Washing composition and use of polymer to clean and provide soil resistance to an article

A method of cleaning, comprising:

• forming a cleaning solution comprising at least one vinyl amide polymer,
• wherein the vinyl amide polymer has a weight average molecular weight from 5,000 to 200,000, and comprises, as polymerized units, based on total weight of monomer, from 5 to 100 weight percent, of at least one vinyl amide monomer, having the structure of Formula (I), ##STR9## from 0 to 95 weight percent of one or more vinyl ester monomers, less than 3 weight percent of one or more acrylamide monomers, and less than 3 weight percent of one or more ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers;
• contacting the vinyl amide polymer with one or more articles;
• wherein at least one of the articles is an article containing soil, and
• removing at least a portion of the soil from the article containing soil with the vinyl amide polymer;
• wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are each independently hydrogen, or a straight, cyclic, or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl group;
• wherein R.sub.4 is hydrogen, a straight or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl, aryl, or alkylaryl group, or a substituent of Formula (III), ##STR10## wherein n is an integer from 1 to 6 and m is an integer from 1 to 30.

A method of providing soil resistance to an article, comprising:

• forming a treatment solution comprising at least one vinyl amide polymer,
• wherein the vinyl amide polymer has a weight average molecular weight from 5,000 to 200,000, and comprises, as polymerized units, based on total weight of monomer, from 5 to 100 weight percent, of at least one vinyl amide monomer, having the structure of Formula (I), ##STR11## from 0 to 95 weight percent of one or more vinyl ester monomers, less than 3 weight percent of one or more acrylamide monomers, and less than 3 weight percent of one or more ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers;
• and
• contacting the vinyl amide polymer with the article to provide soil resistance to the article;
• wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are each independently hydrogen, or a straight, cyclic, or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl group;
• wherein R.sub.4 is hydrogen, a straight or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl, aryl, or alkylaryl group, or a substituent of Formula (III), ##STR12## wherein n is an integer from 1 to 6 and m is an integer from 1 to 30.

A method of inhibiting the deposition of soil in a washing process, comprising:

• forming a cleaning solution comprising at least one vinyl amide polymer, one or more articles, and soil;
• and inhibiting the soil from depositing on the articles with the vinyl amide polymer;
• wherein the vinyl amide polymer has a weight average molecular weight from 5,000 to 200,000, and comprises, as polymerized units, based on total weight of monomer, from 5 to 100 weight percent, of at least one vinyl amide monomer, having the structure of Formula (I), ##STR13## from 0 to 95 weight percent of one or more vinyl ester monomers, less than 3 weight percent of one or more acrylamide monomers, and less than 3 weight percent of one or more ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers;
• and
• wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are each independently hydrogen, or a straight, cyclic, or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 alkyl group;
• wherein R.sub.4 is hydrogen, a straight or branched chain C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl, aryl, or alkylaryl group, or a substituent of Formula (III), ##STR14## wherein n is an integer from 1 to 6 and m is an integer from 1 to 30.