Liquid detergent composition

Claim 2

A pourable, homogenous, abrasive, aqueous detergent composition suitable for cleaning hard surfaces comprising, in addition to water: i) 1.5 to 30% by weight of detergent active compound; ii) a water-soluble salt at least 5% by weight of the composition of which at 20°C comprises a solid phase in the form of undissolved particles having a mean particle diameter of from 10 to 500µm, the salt having: (a) not more than a single hydrated species when present as a crystalline solid in water at a temperature of from 10 to 40°C in an amount above that required to form a saturated solution, and (b) a saturation solubility.in water at 40 0 C which is less than ten times that at 10°C, the total amount of said salt forming from 6 to 45% by weight of the composition; iii) the balance of the composition comprising water and other detergent adjuncts; the composition having an apparent viscosity at 20°C of at least 6500 Pas at a shear rate of 3 x 10 -5 sec. , and not more than 10 Pas at a shear rate of 21 sec -1 .

Claim 3

A composition according to claim 1, in which the detergent active compound comprises at least one anionic and one nonionic detergent active compound.

Claim 4

A composition according to claim 2, in which the anionic detergent active compound forms from 1 to 25% by weight of the composition.

Claim 5

A composition according to claim 2, in which the nonionic detergent active compound forms from 0.5 to 15% by weight of the composition.

Claim 6

A composition according to claim 2, 3 or 4, in which the weight ratio of anionic to nonionic detergent active compound is from 1:1 to 9:1.

Claim 7

A composition according to any preceding claim, in which the saturation solubility in water of the salt at 40°C is less than eight times that at 10°C.

Claim 8

A composition according to any preceding claim, in which the salt is sodium bicarbonate.

Claim 9

A composition according to any of claims 1 to 6, in which the salt is sodium tripolyphosphate pentahydrate.

Claim 10

A composition according to any of claims 1 to 6, in which the salt is sodium tetraborate decahydrate.

Claim 11

A composition according to any preceding claim, in which the salt comprises at least two salts chosen from sodium bicarbonate, sodium tripolyphosphate pentahydrate and sodium tetraborate decahydrate.

Claim 12

A composition according to any preceding claim, in which the salt has an average particle diameter of from 20 to 300um.

Claim 13

A composition according to any preceding claim, in which water comprises from 30 to 92.5% by weight of the composition.

Claim 14

A composition according to any preceding claim, in which water comprises from 40 to 80% by weight of the composition.

Claim 15

A composition according to any preceding claim, which has an apparent viscosity at 20°C of at least 25,000 Pas at a shear rate of 3 x 10 -5 se c 1 .

Claim 16

A composition according to any preceding claim, which has an apparent viscosity at 20°C of not more than 5 Pas at a shear rate of 21 sec -1 .

Claim 17

A pourable, homogenous, abrasive, aqueous detergent composition suitable for cleaning hard surfaces comprising: i) from 2 to 8% by weight of a water-soluble synthetic anionic sulphated or sulphonated detergent salt containing an alkyl radical having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the molecule; ii) from 0.5 to 4% by weight of an alkyleneoxylated nonionic detergent derived from the condensation of an aliphatic alcohol having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the molecule with ethylene oxide, such that the condensation product has from 2 to 15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of aliphatic alcohol; iii) from 6 to 45% by weight of a salt chosen from sodium bicarbonate, sodium tripolyphosphate pentahydrate, sodium tetraborate decahydrate and mixtures thereof; and iv) from 40 to 80% by weight of water; v) the balance of the composition comprising other detergent adjuncts; the composition having an apparent viscosity at 20°C of at least 25,000 Pas at a shear rate of 3 x 10 -5 sec. - 1, and not more than 5 Pas at a shear rate of 21 sec -1 .

Claim 18

A pourable, homogenous, abrasive, aqueous detergent composition suitable for cleaning hard surfaces comprising: i) from 2 to 8% by weight of a water-soluble synthetic anionic sulphated or sulphonated detergent salt containing an alkyl radical having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the molecule; ii) from 0.5 to 4% by weight of an alkyleneoxylated nonionic detergent derived from the condensation of an aliphatic alcohol having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the molecule with ethylene oxide, such that the condensation product has from 2 to 15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of aliphatic alcohol; iii) from 6 to 45% by weight of a salt chosen from sodium bicarbonate, sodium tripolyphosphate pentahydrate, sodium tetraborate decahydrate and mixtures thereof; and iv) from 40 to 80% by weight of water; v) the balance of the composition comprising other detergent adjuncts; the composition having an apparent viscosity at 20°C of at least 25,000 Pas at a shear rate of 3 x 10 -5 sec. - 1, and not more than 5 Pas at a shear rate of 21 sec -1 .