L~ 86.4cleaning
. A~ilin5th 78 . 6 78 . 4 78 5 75 7 75 2 76 . 2
A:fter 5'ch 82.5 81~ 7 81.9 76. 8 78 .O 84.7cleaning
Af tlin6th 76 . 9 76 5 77 3 71- 3 73 O 74, 4
Af ter 6th 81. 8 80 . l 80 . 6 7 ~ 7 76 3 83 4
cleaning
~_ ~_____ __ ___
(~ Amounts of ~hampoo used in accordance with ~he ds e3
and method of use recommended by the marlufacturer ~and
expressed ~n welght of produc~ used for a 10 cm x lO cm
~ubstrate):
0.50 gram o~ LIQUID SHA~00 A
0~ ~5 gram of LIQUID SHAMP00 B
~ . 25 ~ram o~ LIQUID SHA~00 C
'713
- ~2 -
0.~5 gram of AEROSOL product D
0.35 gram of AEROSOL product E
O.40 gram of thé product of Example No.4.
These re~ults show t~at the use of a compositlon
according to the invention ultimately lead~ to more
thorough clean~ng of the fibre than the conventional ~iquidor
aerosol products.
Compari~on of the drying time of the products described in
the present in~ention with the drylng tlme o~ the conven-
t- 1 li uid sham oos and aerosol roducts
ona q , p , p __
A loop-pile tufted carpet of grey-beige colour and
consisting o~ 100% polyamide ~ibres is us~d. The under-
side consists of polyvinyl chlorlde.
The thickness is 8 millimetres and the weight is
about 19875 grams per ~quare metre.
The ~ubstrat;es used have a surface of ~ square
metres (rectangles of size 2 metreæ x 1.50 metres).
The products mentioned in Example 1 are used in
accordance with the u~e dose~ recommended by the manu-
facturers, namely:
50 grams o~ LIQUID SHAMPOO A per square metre of
textlle ~loor cover~ng9 to be dlluted with 150 grams of
water,
25 grams o~ LIQUID SHAMPOO B per square metre o~
textile ~loor covering, to be diluted with 300 grams of
water~
25 grams o~ LIQUID SHAMPOO C per square metre o~
tsxtile floor co~ering, to be dilu~ed with 175 grams of
water 9
3~ grams of AEROSOL PRODU~T D per ~quare metre o~
textile floor coverlng, to be used without rubbing,
35 grams of AEROSOL PRODUCT E per quare metre of
textile ~loor covering, to be used with rubbing,
40 gram3 of PRODUCT o~ Exa~ple No L 4 per square
metre of textile floor covering.
- 23 -
The time required for complete drying of the
product are shown in TableIII below:
Table III
_~
Liquid shampoo A : 8 hours
Liquid shampoo B : 12 hours
L~quld shampoo C : 9 hour~
Aerosol shampoo D : 1 hour 30 minutes
Aerosol shampoo E : 5 hours 30 minutes
odu t of Example No.4 : ~0 minute~
These results show that the dryin~ time o~ the
product ~ccording to the present invention is 3 to 24
times shorter than that of the conventional liquid pro-
ducts or '1aerosol" products.
