Method of machine washing of solid soiled materials by contacting the circulating wash liquid with aluminosilicates

Claim 1

A method for machine washing and cleaning of solid materials utilizing washing and cleaning solutions in the presence of water-insoluble cation exchange agents which are capable of binding the hardness components of the water and the soil, comprising withdrawing and recycling the tap water having a hardness of more than 80 mg CaO/liter in contact with said solid soiled materials through a silicate cation exchange compound having some combined water and a particle size of between 10μ and 100μ of the formula (M.sub.2/n O).sub.x . Me.sub.2 O.sub.3 . (SiO.sub.2).sub.y wherein M is a cation of valence n exchangeable with calcium, Me is a member selected from aluminum and boron, x is a number from 0.7 to 1.5 and y is a number from 0.8 to 6, said agent having a calcium binding power of at least 50 mg of CaO per gram, said silicate cation exchange compound being maintained out of contact with said solid soiled materials in a separate area from the washing area, for such time until the water has a hardness of not more than 70 mg CaO/liter, then adding other soluble washing and cleaning compounds to said softened tap water and washing said solid materials while continuing the recycling of the wash solution through said silicate cation exchange compound, wherein the total amount of washing solution is continuously or intermittently cyclically circulated from the washing area through the separate area with the cation exchange compound and then back to the washing area at least five times during the cleaning process, and where the amount of the cation exchange compound is 0.2 gm to 10 gm per liter of washing solution, and said washing solution contains from 0.2 to 10 gm per liter of other soluble washing and cleaning compounds.

Claim 2

A method for machine washing and cleaning of solid materials utilizing washing and cleaning solutions in the presence of water-insoluble cation exchange agents which are capable of binding the hardness components of the water and the soil, comprising withdrawing and recycling the tap water having a hardness of more than 80 mg CaO/liter in contact with said solid soiled materials through a silicate cation exchange compound having some combined water and a particle size of between 10μ and 100μ of the formula (M.sub.2/n O).sub.x . Me.sub.2 O.sub.3 . (SiO.sub.2).sub.y wherein M is a cation of valence n exchangeable with calcium, Me is a member selected from aluminum and boron, x is a number from 0.7 to 1.5 and y is a number from 0.8 to 6, said agent having a calcium binding power of at least 50 mg of CaO per gram, said silicate cation exchange compound being maintained out of contact with said solid soiled materials in a separate area from the washing area, for such time until the water has a hardness of not more than 70 mg CaO/liter, then adding other soluble washing and cleaning compounds to said softened tap water and washing said solid materials while continuing the recycling of the wash solution through said silicate cation exchange compound, wherein the total amount of washing solution is continuously or intermittently cyclically circulated from the washing area through the separate area with the cation exchange compound and then back to the washing area at least five times during the cleaning process, and where the amount of the cation exchange compound is 0.2 gm to 10 gm per liter of washing solution, and said washing solution contains from 0.2 to 10 gm per liter of other soluble washing and cleaning compounds.