Sulfonate detergent compositions

Claim 1

A granular non-phosphate, non-enzymatic detergent composition consisting essentially of an anionic sulfonate detergent selected from the group consisting of olefin sulfonate, paraffin sulfonate and mixtures of olefin sulfonate and paraffin sulfonate detergents, (b) sodium silicate, (c) nonionic detergent and (d) carboxymethyl cellulose, the ratio a:b being in the range of about 2:1 to 1:2, the ratio a:c being in the range of about 15:1 to 4:1, the ratio a:d being in the range of about 90:1 to 6:1 and the amount of c being at least about 4% of the total weight of a+b, said olefin sulfonate being a mixture of water soluble long chain alkenyl sulfonate and water soluble long chain hydroxyalkane sulfonate in water the hydroxy is on a carbon atom not directly attached to the carbon atom adjacent the sulfonate group, both said alkenyl and hydroxyalkane sulfonates being of 12 to 20 carbon atoms, said paraffin sulfonate being a water soluble salt of 10 to 20 carbon atoms, said sodium silicate being of an Na 2 O:SiO 2 weight ratio of about 1:2 to 1:3, said nonionic detergent being an ether of polyethylene glycol and a monohydric alkanol of about 10 to 18 carbon atoms wherein the polyethylene glycol is of about 5 to 15 oxyethylene units, and said composition, when dissolved in 0.15% concentration in water of 150 parts per million of hardness, resulting in a pH below 10, a turbidity of less than 30 and a calcium electrode potential of at most about 20 millivolts less than the potential of said hard water, when measured by means of a calcium activity electrode.