Aqueous alkaline composition

An aqueous composition comprising

• (i) a non-ionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of butylene oxide-ethylene oxide derivatives of an alcohol (ROH), of Formula II
• R--O--›C.sub.2 H.sub.3 (C.sub.2 H.sub.5)O!.sub.c --›C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O!.sub.b --H (II)
• wherein
• R is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl group containing from 4 to 11 carbon atoms,
• b (the average degree of ethoxylation per mole) is from 1 to 10, and
• c (the average degree of butoxylation per mole) is from 0.5 to 4 and
• (ii) at least about 5 percent of an alkali metal hydroxide, based on the total weight of the aqueous composition.

An aqueous composition comprising

• (i) from about 0.0001 to about 0.5 percent of one or more non-ionic surfactants selected from the group consisting of butylene oxide-ethylene oxide derivatives of an alcohol (ROH), of Formula II
• R--O--›C.sub.2 H.sub.3 (C.sub.2 H.sub.5)O!.sub.c --›C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O!.sub.b --H (II)
• wherein
• R is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl group containing from 4 to 11 carbon atoms,
• b (the average degree of ethoxylation per mole) is from 1 to 10, and
• c (the average degree of butoxylation per mole) is from 0.5 to 4,
• (ii) from about 0.1 to about 5 percent of one or more alkali metal hydroxides,
• optionally from about 0.0001 to about 0.7 percent of a solubilizer selected from the group consisting of fatty acid esters of mono- or disaccharides or of sucroglycerides, alkyl polyglucosides, esters of polyethoxylated polyols, polyethoxylated lanolin, mono- and dialkyl-diphenyloxide disulfonic acids or alkaline salts thereof, alkanolamides of fatty acids, sucroglycerides of alkyl ethoxylates and anionic phosphate esters or their acidic forms and
• from about 90 to about 99.998 percent of water, all percentages being based on the total weight of diluted composition.