Abstract: A process is proposed for cleaning printing machines or printing plates by removing the contaminants from the surfaces to be cleaned by washing them with a microemulsion comprising water, a surfactant, and a water-immiscible organic solvent.

Abstract: The use of a mixture of a long-chain, unsaturated, dimeric or oligomeric fatty acid with a C.sub.6 -C.sub.12 fatty acid as solubilizer for non-ionic surfactants in alkaline aqueous solutions.

Abstract: A mixture suitable for use as a foam-suppressing surfactant additament in cleaning compositions for mechanized cleaning processes comprises at least two mixtures of alkoxylated alcohols IR--O--(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.x --(C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.y --H (I)where x is an average degree of ethoxylation between 1 and 12, y is an average degree of propoxylation between 1 and 15, one alkoxylated alcohol mixture carries straight-chain or branched C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 -alkyl groups as the radical R and one other alkoxylated alcohol mixture carries straight-chain or branched C.sub.10 -C.sub.20 -alkyl groups as the radical R, subject to the proviso that the two radicals R differ by at least 0.5 in the average number of carbon atoms, and the two alkoxylated alcohol mixtures present in a ratio of from 10:90 to 90:10.

Abstract: Substituted glucosides I(Glu.sub.m --R.sup.1)R.sub.n.sup.2 Iwhere Glu is a glucose unit, R.sup.1 is C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 -alkyl held by an acetal bond, R.sup.2 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl or arylmethyl held by an ether bond, m is a mean value from 1 to 10 and n is a mean value from 0.1 to 2 m.

Abstract: Aqueous acidic cleaner formulations contain, as essential components,(a) from 1 to 20% by weight of one or more nonionic surfactants based on oxyalkylated fatty alcohols, fatty acids, fatty amines, fatty amides or alkane-sulfonamides,(b) from 0.1 to 15% by weight of one or more polyetherpolyols which are obtainable by reacting a dihydric to hexahydric alcohol of 2 to 10 carbon atoms with an alkylene oxide of 2 to 4 carbon atoms and reacting this product with a 1,2-alkylene oxide or alkyl or alkenyl glycidyl ether of 8 to 30 carbon atoms and(c) from 1 to 40% by weight of one or more acids.

Abstract: Fatty alcohol oxyalkylates possessing blocked terminal groups are used as low-foam, antifoaming and biodegradable surfactants for industrial cleaning processes, in particular for bottle-washing and metal-cleaning.

Abstract: Color-stabilized nonionic surfactants which contain chemically bonded polyalkylene oxide groups having terminal hydroxyl groups, and in which are dissolved C.sub.4 -C.sub.8 -aliphatic dicarboxylic acids, their C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl esters or mixtures thereof, as color stabilizers.

Abstract: Compounds of the formula I ##STR1## where R is C.sub.8 -C.sub.20 -alkyl and A is a polyalkylene oxide radical composed of from 4 to 30 alkylene oxide units, of which from 100 to 60 mole % are ethylene oxide units and from 0 to 40 mole % are 1,2-propylene oxide units or 1,2-butylene oxide units or a mixture of these.

Abstract: Biodegradable and low-foaming cleaning agents and dishwashing agents containing non-ionic surfactants which have been obtained by reacting one or more adducts of a C.sub.8 -C.sub.20 -alkanol and from 4 to 14 moles of ethylene oxide with 1,2-butylene oxide in a molar ratio of from 1:1.6 to 1:2.4.

Abstract: A detergent and cleanser which contains an oxyalkylated alcohol of the formula ##STR1## where R is C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 -alkyl, x is from 2 to 4.5 and y is from 2 to 5, as a low-foam, biodegradable surfactant additive.

Abstract: A method for regulating the viscosity of aqueous detergent and cleanser slurries, in which there are added to the slurries, as viscosity regulators, dihydric, trihydric or tetrahydric aliphatic alcohols, monobasic aliphatic carboxylic acids, hydroxycarboxylic acids, esters of the said alcohols and the said acids or mixtures of these, in which compounds the alcohols, carboxylic acids and hydroxycarboxylic acids, and the individual components of the esters, are of 5 to 9 carbon atoms, of which one is a quaternary atom, the alcohols and hydroxycarboxylic acids carry exclusively primary alcohol groups, and the carboxylic acids and hydroxycarboxylic acids have the carboxyl group bonded to the quaternary carbon atom.

Abstract: A process for machine dishwashing, employing a rinsing liquor which contains carboxylic acids or hydroxycarboxylic acids or mixtures of these and dihydric, trihydric or tetrahydric alcohols, the alcohols and carboxylic acids being of 5 to 9 carbon atoms, of which one carbon atom is quaternary, the alcoholic hydroxyl groups being exclusively primary and the carboxyl group being bonded to the quaternary carbon atom.

Abstract: To prevent the salting-out of nonionic surfactants from strongly alkaline (pH>9) aqueous solutions, solubilizers have been proposed but existing solubilizers do not have a sufficiently broad action spectrum. The invention seeks to provide solubilizers having a broader action spectrum and provides for this purpose monocarboxylic acids of 6 to 11 carbon atoms optionally in admixture with ene-adducts of maleic anhydride and unsaturated fatty acids of 12 to 24 carbon atoms or their triglycerides. The solutions are useful as cleansers and in the textile industry.