ZA200906773B - Improvements relating to laundry cleaning compositions - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a laundry cleaning composition comprising: a) at least one laundry adjunct selected from: builder, enzyme, fluorescer, perfume, anti-redeposition polymer, soil release polymer, source of alkalinity, chelating agents other than for hardness ions, bleach or precursor thereof, and, b)a surfactant system comprising: i)at least 1%wt on total surfactantof one or more anionic surfactants, ii)at least 1%wton total surfactant of one or more nonionic surfactants, and, iii)0.5-30%wt on total surfactant of, a mixed cationic surfactant system consisting of a 9:1-1:9 weight ratio of one or more first cationic surfactant of general type(I) and one or more second cationic surfactant of general type (II), wherein: cationic surfactants of type I are quaternary ammonium compounds of the general formula: C4539 (C) CPL -53- [R1 -N+ ( R2 ) 2-CH 2-R3 ] Z- (Type I): in which: Z- is an anionic counter-ion, R1 is a straight or branched C 6to C 20alkyl or alkenyl group, R2 is, independently, a C 1to C4 alkyl group, R3 is H, phenyl, benzyl or C 1to C 20alkyl benzyl, and, cationic surfactants of type II which are quaternary ammonium compounds of the general formula: [R1 -(A) n-N+ ( R4 )((A) lR5 )-(A) mR4 ] Z- (Type II) in which:Z, R1 are as defined above, A is the same or a different C 1-C 4alkoxy group and n, m and l are independently 0 to 30, R4 is, independently, R2 or a C 2-C 4hydroxy-alkyl group, and, R5 is R2 or H with the proviso that should the structure of a type II cationic surfactant be such that it falls within the definition of type I cationic surfactants it shall be counted only as a type I cationic surfactant. Preferably the Type I surfactant is benzalkonium chloride and preferably the Type II surfactant is selected from the group comprising fatty dialkyl dimethyl hydroxy-ethyl ammonium chloride, fatty monoalkyl tri-ethoxy trimethyl ammonium chloride and mixtures thereof. Preferably the ratio of the type I to type II surfactant is in the range 1:1-5:1, more preferably 2:1-4:1.