Dishwashing composition

Claim 1

A low phosphate machine dishwashing composition consisting essentially of: (A) about 7 to 8 percent of a maleic acid-acrylic acid copolymer having an average molecular weight of about 10,000 to 70,000 and a maleic acid-acrylic acid monomer ratio of about 1:2 to 1:4 by weight, (B) about 10 to 20 percent by weight of an alkaline condensed phosphate salt, (C) about 2 to 4 percent by weight of a blend of nonionic surfactants consisting of: (1) a nonionic surfactant having the formula: Y[(EO).sub.m (A).sub.n H].sub.2 wherein EO represents oxyethylene groups which are present in the surfactant in the proportion of about 5 to about 60 percent by weight; Y represents the nucleus of an active hydrogen-containing organic compound having about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms and 2 reactive hydrogen atoms; A represents a lower oxyalkylene selected from the group consisting of oxypropylene, oxybutylene, oxytetramethylene and mixtures thereof; m and n are integers individually selected such that the average total molecular weight of the polymer is about 500 to about 25,000 and (2) a nonionic surfactant having the formula: Y[(EO).sub.m (A).sub.n H].sub.3 wherein Y represents the nucleus of an active hydrogen-containing organic compound having about 2 to 6 aliphatic carbon atoms and 3 reactive hydrogen atoms, EO, A, m, n, molecular weight and percent oxyethylene groups are as defined above; (D) about 20 to 40 percent of an alkaline carbonate compound the balance conventional machine dishwashing composition additives in normal amounts.