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AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsRichard J. Holland, Charles Buda
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Narrow range ethoxylate nonionic detergents, in combination with soil release promoting polyethylene terephthalate-polyoxyethylene terephthalate (PET-POET) copolymer (in place of broad range ethoxylate nonionic detergent and PET-POET copolymer) are of significantly and unexpectedly improved soil release promoting activity in built synthetic organic detergent compositions, of either the phosphate-built or non-phosphate-built types. Preferably, there will be present with the PET-POET copolymer a stabilizing proportion of polyacrylate, to stabilize the PET-POET copolymer against deterioration and loss of soil release promoting activity on storage at elevated temperature, especially when in contact with alkaline components of the detergent composition. The improved soil release promoting activity is most pronounced when the laundry to be washed and treated is subjected to repeated launderings with the invented compositions in cold water and when it includes polyester-containing fibrous materials.
A soil release promoting built particulate detergent composition of improved soil release promoting properties in cold water washing of polyester-containing fabrics that had been soiled with oily soils, which improved soil release is due to the presence therein of narrow range ethoxylate (NRE) nonionic detergent and soil release promoting polyethylene terephthalate-polyoxyethylene terephthalate (PET-POET) copolymer instead of broad range ethoxylate (BRE) nonionic detergent and PET-POET copolymer, which comprises 10 to 35% of NRE nonionic detergent which is a C.sub.12-14 higher fatty alcohol narrow range ethoxylate nonionic detergent in which over 85% of the ethylene oxide content that is present in the NRE is present as polyethoxy groups of 5 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of such NRE, 30 to 75% of builder for the NRE, and 0.5 to 10% of soil release promoting PET-POET copolymer of weight average molecular weight in the range of 15,000 to 50,000 in which the polyoxyethylene is of a molecular weight in the range of 1,000 to 10,000.
A method according to claim 12 where the laundry comprises fibrous materials having polyester fibers in fabrics thereof and the laundry is subjected to repeated washings in cold water with the composition recited in claim 14, after intermediate soiling(s) of the fibrous material with oily soil(s).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.