Subject of the Invention

The invention relates to a cleaning product in liquid form, wherein said cleaning product readily dissolves in water and leaves no soap residue on the fabric on which it is applied and prevents the irritation by moisturizing the skin which it is to contact, while preserving the form of the fabric.

State of the Art

The cover system of the human body that is in contact with the external environment and protects the internal and external organs from adverse ambient conditions is called the skin. The skin consists of three layers; namely epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. Of these layers, the epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin, and the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis, protects our body from the external factors and controls the water loss from the skin.

In the last trimester of the pregnancy, a biological film called vernix caseosa, which protects the baby from the external factors, covers the skin of the baby. The studies reveal that the structure of this film comprises 80% water, 10% protein and 10% fat. It was determined that it contains 40-50 types of protein and that these components support the natural immunity of the baby. The stratum corneum and the vernix caseosa layers do not complete their development on the skin of the premature babies. Therefore, the water loss from the skin of the babies is higher, which in turn leads to dryness of the skin. For the same reason, the skin also becomes more prone to infection.

Due to said sensitivity, the parents are more attentive to protect the skin of their babies from irritation and/or allergy and moisturize the same. They choose to keep the products with chemical ingredients away from the skin of the babies and/or from the materials such as fabric, etc. contacting the skin of the babies.

The health problems likely to be caused by the skin dryness include but are not limited to eczema. Moreover, the problems such as itching, rash, irritation and bacterial colonization associated with the cracks developing in the skin may also occur. The residues of the products like soap and detergent on the fabrics also cause the occurrence of such health problems. In order to remove the cleaning product residues on the fabrics, the parents usually prefer using liquid products due to their greater water solubility and/or perform an additional rinsing process at the end of the washing process.

According to the state of the art, the soaps or detergents are utilized for cleaning the clothes. The cleaning products used for the baby clothes have more natural ingredients and differ from the cleaners used for the adult clothes. The problem of residues on the clothes caused by the powder detergents and some chemicals contained by the liquid detergents indicate that the detergents for the adult clothes are not appropriate for washing the baby clothes. The currently available liquid detergents generally contain the surfactants, the brighteners and/or bleaching agents for providing the white clothes with a whiter and brighter appearance, the essences for providing a pleasant smell and the preservatives for preventing the growth of harmful microorganisms. Consequently, the washed clothes are exposed to numerous chemical agents, in which case the skin of the babies may be adversely affected.

As an alternative to detergents, it is also possible to use the soaps for washing the clothes. Because they do not contain synthetic surfactants, the granular soaps are preferred by the parents. However, these products have drawbacks including the difficulty in rinsing due to the granular form and the excessive residue on the clothes. In addition, since they do not include any component to support the skin structure and since they contain an essence, as in the case with the detergents, the skin of the babies is exposed to factors with the possibility of causing a I lergy/i rritation in case such granular soaps are used.

The need has arisen to perform an innovation in the relevant art in order to solve the above- mentioned problems. With this invention, a cleaning product in liquid form is provided, wherein said cleaning product readily dissolves in water and leaves no soap residue on the fabric on which it is applied and prevents the irritation by moisturizing the skin which it is to contact, while preserving the form of the fabric.

Object of the Invention

An object of the invention is to develop a cleaning product in liquid form, which does not leave any soap residue on the clothes as it readily dissolves in water and it is easy to rinse.

Another object of the invention is to develop a cleaning product with natural ingredients, which is free of chemicals like essence, dye, bleach/brightener and preservative.

Another object of the invention is to develop a cleaning product, which prevents the irritation by moisturizing the skin.

Another object of the invention is to develop a cleaning product, which preserves the form of the clothes.

The structural and characteristic features and all the advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the detailed description provided below. Consequently, the evaluation should be made taking said detailed description into consideration.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The invention relates to a cleaning product in liquid form, wherein said cleaning product readily dissolves in water and leaves no soap residue on the fabric on which it is applied and prevents the irritation by moisturizing the skin which it is to contact, while preserving the form of the fabric.

In this detailed description, the preferred alternatives of the cleaning product according to the invention are described only to enable a better understanding of the subject matter, without leading to any limiting effect.

The cleaning product according to the invention comprises in its most basic form at least one type of oil and/or fatty acid and at least one type of alkaline agent. Said cleaning product does not contain any synthetic component including essences and preservative agents.

Said cleaning product is preferably but not limited to a clothes cleaner. Compared to the alternatives according to the state of the art, that it combines the solubility of a liquid detergent and the purity of a soap in the absence of any synthetic component is among the most distinguishing features of this product.

It is desirable that the cleaning product, despite lacking a surfactant, has a good cleaning performance. This cleaning performance is provided by the soap contained in the product. The soap is defined as the sodium and/or potassium salts of the long-chain organic fatty acids. The cleaning action of the soap stems from the ability of its hydrophobic part to surround the oil and/or dirt.

The cleaning product according to the invention comprises at least one type of oil and/or fatty acid for use in the saponification reaction. In the developed product, at least one type of oil or a mixture of several oils selected from but not limited to coconut oil, shea oil, cocoa oil, castor oil, laurel oil, olive oil, black cumin oil, palm oil and terebinth oil is preferred. It is observed that the saponification reaction can take place at high temperatures in case an oil is used. Moreover, it is observed that the soap can harden in cases where appropriate conditions and concentrations can not be provided. In line with the object of the invention, the product is desired to have a liquid and homogeneous form. Thus, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the fatty acids of said oil alternatives were also used.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises coconut oil fatty acid as the fatty acid and/or olive oil as the oil.

Within the scope of the invention, at least one type of alkaline agent is employed in addition to the oil and/or fatty acid. Considering that the soap is a sodium and/or potassium salt, the alkaline agents possible to be used for the realization of the saponification reaction include at least one alkaline agent or a mixture of alkaline agents selected from but not limited to sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises sodium hydroxide as the alkaline agent.

Another embodiment of the invention comprises potassium hydroxide as the alkaline agent. Another embodiment of the invention comprises a mixture of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide as the alkaline agent.

It is desired that the growth of harmful microorganisms does not occur in the course of time in the cleaning product developed within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the cleaning product may comprise at least one preservative agent, or, the use of a preservative agent is not needed in case the pH value of the product is maintained above a certain value.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has a minimum pH value of 10-11 and does not contain any preservative agent.

In the alternative embodiments, the invention may additionally comprise the ingredients for preserving the form and flexibility of the fabric on which the product is applied and/or for preventing the irritation by moisturizing the skin which the fabric is to contact. Said ingredients include sodium lactate and/or vegetable oils and/or vitamins and/or proteins and/or amino acids and/or sugars and/or sugar-derived agents. The alternatives for the vegetable oil include at least one oil selected from but not limited to cocoa bean oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, almond oil and avocado oil; the alternatives for the protein include at least one protein selected from but not limited to keratin, elastin and casein; and the alternatives for the vitamin include at least one vitamin selected from but not limited to vitamin E, vitamin B3 and vitamin B5.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises keratin, which, by softening the fibers contained in the fabric, provides the flexibility of the fabric and ensures that the fabric is not deformed, as the protein.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises vitamin E, which has antioxidant action and prevents the irritation by moisturizing the skin, as the vitamin. It is possible to incorporate vitamin E in the invention in the encapsulated or non-encapsulated form.

A preferred embodiment of the invention comprises saccharide isomerate, which has the feature of moisturizing the skin and adheres to the keratin tissue in the skin, as the sugarderived agent.

The product developed within the scope of the invention preferably comprises at least one type of oil and/or fatty acid at a ratio of 15-60% by weight and at least one type of alkaline agent at a ratio of 5-50% by weight.

An alternative embodiment of the invention additionally comprises at least one type of protein at a ratio of 0.05-4% by weight, at least one vitamin at a ratio of 0.05-3% by weight and at least one sugar-derived agent at a ratio of 0.05-0.7% by weight.

An alternative embodiment of the invention comprises at least one type of oil and/or fatty acid preferably at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, a second type of oil and/or fatty acid different from the first one at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, at least one type of alkaline agent at a ratio of 10-50% by weight, at least one type of protein at a ratio of 0.05-4% by weight, at least one vitamin at a ratio of 0.05-3% by weight and at least one sugar-derived agent at a ratio of 0.05-0.7% by weight. In said embodiment, the use of coconut oil fatty acid is preferred as the fatty acid at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, the use of olive oil is preferred as another oil at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, the use of sodium hydroxide is preferred as the alkaline agent, the use of keratin is preferred as the protein, the use of vitamin E is preferred as the vitamin and the use of saccharide isomerate is preferred as the sugar-derived agent. In this embodiment, the saponification reaction takes place at a temperature in the range of 15-40°C.

Another alternative embodiment of the invention comprises at least one type of oil and/or fatty acid preferably at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, a second type of oil and/or fatty acid different from the first one at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, at least one type of alkaline agent at a ratio of 5-35% by weight, at least one type of protein at a ratio of 0.05-4% by weight, at least one vitamin at a ratio of 0.05-3% by weight and at least one sugar-derived agent at a ratio of 0.05-0.7% by weight. In said embodiment, the use of coconut oil fatty acid is preferred as the fatty acid at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, the use of olive oil is preferred as another oil at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, the use of potassium hydroxide is preferred as the alkaline agent, the use of keratin is preferred as the protein, the use of vitamin E is preferred as the vitamin and the use of saccharide isomerate is preferred as the sugar-derived agent. In this embodiment, the saponification reaction takes place at a temperature in the range of 15-40°C.

Another alternative embodiment of the invention comprises at least one type of oil and/or fatty acid preferably at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, a second type of oil and/or fatty acid different from the first one at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, a mixture of at least two types of alkaline agent at a ratio of 10-45% by weight with the ratio between the two alkaline agent types being 1:1.5, at least one type of protein at a ratio of 0.05-4% by weight, at least one vitamin at a ratio of 0.05-3% by weight and at least one sugar-derived agent at a ratio of 0.05-0.7% by weight. In said embodiment, the use of coconut oil fatty acid is preferred as the fatty acid at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, the use of olive oil is preferred as another oil at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, the use of a mixture of potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide with a ratio of 1:1.5 between said agents is preferred as the alkaline agent, the use of keratin is preferred as the protein, the use of vitamin E is preferred as the vitamin and the use of saccharide isomerate is preferred as the sugar-derived agent. In this embodiment, the saponification reaction takes place at a temperature in the range of 15-40°C.

Another alternative embodiment of the invention comprises at least one type of oil and/or fatty acid preferably at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, a second type of oil and/or fatty acid different from the first one at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, a mixture of at least two types of alkaline agent at a ratio of 10-50% by weight with the ratio between the two alkaline agent types being 1:6, at least one type of protein at a ratio of 0.05-4% by weight, at least one vitamin at a ratio of 0.05-3% by weight and at least one sugar-derived agent at a ratio of 0.05-0.7% by weight. In said embodiment, the use of coconut oil fatty acid is preferred as the fatty acid at a ratio of 15-53% by weight, the use of olive oil is preferred as another oil at a ratio of 0.5-7% by weight, the use of a mixture of potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide with a ratio of 1:6 between said agents is preferred as the alkaline agent, the use of keratin is preferred as the protein, the use of vitamin E is preferred as the vitamin and the use of saccharide isomerate is preferred as the sugar-derived agent. In this embodiment, the saponification reaction takes place at a temperature in the range of 15-40°C.

The performance and residue tests were conducted for the clothes cleaner according to the invention. After the washing, no soap residue was detected on the fabrics on which the clothes cleaner was used. It was also observed that the clothes cleaner did not change the pH value of the fabric on which it was applied.

Owing to the cleaning product developed within the scope of the invention, said problems and drawbacks of the state of the art encountered by the users were enabled to be eliminated.