Thickened hypochorite solutions with reduced bleach odor and method and manufacture of use

A thickened liquid bleach composition comprising:

• an aqueous solution of a hypochlorite of an alkali metal being substantially free of alkali metal chloride salts, the hypochlorite forming from about 0.1 to about 10% by weight of the composition;
• at least one cross-linked polyacrylate polymer in an amount of about 0.2 to 2.0% by weight of the composition for thickening the composition to a viscosity of at least about 20 centipoise (cps) at 25.degree. C., for effectively reducing bleach odor when the composition is dispensed onto a surface to be cleaned and still further for maintaining stability of the composition and for providing a compositional yield value in the range of from about 0.1 to about 100 dynes per cm.sup.2 ;
• and
• a stabilizer in an amount effective for providing a composition pH above 12 for stabilizing the cross-linked polyacrylate in the presence of the hypochlorite;
• wherein the composition is a solution that is free of suspended solids, has an ionic strength of less than about 0.75 g-ions/Kg, contains essentially no chloride salt, and is capable of being dispensed in the form of a spray, wherein said spray is a gas suspended liquid particle having a diameter greater than about 10 millimicrons.

In an aqueous bleaching composition and spray dispenser combination of the type which comprises a hypochlorite active and a trigger spray dispenser, the improvement which comprises:

• the hypochlorite being present in an amount of about 1 to about 10% by weight and being substantially free from alkali metal chloride salts;
• at least one cross-linked polyacrylate polymer being present in an amount effective for thickening the composition to a viscosity of between about 20 and 1,000 centipoise (cps) at 25.degree. C., for effectively reducing bleach odor when the composition is dispensed onto a surface to be cleaned, and still further for maintaining stability of the composition, the cross-linked polyacrylate polymer providing a compositional yield value in the range of from about 0.1 to about 100 dynes per cm.sup.2 ;
• and
• a stabilizer being present in an amount effective to provide a composition pH above 12 for stabilizing the cross-linked polyacrylate in the presence of the hypochlorite;
• wherein the composition is a solution that is free of suspended solids for use in the form of a spray, has an ionic strength of less than about 0.75 g-ions/Kg, and contains essentially no chloride salt, further wherein said spray is a gas suspended liquid particle having a diameter greater than about 10 millimicrons.

A method of making a thickened liquid bleach composition for use in a spray dispenser to direct the composition onto a hard surface to be cleaned, the spray dispenser tending to divide the composition into liquid particles and resulting in the reduction of bleach odor, the method comprising the steps of:

• forming an aqueous solution of hypochlorite of an alkali metal being substantially free of alkali metal chloride salts, the hypochlorite of an alkali metal being substantially free of alkali metal chloride salts, the hypochlorite comprising from about 0.1 to about 10% by weight of the composition;
• and
• adding
• at least one cross-linked polacrylate polymer in an amount of about 0.2 to 2.0% by weight of the composition for thickening the composition to a viscosity of at least about 20 centipoise (cps) at 25.degree. C., for effectively reducing bleach odor when the composition is dispensed onto a surface to be cleaned, and still further for maintaining stability of the composition and providing a compositional yield value in the range of from about 0.1 to about 100 dynes per cm.sup.2, and
• a stabilizer in an amount effective for providing a composition pH above 12 for stabilizing the cross-linked polyacrylate in the presence of the hypochlorite;
• wherein the composition is a solution that is free of suspended solids for use with the spray dispenser, has an ionic strength of less than about 0.75 g-ions/Kg, and contains essentially no chloride salt.