# US 10,865,367 B2 · Method of dishwashing comprising detergent compositions substantially free of polycarboxylic acid polymers > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,367 B2 - Document ID: US10865367B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/018,337 - Filed: 2018-06-26 - Published: 2018-12-27 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2017-06-26 - Assignees: Ecolab USA Inc. - Applicants: Ecolab USA Inc. - Inventors: Erik C. Olson; Carter M. Silvernail - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865367B2 ## CPC - C11D 3/0047: {pH regulated compositions} - C11D 7/265: {Carboxylic acids or salts thereof} - C11D 7/36: containing phosphorus - A47L 15/0005: {Rinsing phases, e.g. pre-rinsing, intermediate rinsing, final rinsing} - A47L 15/0007: {Washing phases} - C11D 2111/18: Glass; Plastics - C11D 2111/44: Multi-step processes - C11D: DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL - A47L: DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING (brushes A46B; cleaning quantities of bottles or of other hollow articles of one kind B08B9/00; laundry D06F); SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL (cleaning in general B08) ## Abstract Methods of dishwashing to remove soils are disclosed, including a first detergent wash step, wherein the detergent is substantially-free of water conditioning agents including polycarboxylic acid polymers and phosphonates, followed by a second step of rinsing under high temperature with a water conditioning agent, namely polycarboxylic acid polymers. The methods result in little to no precipitation forming on the treated ware due to the treating of the hard water before it contacts the alkalinity source which prevents precipitation and/or flocculation from occurring. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of warewashing comprising: contacting ware with an alkaline detergent composition substantially free of scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents, wherein the scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents are polycarboxylic acid polymers and/or phosphonates; and thereafter contacting ware with a rinse composition comprising at least one scale-inhibiting water conditioning agent, wherein the scale-inhibiting water conditioning agent consists of phosphonate, reducing the overall consumption of scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents in the warewashing method by at least about 25% in comparison to warewashing methods employing scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents in the alkaline detergent composition. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the alkaline detergent composition is substantially free of a methacrylate polymer, an acrylate polymer, an acrylic maleic copolymer, a polymaleic acid homopolymer, an acrylate/ATBS copolymer or combinations thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detergent composition comprises less than about 0.1 wt-% scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detergent composition is free of scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detergent composition provides a pH from about 9 to about 12.5 in an aqueous solution, and wherein the rinse composition provides a pH from about 2 to about 8 in an aqueous solution. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the alkaline detergent composition comprises an inorganic alkalinity source. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the ware is kitchen ware. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein contacting of the alkaline detergent is at a temperature range from about 100° F. to about 180° F., and wherein the contacting of the rinse composition is at a temperature range from about 100° F. to about 200° F. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the rinse composition is free of polyitaconic acid polymers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the rinse step does not result in precipitation on the treated ware. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the scale-inhibiting water conditioning agent(s) in the rinse step provides superior cleaning of the ware and reduces the amount of scale-inhibiting water conditioning agent(s) by at least about 50% in comparison to conventional ware washing employing the scale-inhibiting water conditioning agent in a wash step. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises a sanitizing step after the rinse step. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the rinse composition provides between about 0.5 ppm to about 40 ppm of the phosphonate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the detergent comprises an alkalinity source and at least two components that are water, a defoaming agent, a chelant that is not a polycarboxylic acid polymer, an enzyme and/or a surfactant, and wherein the rinse composition further comprises at least one additional component that is water, a defoaming agent, a sheeting agent, and/or a surfactant. ### Claim 15 A method of dishwashing comprising: contacting kitchen ware with an alkaline detergent composition that comprises less than about 0.1 wt-% water scale-inhibiting conditioning agents comprising polycarboxylic acid polymer and/or phosphonates; and thereafter contacting ware with a rinse composition comprising scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents consisting of phosphonates, wherein the rinse composition provides between about 0.5 ppm to about 40 ppm of the phosphonate and is free of polyitaconic acid polymers, reducing the overall consumption of scale inhibiting water conditioning agents in the dishwashing method by at least about 25% in comparison to dishwashing methods employing scale inhibiting water conditioning agents in the alkaline detergent composition; wherein the method of dishwashing provides an improvement in scale inhibition and cleaning performance. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the detergent comprises an alkalinity source and at least two components that are water, a defoaming agent, a chelant that is not a polycarboxylic acid polymer, an enzyme and/or a surfactant. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the rinse composition further comprises at least one additional component that is water, a defoaming agent, a sheeting agent, and/or a surfactant. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises a sanitizing step after contacting the ware with the rinse composition. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the detergent compositions provides a pH of the composition of from about 9 to about 12.5 in an aqueous solution, and wherein the rinse compositions provides a pH of the composition from about 2 to about 8 in an aqueous solution. ### Claim 20 A warewashing system comprising: an alkaline detergent composition substantially free of scale-inhibiting water conditioning agents comprising polycarboxylic acid polymer and/or phosphonates and providing a pH of the composition of from about 9 to about 12.5 in an aqueous solution; and a rinse composition comprising scale inhibiting water conditioning agent(s) consisting of phosphonates and providing a pH of the composition from about 2 to about 8 in an aqueous solution, a reduction in overall consumption of scale inhibiting water conditioning agent(s) in the warewashing system by at least about 25% compared to a warewashing system employing scale inhibiting water conditioning agent(s) in the detergent composition, wherein the alkaline detergent composition and thereafter rinse composition are dosed in a warewash machine and wherein the system provides at least substantially similar or an improvement in scale inhibition and at least substantially similar or an improvement in cleaning performance.