Aqueous antimicrobial composition having improved stability

An aqueous antimicrobial composition (a) which is substantially free of glycols having a molecular weight of less than about 70 and of salts of organic acids and which thereby has improved stability of the active antimicrobial ingredient therein;

• (b) which has a pH of from about 2 to about 5;
• and (c) which comprises, based upon the total weight of such composition:
• (1) from about 1 to about 25 weight percent of an alpha-halogenated amide antimicrobial compound of the formula:
• ##STR3## wherein:
• X is hydrogen, halogen or a cyano radical;
• each R group is independently hydrogen, a monovalent saturated hydrocarbon radical or an inertly substituted monovalent saturated hydrocarbon radical or the two R groups are jointly a divalent saturated hydrocarbon radical or an inertly substituted divalent saturated hydrocarbon radical which, taken with the adjacent nitrogen atom, forms a heterocyclic ring having from 4 to about 10 ring members;
• and
• R.sub.1 is a cyano radical or an amido radical of the formula:
• ##STR4## wherein R is as hereinbefore defined;
• (2) a water miscible organic solvent in an amount sufficient to dissolve said alpha-halogenated amide, said solvent being selected from the group consisting of normally liquid polyalkylene glycols of the ethylene, trimethylene, or tetramethylene series and the mono- and di-saturated hydrocarbyl ethers thereof;
• and
• (3) water in an amount greater than 20 weight percent based upon the total weight of the aqueous antimicrobial composition.