GB2357523A - Treatment of textile fabrics with clay minerals - Google Patents

Abstract

A clay mineral is used to reduce creasing of textile fabrics during the laundering thereof and/or to confer an ease of ironing benefit to the fabrics.

Description

2357523 11 1 1 FABRIC CARE BENEFITS IN THE TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FABRICS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a novel use of clays in the treatment of textile fabrics.

Background of the Invention

Consumers are increasingly demanding in the benefits they expe ct from 1 a--undry products. Particularly, they look for advantages beyond quality of cleaning, which will make the overall laundering activity quicker and/or easier. One such benefit concerns ironing. That is to say, there is consumer demand for products which will either reduce creasingling enabling less or no ironing and/or which make the job of ironing easier.

The present inventors have now discovered that incorporation of clays in compositions for the laundering of textile fabrics can reduce creasing/wrinkling and/or make ironing easier.

It is well known to incorporate clays in products for the washing or the conditioning of the fabrics, as a fabric softener material. However, the ability of the clay to provide the aforementioned benefits is new.

2 Definition of the Invention The present invention now provides use of a clay mineral to reduce creasing of textile fabrics and/or to confer an ease of ironing benefit to the fabrics. 5 As used herein, the terms "creasing" and "wrinkling" are synonymous, the former generally being of European linguistic usage and the latter of American usage.

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention uses a light coloured crystalline clay mineral for reduced crease reduction and/or ease of ironing. Preferably, this is effected by incorporating the clay in a product for the washing andlor rinsing of the textile fabrics.

Ile light coloured crystalline clay mineral is typically incorporated in a laundry wash composition and/or a laundry rinse composition, for application to the fabrics by dispersion or dissolution in a wash and/or rinse liquor, with which the fabrics are contacted. This is to allow deposition of the clay onto the fabrics.

Surfactants As well as the clay, in the case of a washing composition, the composition typically comprises one or more deterging synthetic non-soap surfactants, chosen from anionic, nonionic, cationic and zwitterionic surfactants and mixtures thereof, as will be well known to those skilled in the art. Soap may also be included in the composition. Many suitable surface-active compounds are available and are fully described in the literature, for example, in "Surface-Active Agents and Detergents% Volumes 1 and H, by Schwartz, Perry and Berch.

3 The preferred detergent-active compounds that can be used are soaps and synthetic non-soap anionic and non-ionic compounds.

The compositions of the invention may for example contain linear alkylbenzene sulphonate, particularly linear alkylbenzene sulphonates having an alkyl chain length of C8-Cls. It is preferred if the level of linear alkylbenzene sulphonate is from 0 wt% to 30 Yv0%, more preferably 1 wtO/o to 25 wtO/o, most preferably from 2 wt% to 15 wto/o.

The compositions of the invention may contain other anionic surfactants in amounts additional to the percentages quoted above. Suitable anionic surfactants are well-known to those skilled in the art. Examples include primary and secondary alkyl sulphates, particularly C8-Cis primary alkyl sulphates;, alkyl ether sulphates; olefin sulphonates; alkyl xylene sulphonates; dialkyl sulphosuccinates; and fatty acid ester sulphonates. Sodium salts are generally preferred.

The compositions of the invention may also contain non-ionic surfactant.

Nonionic surfactants that may be used include the primary and secondary alcohol ethoxylates, especially the C,Q, aliphatic alcohols ethoxylated with an average of from 1 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, and more especially the CIO-Cls primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols, ethoxylated with an average of 6m 1 to 10 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol. Non-etboxylated nonionic surfactants include alkylpolyglycosides, glycerol monoethers, and polyhydroxyamides (glucamide).

It is preferred if the level of no,n-ionic surfactant is from 0 wtO/o to 30 vif/o, preferably from 1 wtO/o to 25 wtl/o, most preferably from 2 wf/o to 15 mO/o. However, another variant comprises compositions which are wholly mainly nonionic based, that is to say that the nonionic surfactant constitutes at least 80%, preferably at least 90%, more preferably at least 95% by weight of the total surfactant (including any soap) content.

4 The total amount of anionic surfactant/soap is then typically less than 20%, preferably less than 10%, more preferably less than 5 %, by weight of the total surfactant content.

It is also possible to include certain mono-alkyl cationic surfactants which can be used in main-wash compositions for fabrics. Cationic surfactants that may be used include quaternary ammonium salts of the general formula R1R2R3R4N+ X- wherein the R groups are long or short hydrocarbon chains, typically alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or ethoxylated alkyl groups, and X is a counter-ion (for example, compounds in which R, is a CS-C22 alkyl group, preferably a C8-Clo or C12-CI4 alkyl group, R2 is a methyl group, and R3 and R4, which may be the same or different, are methyl or hydroxyethyl groups); and cationic esters (for example, choline esters).

The choice of surface-active compound (surfactant), and the amount present, will depend on the intended use of the detergent composition. In fabric washing compositions, different surfactant systems may be chosen, as is well known to the skilled formulator, for handwashing products and for products intended for use in different types of-washing machine.

The total amount of surfactant present will also depend on the intended end use and may be as high as 60 wt%, for example, in a composition for washing fabrics by hand. In compositions for machine washing of fabrics, an amount of from 5 to 40 wtO/o is generally appropriate. Typically the compositions will comprise at least 2 wtO/o surfactant e.g. 2-60%, preferably 15-40% most preferably 25-35%.

Detergent compositions suitable for use in most automatic fabric washing machines generally contain anionic non-soap surfactant, or non-ionic surfactant, or combinations of the two in any suitable ratio, optionally together with soap.

In the case of rinse products, one or more cationic fabric softener surfactant may be included in the composition containing the clay.

Builders The compositions for use according to the present invention optionally may also 5 contain one or more detergency builders.

The total amount of detergency builder, when present, in the compositions will typically range from 5 to 80 wt%, preferably from 10 to 60 wt%.

Inorganic builders that may be present include sodium carbonate, if desired in combination with a crystallisation seed for calcium carbonate, as disclosed in GB 1437 950 (Unilever); crystalline and amorphous aluminosilicates, for example, zeolites as disclosed in GB 1473 201 (Henkel), amorphous aluminosilicates as disclosed in GB 1473 202 (Henkel) and mixed crystalline/amorphous aluminosilicates as disclosed in GB 1470 250 (Procter & Gamble); and layered silicates as disclosed in EP 164 514B (Hoechst). Inorganic phosphate builders, for example, sodium orthophosphate, pyrophosphate and tripolyphosphate are also suitable for use with this invention.

The compositions of the invention preferably contain an alkali metal, preferably sodium, aluminosilicate builder. Sodium aluminosilicates may generally be incorporated in amounts of from 10 to 70% by weight (anhydrous basis), preferably from 25 to 50 wto/0.

The alkali metal aluminosilicate may be either crystalline or amorphous or mixtures thereof, having the general formula: 0.8-1.5 Na20. A1203. 0.8-6 SiO2 These materials contain some bound water and are required to have a calcium ion exchange capacity of at least 50 mg CaOlg. The preferred sodium aluminosilicates contain 13-3.5 SiO2 units (in the formula above). Both the amorphous and the crystalline materials can be prepared readily by reaction between sodium silicate and sodium aluminate, as amply described in the literature. Suitable crystalline sodium 6 aluminosilicate ion-exchange detergency builders are described, for example, in GB 1 429 143 (Procter & Gamble). The preferred sodium aluminosilicates of this type are the well-known commercially available zeoliteS A and X, and mixtures thereof The zeolite may be the commercially available zeolite 4A now widely used in laundry detergent powders. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the zeolite builder incorporated in the compositions of the invention is maximum aluminium zeolite P (zeolite MAP) as described and claimed in EP 384 070A (Unilever). Zeolite MAP is defined as an alkali metal aluminosilicate of the zeolite P type having a silicon to aluminium ratio not exceeding 1.33, preferably within the range of from 0.90 to 1.33, and more preferably within the range of from 0.90 to 1. 20.

Especially preferred is zeolite MAP having a silicon to aluminium ratio not exceeding 1.07, more preferably about 1.00. The calcium binding capacity of zeolite MAP is generally at least 150 ing CaO, per g of anhydrous material.

Optionally, organic builders such as citrates, suitable used in amounts of from 5 to 30 wt%, preferably from 10 to 15 wt% are used.

Builders, both inorganic and organic, are preferably present in alkali metal salt, especially sodium salt, form.

The Clay Compositions for use according to the present invention preferably contain from 2 to 98%, by weight of a clay mineral material, (if used in the rinse) or preferably from 0.5% to 75% (if used in the wash), so as to be suitable for yielding at least 0.02 g/1, preferably at least 0. 1 g/1 of the clay in the wash and/or rinse liquor.

7 Preferably, the clay mineral is a light coloured crystalline clay mineral and may, for example, be selected from one or more clays selected from light-coloured bi-layer clays, e.g. china clay and halloysite, dioctahedral clays such as kaolinite, trioctahedral clays such as antigorite and amesite, smectite and hormite clays such as bentonite (montmorillonite), beidelite, nontronite, hectorite, attapulgite, pimelite, mica, muscovite and vermiculite clays, as well as pyrophyllite/talc, willemseite and minnesotaite clays.

When the crystalline clay mineral is light coloured, preferably, it has a reflectance of at least 60, more preferably at least 70, especially at least 80 at a wavelength of 460 nm. Preferably also, the number average particle diameter of the clay mineral particles should not exceed 2gm, especially not exceeding 1 [im. This particle size diameter is that obtained measured by use of a Malvern ZetasizerrM, using a dispersion of the clay mineral at 0. 1 g/1 in deionised water at 25'C, the clay being dispersed by vigorous hand agitation using a glass rod stirrer for 1 minute.

Gptional Water-soluble Salt Optionally, a water-soluble salt may also be included in the composition. This is believed to be beneficial because it promotes dispersion and assists flocculation of the clay particles in the wash and/or rinse liquor and enables them to be unifom-dy dispersed in so deposit more uniformly on the fabric. This salt may already be incorp,)rated in the composition for another purpose, e.g. as a detergency builder, such as an alkali metal tripolyphosphate or citrate.

Alternatively, any other water-soluble salt may be used but it is preferable to use a material which is widely available at low cost. Thus, one may use a soluble salt of a monovalent metal such as an alkali metal, for example sodium or potassium, e.g. as the chloride or sulphate. However, weight for weight, it is more effective to use a salt of divalent metal, or a water-soluble salt of a metal having a valency of three or more.

8 However, the best balance of cheapness and effectiveness has been found to be obtained if the salt comprises magnesium ions. Magnesium chloride and magnesium sulphate are typical examples. The amount of salt used will depend on the valency of the metal but in the broadest concept, it will be used at a molar concentration of from 0.0 1 M to I M.

In the case of a magnesium salt, the molar concentration will usually be from 0.00 1 M to 0.01M in the rinse liquor. Thus, in the compositions according to the present invention, the amount of the water-soluble inorganic salt will be from 2 to 98 % by weight of the composition and in particular, for the magnesium chloride and/or sulphate, from 5 to 70 % by weight. 10 Optional FlocculatiLig Polymers Optionally, the compositions for use in accordance with the present invention may also contain a polymeric clay flocculating agent, for example as disclosed in WO-A-95/27036. As described in the latter reference, these polymers include polymer materials having a high molecular weight, greater than about 100,000. Typical examples include long chain polymers and copolymers derived from monomers like ethylene oxides, acrylaminde, acrylic acid, dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate, vinyl alcohol, vinyl pyrrolidone, and ethylene imine, as well as gums, such as guar gums.

Such polymers typically have an average molecular weight of from 100,000 to million, more preferably from 150,000 to 5 million. The optimum amount of clay flocculating polymer and its molecular weight will depend on the type of clay, the type of flocculating polymer, and the other components of the composition.

Particularly preferred polymeric flocculating agents disclosed in WO-A95127036 are selected from a high molecular weight polyethylene oxides, polyacrylic amides, and polyacrylates having a molecular weight of about 100,000 to about 10 million. The clay flocculating polymer may be present in the formulation at from 0.00 1 % to 25% more 9 preferably from 0.01% to 15%, most preferably from 0.2% to 5% by weight of the total composition.

Other Optional IngLedients Compositions which are used for washing will normally contain one or more Surfactants, typically selected from one or more of anionic, nonionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic non-soap surfactants. They may additionally or alternatively contain soap. Wash compositions will usually also contain a detergency builder. Detergency builders which are water-soluble salts will then constitute all or part of the 'optional water-soluble salt component.

Compositions for use in the rinse at the minimum may contain only water.

However, they may also contain one or more typical rinse conditioner ingredients such as cationic fabric softeners.

Compositions for use in accordance with the present invention may contain one or more additional benefit agents for subsequent dispersion and/or solution in the wash and/or rinse liquor. These may, for example, be selected from fluorescers, perfumes, starches, enzymes such as lipases, cellulases and amylases, soil-release polymers, photobleaches and blueing agents. However, the composition, and therefore the rinse liquor, is preferably substantially free from organic surfactant.

Product Form The compositions for use in accordance with the present invention may be provided in any suitable form to allow convenient dispersion/solution in the wash andlor rinse liquor by the consumer. Thus, for example, they may be provided as powders or granulated solids. They may also be provided in any of the forms of liquids, pastes, gels, bars or tablets.

The present invention will now be explained in more detail by way of the following non-limiting examples.

Example

Fabrics All fabric samples were washed off and ironed flat before each wash cycle, on cotton setting with steam and water spray.

Wash Protocol:

Thirty two pieces of washed off white overlocked woven cotton test cloths (40cm by 40cm) and ten cotton ballast sheets (1 m x 1 m) made up a total washload of approximately 1.8 kg. The wash load was placed in a Miele "European front- loading" washing machine and washed on a 4TC Cotton Wash, 1200 rpm spin in Wirral water.

The control washes were done with 1 00g of -,he following detergent formulation.- 11 wt % NaLAS' 6.3 Nonionic 12 4.1 Nonionic 2 3.2 Na Soap 0.3 STPP 4 23.9 Organic Builder 1.1 Sodium Silicate 6.3 SCMC 6 0.2 Na Perborate 20.0 T,uD 7 2.22 Antifoam and minors balance 1. Sodium Lauryl ether sulphate 2. Branched nonionic surfactant with average of seven ethylene oxide groups per molecule 3. Branched nonionic surfactant with average of three ethylene oxide groups per molecule 4. Sodium tripolyphosphate 5. Acrylic acid/Methacrylic acid copolymer, Na salt 6. Sodium carboxymethylcellulose 7. Tetra acetyl ethylene diamine bleach activator The test washes were done in the presence of 1 00g replar bleach containing washing z> powder with 1 Og of Gelwhite GP clay (Southern Clay Co.) on top of the formulation.

Washing machines boiled out on 95'C' Cotton Wash after each wash. In a balanced experiment the clay wash and the control wash were both done four times.

12 Drying protocol:

Samples were removed from machine and given a single shake. Half of the fabrics was line dried in a climate controlled (RH 65%, T = 20 'C) room pegged on clothes hangers and the other half tumble dried in a Meile "European front-loading" tumble drier on a 20 min warm cycle with a cooling down stage. Tumble-load approximately 0.9 kg. The fabrics were immediately removed from the tumble dryer after the cycle had finished. After removing from tumble drier the fabrics were again given a single shake and then pegged on clothes hangers in a climate controlled room. 10 Ima-ging:

Samples were left overnight and then a digital camera was used to capture the fabric images under controlled lighting conditions, following the AATCC standards # 124 protocol. The images were then used for on-screen panelling. Four panellists were asked to compare a fabric treated in the Clay fon-nulation against a control. The question that was asked was: "which one of the two is the least creasedT' This was repeated for all replicates in the wash.

Results The responses of the panellists to the question 'which one of the two is the least 25 creased' are given below:

Regular powder plus 10% Clay: response 62% Regular powder: response 33% 13

Claims (12)

1. CLAIMS:

   Use of a clay mineral to reduce creasing of textile fabrics and/or to confer an ease of ironing benefit to the fabrics. 5
2. 2. Use according to claim 1, wherein the clay mineral is incorporated as a component in a laundry wash composition and/or a laundry rinse composition for application to the fabrics by dispersion or dissolution in a wash and/or rinse liquor.
3. 3. Use according to claim 2, wherein the composition is a washing composition and, further comprises one or more deterging surfactant and optionally also, one or more detergency builders.
4. 4. Use according to claim 2, wherein tile composition is a fabric rinse conditioner 15 composition and comprises one or more cationic fabric softeners.
5. 5. Use according to any of claims 2-4, wherein the composition further comprises a polymeric clay flocculating agent.
6. 6. Use according to any of claims 2-5, wherein the composition further comprises a benefit agent selected from fluorescers, perfumes, starch, enzymes, oil release polymers, photobleaches and blueing agents.
7. 7. Use according to any of claims 2-6, wherein the composition further comprises a 25 water-soluble salt.
8. 8. Use according to claim 7, wherein the water-soluble salt is present at a molar concentration of from 0.00 1 M to 1 M.

   14
9. 9. Use according to any of claims 2-8, wherein the composition contains from 2 to 98% (for a rinse composition) or from 0.5% to 75% (if a wash composition) by weight of the total composition.
10. 10. Use according to any preceding claim, wherein the clay mineral is selected from one or more light coloured crystalline clays selected from bi-layer clays, e.g. china clay and halloysite, dioctahedral clays such as kaolinite, trioctahedral clays such as antigorite and amesite, smectite and hormite clays such as bentonite (montmorillonite), beidelite, nontronite, hectorite, attapulgite, pimelite, mica, muscovite and vermiculite clays, as 10 well as pyrophyllite/talc, willemseite and minnesotaite clays.
11. 11. Use according to any preceding claim, wherein the clay mineral has a reflectance of at least 60, preferably at least 70, more preferably ai least 80 at a wavelength of 460 nin. 15
12. 12. Use according to any preceding claim, wherein the number average particle size of the light coloured crystalline clay mineral does no-i exceed 2gm, preferably not exceeding I gm.