Liquid foam-regulated nonionic detergent compositions

Claim 1

A liquid foam-regulated washing and cleansing agent composition containing non-ionic surface-active compounds and organic water-miscible solvents consisting essentially of a. from 30 to 60 percent by weight of a combination of two ethoxylated alcohols having from 12 to 20 carbon atoms selected from the group consisting of alkanols, alkenols and mixtures thereof, where one of the two ethoxylated alcohols is adducted with an average of from 2 to 6 mols of ethylene oxide and the other ethoxylated alcohol is adducted with an average of 8 to 20 mols of ethylene oxide, and where the quantitative ratio of the lower ethoxylated alcohol to the higher ethoxylated alcohol is from 1:3 to 1:1; b. from 2 to 6 percent by weight of an alkali metal soap of fatty acids with substantially from 12 to 18 carbon atoms; c. from 0.1 to 1 percent by weight of a water-soluble organic sequestering agent for heavy metal ions; d. from 20 to 35 percent by weight of a water-miscible solvent combination of a monohydric ether alcohol having from 5 to 8 carbon atoms selected from the group consisting of alkoxyalkanols and alkoxyalkoxyalkanols, and a diol having from 2 to 6 carbon atoms selected from the group consisting of alkanediols and alkoxyalkanediols, said alcohol and said diol having boiling points of over 160°C and flash points of over 60°C and the quantitative ratio of said alcohol to said diol being from 2:1 to 1:2, with the proviso that up to 3 percent by weight, based on the total composition, of said monohydric ether alcohol is replaced with a monohydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol; and e. at least 8 percent by weight up to the balance of 100% by weight, of water.