US 2004/0005992 A1 · Composition and method of use for self-carbonated fabric cleaner and fabric pre-sprays

Abstract

Carpeting, upholstery, drapery and other textile fibers may cleaned by applying to the fibers, from an application device, an aqueous self-carbonated cleaning solution prepared by mixing an acidic partially-carbonated pre-spray solution having a pH of about 4 with an alkaline partially-carbonated pre-spray solution having a pH of about 10, to provide the self-carbonated cleaning solution with a pH of about 7 and carbon dioxide bubbles. The pre-spray may each be thus effectively used either separately or in combination. The application device may have a valve allowing the operator to control the proportion of acidic and alkaline pre-spray solutions that are used to provide the self-carbonated cleaning solution and to thus selectively adjust the pH of the resulting solution. Both pre-spray solutions may be comprised of the same constituents, namely an acid, a carbonate salt, and a bicarbonate or percarbonate salt, but the specific choices for acid, carbonate salt, and bicarbonate or percarbonate salt may be different between solutions.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A self-carbonating cleaning solution prepared by combining

a. an alkaline solution prepared by mixing a first acid, a first carbonate salt, and a first bicarbonate or percarbonate salt in water, so that the alkaline solution has a pH in the range of 9 to 11, and
b. an acidic solution prepared by mixing a second acid, a second carbonate salt, and a second bicarbonate or percarbonate salt in water, so that the acidic solution has a pH in the range of 3 to 5;
wherein the alkaline solution reacts with the acidic solution to produce the self-carbonating cleaning solution having a pH of between 6 and 8 and carbon dioxide, and wherein the solids concentration in the self-carbonating cleaning solution is between about 1.0% to 5% by volume (1.5% to 4% by weight).

A method of cleaning textile fibers using an application device having a first removable tank and a second removable tank, the method comprising

a. providing an alkaline partially-carbonated pre-spray solution having a pH of about 10 in the first removable tank;
b. providing an acidic partially-carbonated pre-spray solution having a pH of about 4 in the second removable tank;
c. selectively pre-treating portions of the textile fibers with the acidic partially-carbonated pre-spray solution;
d. selectively pre-treating portions of the textile fibers with the alkaline partially-carbonated pre-spray solution;
e. combining the alkaline partially-carbonated pre-spray solution in the first removable tank and the acidic partially-carbonated pre-spray solution in the second removable tank through use of a mixing means associated with the application device to provide a self-carbonated cleaning solution having a pH in a range between 6 and 8;
and
f. cleaning the textile fibers with the self-carbonated cleaning solution;
wherein the removable tanks remain on the device and are not replaced with removable tanks containing different pre-spray solutions.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Composition and method of use for self-carbonated fabric cleaner and fabric pre-sprays

Life of this patent

Composition and method of use for self-carbonated fabric cleaner and fabric pre-sprays

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22