Powdery Cleaning Composition for Dishwashers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning and descaling compositions for dishwashers and washing machines are inefficient in short or eco-energy saving programs, as they either fail to fully dissolve or require high temperatures, leading to incomplete descaling and cleaning, especially with integrated ion exchangers that cannot prevent limescale formation effectively.
Innovation Solution
A powdery composition comprising 50% to 95% malic or tartaric acid with specific grain sizes and 0.05% to 1% fragrance, along with excipients and auxiliary substances, which can be easily applied and stored without clumping, ensuring effective descaling and cleaning in short programs and eco-energy saving modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid cleaning and descaling compositions are used in bottles with temperature-sensitive closures, then the composition is released at higher temperatures (around 50°C), but the machine must first heat up to these temperatures, causing a significant portion of the main rinse cycle to pass before descaling begins, reducing effectiveness in eco-saving programs with lower temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the cleaning composition from liquid to powder form, and modifies the release mechanism from temperature-sensitive closure dissolution to flow-through dissolution. This allows the composition to be effective at lower temperatures (40-50°C) without requiring the machine to heat up to higher temperatures first, thus preserving cycle time in eco-saving programs while maintaining descaling effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a special container design with a flow-through closure that acts as an intermediary between the powder composition and the washing machine environment. The closure allows water to pass through and dissolve the powder at the appropriate time in the cycle, mediating the release process to ensure effectiveness at lower temperatures without wasting cycle time
2Quantity of substance
If solid block cleaning compositions are used, then they contain high concentrations of active ingredients, but they are partially dissolved in the pre-rinse cycle, causing loss of cleaning effect and incomplete dissolution in short programs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the solid block into powder form with specific grain size distributions. This segmentation prevents premature dissolution during the pre-rinse cycle while ensuring complete dissolution during the main wash cycle, even in short programs. The powdered form maintains high active ingredient concentration while controlling the dissolution timing and completeness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by specifying different grain size ranges for different portions of the powder composition. This creates localized properties where finer particles dissolve more quickly and coarser particles provide sustained release, ensuring complete dissolution and effective cleaning in short programs while maintaining high active ingredient concentration
3Ease of operation
If liquid cleaning compositions are used in bottles, then they are easy to apply, but the concentration of active ingredients is limited to around 20% of the liquid content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state from liquid to powder, fundamentally altering the concentration parameter. Powder form allows for much higher active ingredient concentrations (50-95% citric acid) compared to liquid form (around 20%), while the container design maintains ease of application by allowing simple pouring into the dishwasher compartment
4Ease of operation
If dishwasher cleaners are used in tab form, then they are easy to use, but they lead to increased limescale deposits that build up in household appliances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by using pure citric acid powder (50-95% concentration) without the additional additives found in tab cleaners. This compositional change effectively prevents limescale formation while maintaining ease of use through simple powder application, eliminating the harmful limescale deposition effect
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The powdery composition ensures easy handling and achieves excellent cleaning and descaling results in short programs, maintaining effectiveness at lower temperatures, preventing limescale buildup, and providing better active ingredient concentration compared to liquid forms.
Implementation Method 1
The composition is in powder form and can easily be used, for example, can be entered into the dishwasher compartment of a washing machine or dishwasher
Implementation Method 2
A powdery composition for cleaning and/or descaling devices and machines with at least one acid selected from a group comprising malic and/or tartaric acid
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
To solve the problem of providing a cleaning and/or descaling composition that is easy to use and particularly suitable for use in short programs or eco-energy-saving programs of dishwashers and washing machines, a powdered composition is proposed. This composition comprises at least one acid selected from a group including malic and/or tartaric acid, comprising approximately 50% to approximately 95% by weight of malic and/or tartaric acid and 0.05% to approximately 1% by weight of at least one fragrance, the remaining content being at least one excipient. Approximately 35% to approximately 75% by weight of the malic and/or tartaric acid has a first particle size in the range of approximately 0.48 mm to approximately 1.5 mm, and approximately 4% to approximately 40% by weight has a second particle size in the range of approximately 0.02 mm to approximately 0.45 mm. The weight percentages in each case refer to the total quantity of the composition.