Mild light duty detergent containing homopolymers of ethylene oxide

Claim 1

A method for substantially reducing skin irritation of the hands by a light duty liquid or powder detergent formulation consisting essentially of 10% to 35% by weight of a water-soluble anionic surfactant having skin irritating characteristics and selected from the group consisting of C 8 -C 18 aklyl benzene sulfonates, C 8 -C 18 alkyl sulfates containing from 0 to 3 ethenoxy groups in the molecule, C 8 -C 25 olefin sulfonates, C 10 -C 20 paraffin sulfonates, C 8 -C 9 alkyl phenol ethoxamer sulfates, and mixtures thereof which comprises contacting the hands with an aqueous washing solution of said detergent formulation containing said skin-irritating detergent and an effective amount of a homopolymer of ethylene oxide having the general formula (CH 2 CH 2 0)n wherein n is an integer sufficient to provide a molecular weight between about 1 × 105 and 4 × 10 6 , said polymer being from about 0.01 to about 5% by weight of said formulation, with the balance of said formulation being either sodium sulfate or an aqueous medium containing up to 15% by weight of a solubilizing agent selected from the group consisting of C 2 -C 3 alkanols, polyethylene glycols and sodium xylene sulfonate.

Claim 2

A method for substantially reducing skin irritation of the hands by a light duty liquid or powder detergent formulation consisting essentially of 10% to 35% by weight of a water-soluble anionic surfactant having skin irritating characteristics and selected from the group consisting of C 8 -C 18 aklyl benzene sulfonates, C 8 -C 18 alkyl sulfates containing from 0 to 3 ethenoxy groups in the molecule, C 8 -C 25 olefin sulfonates, C 10 -C 20 paraffin sulfonates, C 8 -C 9 alkyl phenol ethoxamer sulfates, and mixtures thereof which comprises contacting the hands with an aqueous washing solution of said detergent formulation containing said skin-irritating detergent and an effective amount of a homopolymer of ethylene oxide having the general formula (CH 2 CH 2 0)n wherein n is an integer sufficient to provide a molecular weight between about 1 × 105 and 4 × 10 6 , said polymer being from about 0.01 to about 5% by weight of said formulation, with the balance of said formulation being either sodium sulfate or an aqueous medium containing up to 15% by weight of a solubilizing agent selected from the group consisting of C 2 -C 3 alkanols, polyethylene glycols and sodium xylene sulfonate.