Wash cycle or rinse cycle fabric conditioning compositions
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsSubhash Harmalker, Nagaraj S. Dixit, Kevin M. Kinscherf
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Fabric conditioning aqueous liquid emulsions are provided which impart softness and antistatic properties to laundered fabrics as a wash-cycle additive for through-the-wash use or alternatively as a rinse cycle additive. The dispersed phase of the liquid emulsions comprise complexes of specified tertiary amines and multi-functional carboxylic acids in combination with unreacted amine and a minor amount of one or more specified alkyl cellulose ethers to enhance high temperature emulsion stability.
Claims22
A wash cycle or rinse cycle-additive aqueous liquid emulsion for providing softness and anti-static properties to fabrics treated therewith in a laundry bath without adversely affected fabric cleaning comprising:
- (A) from about 1 to 30%, by weight of a particulate fabric conditioning composition having a median particle diameter greater than about 10 and up to about 50 microns comprising:
- (a) a fabric conditioning amount of a multi-functional carboxylic acid complex of a tertiary amine formed from the reaction of (i) and tertiary amine having the general formula:
- ##STR4## wherein R.sub.1 is methyl or ethyl, and R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are each independently an aliphatic group having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, and (ii) a multi-functional carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, and di and tri carboxylic acids having from 21 to 54 carbon atoms;
- (b) unreacted tertiary amine having the general formula defined above, said unreacted amine being present in an amount of at least 0.2 times the stoichiometric amount of tertiary amine required to form the multi-functional carboxylic acid complex of (a);
- and
- (c) a stabilizing amount from about 0.1 to 1% by weight of the aqueous liquid emulsion, of an alkyl cellulose ether to substantially prevent particle break-down of said particulate fabric conditioning composition, said alkyl cellulose ether being selected from the group consisting of methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose and derivatives of hydroxyethyl cellulose wherein the terminal hydrogen of the hydroxyether group is replaced by an alkyl chain having from 10 to 24 carbon atoms, and mixtures thereof, said alkyl cellulose ether having a molecular weight of at least 25,000, the stabilizing amount of alkyl cellulose ether relative to the fabric conditioning amount of carboxylic acid complex of a tertiary amine defined in (a) being less than about 1:20, by weight, and which stabilizing amount of cellulose ether provides no improved fabric softening performance for said fabric conditioning composition, the dispersed phase of the liquid emulsion being essentially comprised of said particles of fabric conditioning composition;
- (B) from about 0.1 to 10%, by weight of one or more emulsifying agents;
- and
- (C) the balance water.
A process for imparting softness and anti-static properties to fabrics comprising the step of contacting the fabrics in a laundry wash or rinse liquor with an aqueous liquid emulsion containing an effective amount of a particulate fabric conditioning composition having a median particle diameter greater than about 10 and up to about 50 microns comprising:
- (a) a fabric conditioning amount of a multi-functional carboxylic acid complex of a tertiary amine formed from the reaction of (i) a tertiary amine having the general formula:
- ##STR5## wherein R.sub.1 is methyl or ethyl, and R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are each independently an aliphatic group having from 12 to 22 carbon atoms, and (ii) a multifunctional carboxylic acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, and di and tricarboxylic acids having 21 to 54 carbon atoms;
- (b) unreacted tertiary amine having the general formula defined above, said unreacted amine being present in an amount of at least 0.2 times the stoichiometric amount of tertiary amine required to form the multifunctional carboxylic acid complex of (a);
- and
- (c) an emulsion stabilizing amount from about 0.1 to 1% by weight of the aqueous liquid emulsion of an alkyl cellulose ether selected from the group consisting of methylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose and derivatives of hydroxyethyl cellulose wherein the terminal hydrogen of the hydroxyether group is replaced by an alkyl chain having from 10 to 24 carbon atoms, and mixtures thereof, said alkyl cellulose ether having a molecular weight of at least 25,000, the emulsion stabilizing amount of alkyl cellulose ether relative to the fabric conditioning amount of carboxylic acid complex of a tertiary amine defined in (a) being less than about 1:20, by weight, and which emulsion stabilizing amount of cellulose ether provides no improved fabric softening performance for said fabric conditioning composition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.