Microemulsion all purpose liquid cleaning composition

A stable, clear, all-purpose, hard surface cleaning composition which is especially effective in the removal of oily and greasy soil, in the form of an oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsion, the aqueous phase of said microemulsion composition comprising, on a weight basis

• from about 1% to 10% of a water-soluble non-soap anionic detergent;
• from about 2% to about 10% of a water-miscible cosurfactant having substantially no ability to dissolve oily or greasy soil selected from the group consisting of water-soluble C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 alkanols;
• polypropylene glycol ethers;
• C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 monoalkyl ethers and esters of ethylene glycol or propylene glycol;
• aliphatic mono- and di-carboxylic acids containing 3 to 6 carbons in the molecule;
• C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl ether polyethenoxy carboxylic acids of the structural formula R(OC.sub.2 H.sub.4).sub.n OX COOH where R is C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl, n is a number from 4 to 12 and X is selected from the group consisting of CH.sub.2 C(O)R.sub.1 and C(O) ##STR4## wherein R.sub.1 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkylene group, with the proviso that the anionic carboxylate form of the C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl ether polyethenoxy carboxylic acids is not present;
• monoethyl phosphate;
• diethyl phosphate and triethyl phosphate;
• 0% to 2.0% of a C.sub.8 -C.sub.22 fatty acid or a soap of said fatty acid;
• and
• water;
• and the oil phase of said microemulsion consisting essentially of a non-water-soluble perfume in an amount of from about 0.4% to about 10% perfume by weight of the entire composition;
• said composition being particularly effective in removing oil or greasy soil from hard surfaces by solubilizing the oily or greasy soil in the oil phase of said microemulsion.

In a stable microemulsion composition containing

• a water-soluble non-soap anionic surfactant,
• a cosurfactant selected from the group consisting of water-soluble C.sub.3 -C.sub.4 alkanols;
• polypropylene glycol ethers;
• C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 mono-alkyl ethers and esters of ethylene glycol or propylene glycol;
• aliphatic mono- and di-carboxylic acids containing 3 to 6 carbon atoms in the molecule;
• C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl ether polyethenoxy carboxylic acids of the structural formula R(OC.sub.2 H.sub.4).sub.n OX COOH wherein R is C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl, n is a number from 4 to 12 and X is selected from the group consisting of CH.sub.2, C(O)R.sub.1 and C(O) ##STR5## wherein R.sub.1 is a C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 alkylene group, with the proviso that the anionic carboxylate form of the C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl ether polyethenoxy carboxylic acids is not present;
• monoethyl phosphate;
• diethyl phosphate and triethyl phosphate;
• a C.sub.8 -C.sub.22 fatty acid or a soap of said fatty acid;
• a hydrocarbon;
• a water-soluble organic or inorganic salt of a polyvalent metal;
• and
• water;
• the improvement which comprises the use of water-insoluble perfume as the essential hydrocarbon ingredient in a proportion sufficient to form a dilute oil-in-water (o/w) microemulsion composition consisting essentially of, by weight, 1% to 10% of said anionic detergent, 2% to 10% of said cosurfactant, 0% to 2.0% of said fatty acid or said soap of said fatty acid, 0.4% to 10% of said perfume and the balance water, with said water-soluble salt of a polyvalent metal being present in an amount to provide a stoichiometric equivalent between said anionic detergent and the polyvalent metal cation of said polyvalent metal salt.