Stable liquid detergent compositions

Claim 1

A heavy-duty liquid detergent composition comprising, by weight: (a) from 10% to 35%, of an anionic surfactant on an acid basis; (b) from 0% to 15% of an ethoxylated nonionic surfactant of the formula R¹ (OC₂H₄) n OH, wherein R¹ is a C₁₀-C₁₆ alkyl group or a C₈-C₁₂ alkyl phenyl group, n averages from 3 to 9, and said nonionic surfactant has an HLB of from 10 to 13; (c) from 0% to 15% of a cosurfactant selected from the group consisting of: (i) quaternary ammonium surfactants having the formula: [R²(OR³) y ][R⁴(OR³) y ]₂R⁵N⁺X⁻ wherein R² is an alkyl or alkyl benzyl group having from 6 to 16 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain; each R³ is selected from the group consisting of -CH₂CH₂-, -CH₂CH(CH₃)-, -CH₂CH(CH₂OH)-, -CH₂CH₂CH₂-, and mixtures thereof; each R⁴ is selected from the group consisting of C₁-C₄ alkyl, C₁-C₄ hydroxyalkyl, benzyl, and hydrogen when y is not 0; R⁵ is the same as R⁴ or is an alkyl chain wherein the total number of carbon atoms of R² plus R⁵ is from 8 to 16; each y averages from 0 to 10 and the sum of the y values is from 0 to 15; and X is any compatible anion; (ii) amine surfactants having the formula: [R²(OR³) y ][R⁴(OR³) y ]R⁵N wherein R², R³, R⁴, R⁵ and y are as defined above; (iii) amine oxide surfactants having the formula: [R²(OR³) y ][R⁴(OR³) y ]R⁵N → 0 wherein R², R³, R⁴, R⁵ and y are as defined above; (iv) an amide surfactant of the formula: wherein R⁶ is an alkyl, hydroxyalkyl or alkenyl radical containing from 8 to 20 carbon atoms, and R⁷ and R⁸ are each selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxypropyl, 3-hydroxypropyl, and wherein said radicals additionally contain up to 5 ethylene oxide units; and (v) mixtures thereof; (d) from 5% to 30% of detergent builder; (e) a neutralization system; (f) an aqueous solvent system, said system not consisting of water only; (g) from 0.25% to 4% of a soil release component which is a compound having the formula: wherein each R¹ moiety is a 1,4-phenylene moiety, each R² is an ethylene or a 1,2-propylene moiety; each n averages from 10 to 50; each X is H, an alkyl radical having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or an acyl radical containing from 2 to 4 carbon atoms; wherein less than 10 mol% of said soil release compound has a u greater than 5, at least 20 mol% of said soil release compound has a u in the range of from 3 to 5 and wherein the average value of u is from 3 to 5.