Thickeners for methyl ester microemulsions

A process for cleaning a hard surface comprising contacting the surface with a composition containing:

• (a) from about 1.0 to about 15.0% by weight of an anionic surfactant;
• (b) from about 3 to about 50% by weight of a C1-4 alkyl ester of a C8-22 saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid primary solvent;
• (c) from about 1.0 to about 15.0% by weight of a short-chain cosurfactant;
• (d) from about 1 to about 25% by weight of a polar solvent having a water solubility of from about 1 to about 5 g/l 00 ml;
• (e) up to about 10.0% by weight of a nonionic surfactant;
• (f) from about 0.05 to about 3.0% by weight of a thickening agent selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and mixtures thereof;
• and
• (f) remainder, water, and auxiliaries all weights being based on the total weight of the composition.