US3401007A - Process for cleaning natural and synthetic fibrous materials - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent 3 401 007 PROCESS FOR CLliANlNG NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC FIBROUS MATERIALS Helmut Hoffmann, Steinau, Kreis, Schluchtern, and Wilhelm Melloh, Salmunster, Germany, assignors to Rewo Chemische Fabrik GmbH, Schluchtern, Germany, a corporation of Germany No Drawing. Filed Jan. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 427,462 Claims priority, applic1tio;11(grmany, Jan. 31, 1964,

5 Claims. (31. 8-137) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Natural and synthetic fibrous materials, especially carpets and floor coverings, are cleaned with an aqueous solution containing a detergent composition which consists of 70-30% of a detergent substance selected from fatty alcohol sulfates and alkyl benzene sulfonates, and 30-70% of a derivative of sulfosuccinic acid of the type described. Said aqueous solution dries to a powdery residue which can be separated from the fibrous material by a mechanical procedure.

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the cleaning of materials. It deals in particular with a process for the cleaning of fibrous materials, both natural and synthetic, as well as woven, plaited or like fabrics manufactured therefrom, including especially carpets and other floor coverings.

It is known to clean carpets with so-called dry residue shampoos. This method of cleaning is performed most frequently in situ, using an aqueous detergent solution to generate a foam that is applied to the carpet and permitted to dry so as to form a more or less dry, powdery residue of detergent substance which, together with any dirt detached from the carpet, is then removed from the carpet by brushing, vacuum treatment or any other suitable method.

It is however also well recognized that carpets cleaned by this method, using the foam of common sulphated and sulphonated detergent substances such as sodium fatty alcohol sulphates and sodium alkylarylsulphonates, are susceptible to very rapid resoiling. Obviously carpets are particularly liable to soiling by virtue of their use as floor I coverings, but in the case under discussion the tendency to resoiling ismuch accentuated by the persistent, slightly damp residuum left behind after removal of the dry residue of these detergents, which promotes the pick-up of fresh dirt. Particularly in the case of synthetic fibres and fabrics manufactured therefrom rapid resoiling can also perhaps be attributed sometimes to the build-up upon the fibres of electrostatic charges which attract dirt particles.

We have now found that by using a novel combination of detergent substances in the cleaning of both natural and synthetic fibres as well as of woven, plaited and like fabrics including carpets and other floor coverings manufac tured therefrom, the tendency of these fibrous materials after they have been cleaned to become resoiled is very considerably reduced relative to anything previously attainable.

According to the invention there is therefore provided a process for cleaning natural and synthetic fibrous materials in which the fibrous materials are cleaned with a dry residue shampoo wherein the aqueous detergent solutions employed comprise from 70% to 30% of one or more salts of sulphated or sulphonated detergent substances and the balance of from 30% to 70% of one or more derivatives of sulphosuccinic acid capable of drying 3,401,007 Patented Sept. 10, 1968 to form a dry residue conforming to the general structure formula:

in which R indicates a fatty acid residue or fatty alcohol residue, X indicates an alkylene grouping joined respectively to R and to the sulphosuccinic residue via amidetype or ester-type linkages, one of Y and Z is hydrogen and the other is the group --SO M, and M indicates any desired salt-forming metal cation of Groups I, II and III of the Periodic Table.

The inclusion of from 30% to 70% of the derivatives of sulphosuccinic acid of the above general formula in the conventional sulphated or sulphonated detergents has the remarkable and unpredictable effect of ensuring that the detergent solution as a whole dries to give a solid dry residue capable of easy and complete removal by brushing or suction, without leaving behind the damp, more or less greasy residue, which hitherto has caused trouble by promoting the redeposition of dirt. Furthermore, there is also some reason to believe that the presence of the sulphosuccinic acid derivatives of the above general formula in the detergent solution which forms the basic of the dry residue shampoos used in the process of the invention has some effect in reducing the extent to which the fibre cleansed with the shampoo becomes electrostatically charged as compared either with uncleansed fibre or with fibre cleansed only with a conventional sulphated or sulphonated detergent. Finally it is also worth mention that the inclusion of the sulphosuccinic acid derivatives of the above-specified general formula does not adversely affect the cleansing action of the conventional detergents but on the contrary this can be very considerably enhanced by their presence.

The process of this invention is valuable quite generally for the cleaning of fibres and/or woven, plaited or like fabrics manufactured therefrom, including carpets and other floor coverings, and thus for instance it is applicable with advantage to the cleaning of natural fibres such as wool, silk or the like, as well as woven, plaited, knitted or other fabrics made therefrom. The process of the invention is however, particularly outstanding when put to use in the cleaning of floor coverings such as carpets, mats and rugs, which often today are made of synthetic fibres, because these are exceptionally badly exposed to soiling and because the conventional cleaning agents used hitherto have for the stated reasons failed to produce a really satisfactory and lasting cleansing effect. It will be noted that only the specified sulphosuccinic acid derivatives can be used in the process of this invention, since in fact only those of the above general formula leave a dry deposit that can be completely removed without leaving moist residue.

The preferred sulphosuccinic acid derivatives of the above general formula for use in the process of this invention are the salts of fatty acid alkylolamide sulphosuccinic acid half-esters and the salts of sulphosuccinic acid half-esters of fatty alcohols. Especially preferred are the sulphosuccinic acid half-esters of fatty acid alkylolamides or fatty alcohols.

The sulphosuccinic acid derivative(s)) concerned may be included either singly or in any desired combination, and it is in fact preferred to use a combination of two or more sulphosuccinic acid derivatives of the above general formula.

Tests have shown that, While the process of the invention works satisfactorily so long as the proportions of the two detergents in the aqueous detergent solution are Within the range of 30-70% to 70-30%, the greatest effectiveness is achieved when the sulphosuccinic acid derivatives of the above general formula constitute from 40% to 50% of the total detergent, and indeed preferably the two components should be present in substantially equal amounts.

The aqueous detergent solutions used in the process according to the invention, which usually should contain from to of detergent substances, may obviously also include any of the other substances conventionally added to sulphated or sulphonated detergents so as to achieve particular results, such as for example foamstabilization using the appropriate agents for that purpose, preferably fatty acid alkylolamides and the like.

In order that the invention may be well understood the following examples will now be given, though by way of illustration only:

EXAMPLE 1 3 parts by weight of the sodium salt of sulphated cocoanut oil fatty alcohols and 7 parts by weight of the sodium salt of the sulphosuccinic acid half-ester of cocoanut oil fatty alcohols are mixed together and dissolved in 90 parts by weight of hot water to give a clear aqueous solution. The resultant aqueous 10% detergent solution was used as a dry residue shampoo to clean carpets and showed excellent cleansing power while drying to a powder which could be completely removed by brushing and/or suction without leaving any moist residue.

EXAMPLE 2 3 parts by weight of the sodium salt of lauric alcohol sulphate are dissolved in 90 parts by weight of hot water followed by 7 parts by weight of the sodium salt of a fatty acid alkylolamide sulphosuccinic acid half-ester. The resultant aqueous 10% detergent solution was then formulated as an aerosol, which was sprayed on to the covering of a couch. The resultant dry foam was then removed by sponging. Excellent cleansing was thus achieved, and no damp residue was observable after cleaning.

EXAMPLE 3 4 parts by weight of sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate and 6 parts by weight of the sodium salt of the sulphosuccinic acid half-ester of lauric acid monoethanolamide are mixed together, then dissolved by stirring in 90 parts by weight of hot water to yield a 10% aqueous detergent solution. This solution was used to clean carpets and showed excellent cleaning power. The cleaned fibres dried completely without retaining any moist residue favour able to resoiling.

EXAMPLE 4 5 parts by weight of sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate, 2.5 parts by weight of the sodium salt of the sulphosuccinic acid half-ester of myristic acid monoisopropanolamide and 2.5 parts by weight of the sodium salt of the sulphosuccinic acid half-ester of lauryl alcohol were mixed with 90 parts by weight of water and heated until completely dissolved. The resultant 10% aqueous solution was used to clean a carpet formed of polyamide fibres, and showed excellent cleaning power. The cleaned fibres dried completely, without retaining any moist residue favourable to resoiling.

While for reasonable brevity only the above examples have been set out here to illustrate the invention, it is to be noted that experiments show that any of the conventional sulphated and sulphonated detergent substances used in conjunction with any of the sulphosuccinic acid derivatives of the general formula specified herein, in the necessary proportions, will yield a dry residue shampoo free from the excessive tendency to resoiling which has marred the existing shampoos.

We claim:

1. A process for cleaning natural and synthetic fibrous materials comprising subjecting said materials to treatment with a shampoo capable of drying to a powdery residue, said residue being removed after drying by a subsequent mechanical procedure as by brushing or by vacuum suction, in which the shampoo is an aqueous solution of a detergent composition consisting essentially of %30% of a compound selected from the group consisting of the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of cocoanut oil fatty alcohols, the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic half ester of lauric acid monoethanolamide, the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of myristic acid monoisopropanolamide and the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of lauryl alcohol or mixtures thereof and 30%70% of a compound from the group consisting of the sodium salt of sulfated cocoanut oil fatty alcohols, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate.

2. A process as defined in claim 1 in which the detergent composition consists of a mixture of the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of cocoanut oil fatty alcohols and the sodium salt of sulfated cocoanut oil fatty alcohols.

3. A process as defined in claim 1 in which the detergent composition consists of a mixture of the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic half ester of lauric acid monoethanolamide and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate.

4. A process as defined in claim 1 in which the detergent composition is a mixture consisting of equal parts by weight of sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate and a mixture consisting of equal parts of the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of myristic acid monoisopropanolamide and the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of lauryl alcohol.

5. A process for cleaning natural and synthetic fibrous materials, comprising subjecting said materials to treatment with a shampoo capable of drying to a powdery residue, said residue being removed after drying by a subsequent mechanical procedure as by brushing or by vacuum suction, in which the shampoo is an aqueous solution containing from l0%15% of a detergent composition consisting essentially of 40%50% of a compound selected from the group consisting of the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic half esters of cocoanut oil fatty alcohol, the sodium 'salt of the sulfosuccinic half ester of lauric acid monoethanolamide, the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of myristic acid monoisopropanolamide, and the sodium salt of the sulfosuccinic acid half ester of lauryl alcohol or mixtures thereof, the remainder of the detergent composition being selected from the group consisting of the sodium salt of sulfated cocoanut oil fatty alcohols, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,327,183 8/1943 Flett 252161 2,956,025 10/1960 Lew 252-l61 2,976,112 3/1961 Yonkers et al 8l37 X 3,206,408 9/1965 Vitaliz et al. 252161 MAYER WEINBLATT, Primary Examiner,