Aqueous cleaning composition for cleaning substrates and method of using same

摘要

An alkaline aqueous cleaning composition for cleaning a substrate contaminated with industrial-type soil contaminants contains (i) an aqueous portion and (ii) an active-ingredient portion composed of (A) an alkalinity-providing agent and (B) a surfactant mixture containing (a) an active concentration of an ethoxylated C9-11 alkanol surfactant having an HLB value at 25 DEG C. of from about 10 to about 12 and (b) an active concentration of at least one aminocarboxylic acid surfactant of the general formula: R-N(H)-R', (I) wherein R is a straight or branched chain aliphatic organic group having from 10 to 20 carbon atoms, and R' is a straight or branched chain carboxylic acid having from 1 to 7 carbon atoms. At an active-concentration ratio of surfactant (a) to surfactant (b) of about 2.5:1, the surfactants have a synergistic effect on the cleaning composition's ability to remove certain types of industrial soil contaminants from the substrate. Cleaning of the substrate with the aqueous cleaning composition involves contacting the substrate with the composition for a period of time sufficient to remove at least a substantial portion of the contaminants from the substrate.