Alkaline cleaning and sanitizing composition effective for soap scum removal

1. Alkaline ready to use cleaning and sanitizing composition which is essentially free of a chelating agent based on a organic acid compound, which is particularly directed for the effective removal of soap scum stains on hard surfaces comprising:

an amine oxide surfactant;

a nonionic alkoxylated alcohol surfactant;

a germicide constituent;

organic solvent constituent;

an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal carbonate constituent;

an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal hydroxide constituent;

optionally, a minor amount of one or more conventional additives including coloring agents, fragrances, opacificers, thickening agents, pH adjusting agents, buffers; and,

water.

2. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the composition is essentially free of a nitrogen containing chelating agents.

3. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the germicide constituent is a germicidal cationic surfactant.

4. The composition according to claim 3 wherein the germicide constituent is a water miscible or water soluble quaternary ammonium compound having germicidal properties.

5. The composition according to claim 4 wherein the germicide constituent is a water miscible or water soluble quaternary ammonium compound having germicidal properties which may be characterized by the general structural formula:

wherein at least one of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 is a alkyl, azyl or alkylaryl substituent of from 6 to 26 carbon atoms, and desirably the entire cation portion of the molecule has a molecular weight of at least 165, the remaining substituents on the nitrogen atoms other than the aboveinentioned alkyl substituents are hydrocarbons usually containing no more than 12 carbon atoms, the substituents R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 may be straight-chained or may be branched, and may include one or more amide, ether or ester linkages, and the counterion X may be any salt-forming anion which permits water solubility of the quatemary ammonium complex.

6. The composition according to claim 5 wherein the water miscible or water soluble quaternary ainmomum compound having germicidal properties is a quaternary ammonium compound which may be represented by the structural formula:

wherein

R 2 and R 3 are the same or different C 8 -C 12 alkyl, or R 2 is C 12-16 alkyl, C 8-18 alkylethoxy, C 8-18 alkylphenolethoxy and R 3 is benzyl, and

X is a halide or is a methosulfate anion.

7. The composition according to claim 1 wherein the nonionic alkoxylated alcohol surfactant is C 12- C 16 aliphatic alcohol having an average of about 8-10 moles of ethoxylation per mol of alcohol.

8. The composition according to claim 1 which comprises one or more amine oxide surfactants which may be represented by the following structure:

wherein:

each R 1 independently is a straight chained or branched C 1 -C 4 alkyl group, but preferably both R1 are methyl groups; and,

R 2 is a straight chained or branched C 8 -C 18 alkyl group, preferably is a C 8 -C 12 alkyl group.

9. A composition according to claim 1 wherein the total amounts of the surfactants do not exceed 2.0% wt. of the composition.

10. A process for the cleaning and disinfecting of a hard surface which comprises the step of:

applying a cleaning and sanitizing effective amount of the composition according to claim 1 to a hard surface.

11. The composition according claim 2 wherein the nonionic alkoxylated alcohol surfactant is C 12 -C 16 aliphatic alcohol having an average of about 8-10 moles of ethoxylation per mol of alcohol.

12. The composition according to claim 2 which comprises one or more amine oxide surfactants which may be represented by the following structure:

wherein:

each R 1 independently is a straight chained or branched C 1 -C 4 alkyl group, but preferably both R1 are methyl groups; and,

R 2 is a straight chained or branched C 8 -C 18 is alkyl group, preferably is a C 8 -C 12 alkyl group.