Method of dry cleaning fabrics using densified liquid carbon dioxide

A method of dry cleaning stains from fabrics comprising:

• contacting stained fabrics with a dry cleaning system comprising
• i) a dry cleaning amount of densified carbon dioxide in a temperature range of from about -78.5.degree. C. to less than about 20.degree. C. and a pressure of about 14.7 to about 10,000 psi;
• ii) 0.001% to 10% by wt. of a surfactant compound which is soluble in the densified carbon dioxide and is selected from the group consisting of
• (a) compounds of formula I
• {(CX.sub.3 (CX.sub.2).sub.a (CH.sub.2).sub.b).sub.c (A).sub.d --{(L).sub.e --(A').sub.f }.sub.n --(L').sub.g }.sub.o Z.sup.2 (G).sub.h (I)
• wherein
• X is F, Cl, Br, I or mixtures thereof;
• a is 1-30,
• b is 0-5,
• c is 1-5,
• A and A' are each independently a linking moiety representing an ester, a keto, an ether, a thio, an amido, an amino, a C.sub.1-4 fluoroalkenylene, a C.sub.1-4 fluoralkenylene, a branched or straight chain polyalkylene oxide, a phosphate, sulfonyl, a sulfate, an ammonium or mixtures thereof;
• d is 0 or 1,
• L and L' are each independently a C.sub.1-30 straight chained or branched alkylene or alkenylene or a phenylene which is unsubstituted or substituted or mixtures thereof;
• e is 0-3,
• f is 0 or 1,
• n is 0-10,
• g is 0-3;
• o is 0-5,
• Z.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen, a carboxylic acid, a hydroxy, a phosphato, a phosphato ester, a sulfonyl, a sulfonate, a sulfate, a branched or straight-chained polyalkylene oxide, a nitryl, a glyceryl, phenylene unsubstituted or substituted with a C.sub.1-30 alkylene or alkenylene, a carbohydrate unsubstituted or substituted with a C.sub.1-10 alkylene or alkenylene and an ammonium;
• G is an ion selected from the group consisting of H.sup.+, Na.sup.+, Li.sup.+, K.sup.+, NH.sub.4.sup.+, Ca.sup.+2, Mg.sup.+2, Cl.sup.-, Br.sup.-, I.sup.-, mesylate, and tosylate, and
• h is 0-3,
• (b) compounds of formula II ##STR10## wherein R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 each represent a hydrogen, a C.sub.1-5 straight chained or branched alkyl or alkyl oxide or mixtures thereof;
• i is 1 to 50,
• A, A', d, L, L', e, f, n, g, o, Z.sup.2, G and h are as defined above,
• (c) compounds of formula III
• {(CX.sub.3 (XO).sub.r (T).sub.s).sub.c (A).sub.d --{(L).sub.e --(A').sub.f }.sub.n (L').sub.g }.sub.o Z.sup.2 (G).sub.h (III)
• wherein
• XO is a halogenated alkylene oxide having a C.sub.1-6 straight or branched halocarbon;
• r is 1-30;
• T is a straight chained or branched haloalkylene or halophenylene;
• s is 0-5;
• X, A, A', c, d, L, L'e, f, n, g, o, Z.sup.2, G and h are as defined above,
• (d) compounds of formula IV
• MD.sub.x D*.sub.y M (IV)
• wherein M is a trimethylsiloxyl end group, D.sub.x is a dimethylsiloxyl backbone which is CO.sub.2 -philic and D*.sub.y is one or more methylsiloxyl groups which are substituted with a CO.sub.2 -phobic R.sup.2 or R.sup.3 group or mixtures of R.sup.2 and R.sup.3
• wherein R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are each independently defined by the formula
• (CH.sub.2).sub.a' (C.sub.6 H.sub.4).sub.b' (A).sub.d --{(L).sub.e --(A').sub.f }.sub.n --(L').sub.g Z.sup.2 (G).sub.h
• wherein
• a' is 1-30,
• b' is 0 or 1,
• C.sub.6 H.sub.4 is unsubstituted or substituted with a C.sub.1-10 alkylene or alkenylene, and
• A, A', d, L, e, f, n, L', g, Z.sup.2, G and h are as defined above,
• and mixtures of compounds of formula I-IV,
• (iii) 0 to about 10% by volume of a modifier,
• (iv) 0 to about 5% by wt. of an organic peracid,
• (v) 0 to 10% by wt. of an enzyme solution;
• to dry cleaning stains from the stained fabrics.