Laundry compositions for use in a tumble dryer

Abstract

A laundry treatment process, which comprises tumble drying clothes in the presence of a chelating agent which has one nitrogen atom and at least four carboxylic acid groups per molecule, or a salt thereof. The preferred chelating agent being is a disuccinnic acid or a salt thereof of the general formula HOOC—(R 1 .COOH)R 2 —NR 5 —R 3 (R 4 .COOH)—COOH wherein R1-R5 are preferably each independently, C1-C5 alkyl, hydroxy-alkyl or hydrogen.

1 . Laundry treatment process, which comprises tumble drying clothes in the presence of a chelating agent which has one nitrogen atom and at least four carboxylic acid groups per molecule, or a salt thereof.  
     
     
         2 . Process according to  claim 1 , wherein the chelating agent is a disuccinnic acid or a salt thereof.  
     
     
         3 . Process according to  claim 2  wherein the disuccinnic acid is amine bridged.  
     
     
         4 . Process according to  claim 1  wherein the chelating agent is of the general formula 
         HOOC—(R 1 .COOH)R 2 —NR 5 —R 3 (R 4. COOH)—COOH 
       Wherein R1-R5 are each independently, C1-C5 alkyl, hydroxy-alkyl or hydrogen.  
     
     
         5 . Process according to  claim 4  wherein R1-R4 are methylene and R5 is hydrogen.  
     
     
         6 . Process according to  claim 1 , conducted in the presence of one or more of a fabric softening agent, fabric conditioning agent, perfume, anti-static agent, dye-transfer inhibiting polymer, dye fixing agent, other sequestrant, chlorine scavenging agent, lubricants, cross-linking polymers, optical brightening agents.  
     
     
         7 . Laundry treatment composition comprising a chelating agent which has one nitrogen atom and at least four carboxylic acid groups per molecule, or a salt thereof together with instructions to use in the tumble drier.  
     
     
         8 . Composition according to  claim 7 , in the form of a liquid, foam, powder, sheet, deformable solid, gel, paste, film, breakable solid or combination thereof  
     
     
         9 . Composition according to  claim 7  wherein the chelating agent is of the general formula 
         HOOC—(R 1 .COOH)R 2 —NR 5 —R 3 (R 4 .COOH)—COOH 
       wherein R 1 -R 5  are each independently, C 1 -C 5  alkyl, hydroxy-alkyl or hydrogen.  
     
     
         10 . A laundry drier sheet comprising a substrate and a chelating agent is of the general formula 
         HOOC—(R 1 .COOH)R 2 —NR 5 —R 3 (R 4 .COOH)—COOH 
       wherein R 1 -R 5  are each independently, C 1 -C 5  alkyl, hydroxy-alkyl or hydrogen.