Liquid detergent composition

Abstract

Abstract An opaque, viscous, liquid detergent composition comprises, by weight of the total composition (a) 2-15%, preferably 4-10%, of an alkali metal borate having a water solubility of not more than 5% at 25 DEG C., sodium tetraborate and potassium pentaborate and mixtures thereof being especially favoured; (b) 3-10% of a tertiary amine oxide of formula R1R2R3N-->O, where R1 is a C10-16-alkyl group and R2 and R3 are each either methyl or ethyl, it being preferred that at least 50% of the R1 groups contain 12 carbon atoms; (c) 3-15% of one or more detergent salts of anionic organic sulphuric reaction products having in the molecule a C9-16-alkyl group and a sulphonic or sulphuric acid ester group, which salt is alkali stable and soluble to the extent of at least 3% by weight in an aqueous solution containing 3% dimethyldodecylamine oxide, 3% potassium toluene sulphonate, and 10% potassium pyrophosphate; (d) 3-10%, preferably 4-6%, of a non-detergent hydrotropic aryl sulphonate such as a benzene, xylene, and especially a toluene sulphonate; (e) 10-30% of a pyrophosphate, and (f) water; the cations present in (c), (d) and (e) are sodium, potassium, or mono-, di-, or tri-ethanolammonium with the proviso that the mole ratio of the total of potassium and ethanolammonium cations to sodium cations be at least 3 : 1. Anionic detergent (c) suitably comprises a salt of the anions RSO4-, R(OC2H4)xSO4-, and R.C6H4. SO3-, where R is C9-16-alkyl and X is 1-5; a sulphated alkylphenol-ethylene oxide condensate is also mentioned. In general the total of (b) and (c) comprises 10-25%, and that of (c) and (e) 25-40%, of the total composition. The composition suitably also contains 3.5-6% of silicates wherein the ratio SiO2 : M2O is 1-2.6 : 1, preferably 1.6-2.6 : 1 (M being sodium or potassium), tarnish inhibitors such as benzotriazole or ethylene thiourea, fluorescers, perfume, colour and antiredeposition agents.

Inventors

• 👤 Norman R Smith

Bibliographic Details