Method of making clear, stable prespotter laundry detergent

A method of stabilizing and forming a clear, stable solvated single phase built liquid detergent composition consisting essentially of:

• (a) at least one nonionic surfactant in an amount of from about 5 to 25% by weight of the composition, said nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of nonylphenol ethyoxylated with about 12 to 4 moles of ethylene oxide, C.sub.9 to C.sub.15 linear primary alcohol ethoxylates, C.sub.8 to C.sub.20 secondary alcohol ethoxylates, and mixtures thereof;
• (b) at least one builder in an amount of about 2 to 25% by weight of the composition selected from the group consisting of salts of nitrilotriacetic acid, sodium tetraborate, disodium octoborate tetrahydrate, sodium metaborate, phosphates, and mixtures thereof;
• (c) an additional builder system in an amount of about 2 to 10% by weight of the composition, said system selected from the group consisting of alkali silicates, nonphosphorus inorganic builders, nonphosphorus organic builders and mixtures thereof;
• (d) an acid pH adjuster present in an amount of from about 0.1 to 5% by weight of the composition;
• (e) effective amounts of proteolytic enzymes;
• (f) at least one cationic quaternary ammonium fabric softener selected from the group consisting of ditallow dimethyl ammonium chloride, methyl-1-tallow amido ethyl-2-tallow imadazilonium methyl sulfate, methyl-bis(tallow amido ethyl)2-hydroxyethyl ammonium methyl sulfate, methyl-bis-2-hydroxyethyl coco ammonium methyl sulfate and mixtures thereof;
• (g) from about 2 to 25% by weight of the composition of at least one anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of alkali metal, ammonium and C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkylammonium salts of fatty acids having a carbon content of about C.sub.10 to C.sub.20, water soluble alkali metal, ammonium or C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkylammonium salts of organic sulfuric reaction products having an alkyl group containing about C.sub.10 to C.sub.20 carbon content and a sulfonic acid or sulfuric acid ester group, water soluble salts of esters of alpha-sulfonated fatty acids having a carbon content of about C.sub.6 to C.sub.20 in the fatty acid group and from about C.sub.1 to C.sub.10 carbon content in the ester group, water soluble salts of 2-acyloxy-alkane-1-sulfonic acids containing from about C.sub.2 to C.sub.9 carbon content in the alkyl group and about C.sub.9 to C.sub.23 carbon content in the alkane moiety, alkyl ether sulfates containing from about C.sub.10 to C.sub.20 carbon content in the alkyl group and from 1 to 30 moles of ethylene oxide, water soluble salts of olefin sulfonates containing from about C.sub.12 to C.sub.24 carbon content, beta-alkyloxy alkane sulfonates containing from about C.sub.1 to C.sub.3 carbon content in the alkyl group and from about C.sub.8 to C.sub.20 carbon content in the alkane moiety, anionic phosphate surfactants, N-alkyl substituted succinamates, and mixtures thereof;
• and
• (h) the balance consisting essentially of water,
• said method consisting essentially of the step of adding to said aqueous composition an amount of a water soluble polymeric anionic hydrotrope effective to render the aqueous detergent composition clear, stable and one phase, about 1 to 10% by weight of the composition being said hydrotrope, said hydrotrope being selected from substantially non-cross-linked hydrolyzed alpha olefin maleic anhydride polymers selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of maleic anhydride monomer and an alpha olefin monomer having from 6 to about 24 carbon atoms and a ter- or higher polymer of maleic anhydride and alpha olefins selected from the group consisting of alpha olefins having a carbon content of C.sub.2 to C.sub.30+ and said ter- or higher polymer contains at least two different alpha olefins, at least one of said alpha olefins being a C.sub.2 to C.sub.18 alpha olefin and the ratio of alpha olefins present in such that the average alpha olefin carbon chain length in said ter- or higher polymer is greater than about 6 and less than about 18 and wherein said composition has a pH in the range of about 7 to 8.5.

A method of stabilizing and forming a clear, stable, single phase built solvated aqueous detergent composition consisting essentially of:

• (a) at least one nonionic surfactant in an amount of from about 5 to 25% by weight of the composition;
• (b) a builder selected from the group consisting of nonphosphorus inorganic builders, phosphates, nonphosphorus organic builders, and mixtures thereof, said builder being present in an amount of from about 2 to 25% by weight of the composition;
• and
• (c) at least one cationic quaternary ammonium fabric softener selected from the group consisting of:
• ##STR7## the reaction product of about 2 moles of an acid having a formula R.sup.12 COOH and about 1 mole of an alkylene diamine having a formula H.sub.2 N--C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --NHR.sup.13 where said reaction product is a mixture of amides, esters and imidazolines;
• and mixtures thereof,
• wherein R.sup.8 is an alkyl or alkenyl straight or branched chain hydrocarbon containing from 8 to 22 carbon atoms, R.sup.9 is an alkyl group containing from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, R.sup.10 is R.sup.8 or R.sup.9, R.sup.11 is a divalent alkylene group containing from 1 to 2 carbon atoms, R.sup.12 is an alkyl group containing from 15 to 19 carbon atoms, R.sup.13 is a hydroxyalkyl group containing from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, X is a water soluble anion, y is the valence of X and n represents an integer from 1 to 4;
• and
• (d) the balance consisting essentially of water;
• said method consisting essentially of the step of adding to said aqueous composition an amount of a water soluble polymeric anionic hydrotrope effective to render the aqueous detergent composition clear, stable and one phase, about 1 to 10% by weight of the composition being said hydrotrope, said hydrotrope being a substantially non-crosslinked hydrolyzed polymer selected from the group consisting of a copolymer of maleic anhydride monomer and an alpha olefin monomer having from 6 to about 24 carbon atoms and a ter- or higher polymer of maleic anhydride and alpha olefins selected from the group consisting of alpha olefins having a carbon content of C.sub.2 to C.sub.30+ and said ter- or higher polymer contains at least two different alpha olefins, at least one of said alpha olefins being a C.sub.2 to C.sub.18 alpha olefin and the ratio of alpha olefins present is such that the average alpha olefin carbon chain length in said ter- or higher polymer is greater than about 6 and less than about 18 and wherein the aqueous solvated detergent composition has a pH in the range of from about 6 to 9.