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Two things consumers look for in household cleaning applications are a well-defined viscosity and good foaming properties. These attributes are achieved by optimising the combination of surfactants and thickeners. Jungbunzlauer's xanthan gum is a safe, odourless and bio-based product and therefore represents an excellent thickening and stabilising agent for such applications. Since it is of natural origin it fits well with the recent trend towards more sustainable household cleaning products. This study examined the compatibility of three different xanthan gum grades with two different surfactants at various pH levels. For this purpose regular viscosity and pH measurements were taken over a period of six months. All xanthan gum grades performed exceptionally well in neutral and alkaline pH ranges, whereas the best performance in the acidic pH range was achieved with a special grade. In a second step, the study investigated the foam formation, decay and structure of xanthan gum/surfactant combinations at different pH levels. No differences were observed among the xanthan gum grades tested, although higher concentrations resulted in more and finer foam bubbles. Xanthan gum demonstrated very good foam stability throughout the pH range. Hence, because of its excellent compatibility, stabilisation and foam properties, xanthan gum is a great choice for household cleaning applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]