Laundry pre-treatment or pre-spotting compositions used to improve aqueous laundry processing

US6399556B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• ECOLAB INC. · US

Inventors

• Kim R. Smith · Woodbury, US
• Carrie Armstrong · Mahtomedi, US
• Paul Mattia · Prior Lake, US
• Mark Levitt · Lake Elmo, US
• Robert D. P. Hei · Baldwin, US
• Wendy Wiseth · Windom, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 20, 2001
• Grant date: Jun 4, 2002
• Expiry date: Mar 20, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C11D1/8255
• WIPO field: Basic materials chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The ability of aqueous laundry compositions to remove organic hydrophobic soils, such as oily, greasy or particulate soils, from a laundry item is substantially improved by pre-spotting or pre-treating such a soiled item with a treatment composition having a surfactant comprising a unique hydrophillic ethoxylate surfactant with less than two moles of ethylene oxide or a or blend of at least two surfactant compositions with a blended HLB value of about 7-12. The blend of surfactants with this HLB value penetrates soils and renders the soil more easily removed from the item using aqueous laundry detergent. The treatment composition can be used in a liquid or solid form and can be applied to individual laundry items in the form of a solid stick or liquid spray prior to introduction to the laundry machine. Laundry items can also be contacted in the laundry machine with the pre-spot or pre-treatment composition in the form of an aqueous presoak, preflush, prewash, or other step prior to the cleaning step. A preferred laundry machine comprises an institutional tunnel washer.