Fabric cleaning

Abstract

The invention provides a method of laundering fabric which uses a pourable liquid detergent composition comprising 10-40% wt of surfactant, essentially consisting of nonionic and/or anionic surfactant (typically less than 90% wt LAS and at least 10% wt of nonionic surfactant) in which 10-40% wt of surfactant preferably passes the Calcium Tolerance Test described in the patent. The composition comprises no more than 15% wt of soap, (present as a minority in wt % terms of the total surfactant). In the method, the composition is diluted by a factor of greater than 500 to obtain a wash liquor which comprises 0.8-0.05 g/l of surfactant, and, the wash liquor is contacted with fabrics. The composition may further comprise one or more of and preferably combinations of lipase, polyethyleneimine, a blue violet dye, preferably with an optical adsorption peak in the range 540-600 nm, a fluorescer, a dye transfer inhibition polymer, a polycarboxylate anti-redeposition agent, a soil release polymer and a perfume (preferably encapsulated).

1 . A method of laundering fabric which comprises the steps of:
 a) providing a pourable liquid detergent composition comprising ethoxylated polyethyleneimine and 10-40% wt of surfactant, essentially consisting of nonionic and/or anionic and/or zwitterionic surfactant, which 10-40% wt of surfactant preferably passes the Calcium Tolerance Test described herein, and in addition, no more than 15% wt, preferably no more than 10% wt, of a soap, with the proviso that any soap present is present as a minority in wt % terms of the total surfactant,   b) diluting a dose of said detergent composition in water by a factor of greater than 500 to obtain a wash liquor which comprises 0.8 to 0.035 g/l of non-soap surfactant, and,   c) washing fabrics with the wash liquor so formed.   
     
     
         2 . A method of laundering fabric which comprises the steps of:
 a) providing a multidose container which contains a pourable liquid detergent composition comprising ethoxylated polyethyleneimine, soil release polymer, 10-40% wt of surfactant, essentially consisting of nonionic and/or anionic and/or zwitterionic surfactant, and in addition, no more than 15% wt, preferably no more than 10% wt, of a soap, with the proviso that any soap present is present as a minority in wt % terms of the total surfactant,   b) mixing a dose of the detergent composition, at least 0.5 g of the soil release polymer comprising 4 to 8 g non-soap surfactant, and at least 0.5 g of the ethoxylated polyethyleneimine with water to obtain a wash liquor and,   c) washing fabrics with the wash liquor so formed.   
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2  wherein the dose comprises at least 0.01 g active lipase protein. 
     
     
         4 . A method of laundering fabric which comprises the steps of:
 a) providing a pourable liquid detergent composition comprising a shading dye, 10-40% wt of surfactant, essentially consisting of nonionic and/or anionic and/or zwitterionic surfactant, which 10-40% wt of surfactant preferably passes the Calcium Tolerance Test described herein, and in addition, no more than 15% wt, preferably no more than 10% wt, of a soap, with the proviso that any soap present is present as a minority in wt % terms of the total surfactant,   b) diluting a dose of said detergent composition in water by a factor of greater than 500 to obtain a wash liquor which comprises 0.8 to 0.035 g/l of non-soap surfactant, and,   c) washing fabrics with the wash liquor so formed.   
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises 5 to 20000 LU/g lipase. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises ethoxylated polyethyleneimine, at a level of 0.01 to 25 wt %, preferably more than 3 and/or less than 9.5 wt % of the composition, most preferably 4 to 9 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a soil release polymer, at a level of 0.01 wt % to 10.0 wt %, preferably from 3 wt % to 9.0 wt %, most preferably from 6 wt % to 8.0 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the 10 to 40% wt of non-soap surfactant in the composition comprises less than 90% wt LAS and at least 10% wt nonionic surfactant. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a shading dye, preferably-comprising blue violet dye, preferably with an optical adsorption peak in the range 540 to 600 nm, preferably a bis-azo direct dye, preferably at a level of 0.000001 to 1 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a fluorescer, at a level of 0.005 to 2 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a dye transfer inhibition polymer, preferably at a level of 0.01 to 10 wt %, more preferably from 0.02 to 8 wt %, most preferably from 0.03 to 6 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a polycarboxylate anti-redeposition agent, preferably at a level of 0.01 to 10 wt %, more preferably from 0.02 to 8 wt %, most preferably from 0.03 to 6 wt % of the composition. 
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a first wash lipase which comprises a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence which has at least 90% sequence identity with the wild-type lipase derived from  Humicola lanuginosa  strain DSM 4109 and compared to said wild-type lipase, comprises a substitution of an electrically neutral or negatively charged amino acid within 15 A of E1 or Q249 with a positively charged amino acid; and may further:
 a) comprise a peptide addition at the C-terminal, and/or, 
 b) comprise a peptide addition at the N-terminal and/or; 
 c) meet the following limitations:
 i) it comprises a negatively charged amino acid in position E210 of said wild-type lipase; 
 ii) it comprises a negatively charged amino acid in the region corresponding to positions 90-101 of said wild-type lipase; and 
 iii) it comprises a neutral or negatively charged amino acid at a position corresponding to N94 of said wild-type lipase; and/or 
 iii) it has a negative charge or neutral charge in the region corresponding to positions 90-101 of said wild-type lipase. 
 
 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a deposition aid wherein the deposition aid is a polysaccharide, more preferably a β-1,4-linked polysaccharide, most preferably, the deposition aid is locust bean gum. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the composition comprises a soil release polymer selected from water soluble/miscible or dispersible polyesters.