Liquid detergent compositions

Claim 1

A physically stable enzyme-free liquid detergent composition consisting essentially of from about 22% to about 65% by weight of a surfactant system composed of a mixture of anionic, nonionic and zwitterionic surfactants in an organic solubiliser/hydrotrope-water medium wherein (i) the anionic surfactant comprises in combination (a) from about 4% to about 20% by weight of the composition of a primary C 10 -C 16 alkyl sulfate; (b) from about 5% to about 20% by weight of the composition of a C 10 -C 16 linear alkyl benzene sulfonate; (c) from about 5% to about 24% by weight of the composition of a C 10 -C 16 alkyl ethoxysulfate containing an average of up to about 6 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of ethoxysulfate; wherein, in said anionic surfactant combination, the cations include magnesium ion in a molar amount corresponding to from about 35% to about 65% of the molar amount of alkyl sulfate present in the combination; (ii) the nonionic surfactant comprises from about 1% to about 10% by weight of the composition of an ethoxylated C 6 -C 13 aliphatic alcohol containing an average of from about 1.5 to about 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, said ethoxylated alcohol containing not more than about 1% by weight of unethoxylated alcohol where the alcohol contains an average of less than about 9 moles of ethylene oxide and not more than about 2% by weight of unethoxylated alcohol where the ethoxylated alcohol containing an average of from about 9 to about 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol; (iii) the zwitterionic surfactant comprises from about 0.25% to about 10% by weight of the composition of a compound of the general formula ##STR7## wherein R 1 is C 10 -C 16 alkyl R 2 is C 1 -C 3 alkyl R 3 is a `(CH 2 ) 3 group or a ##STR8## Y is ##STR9## n and m are O or 1 X - is CH 2 COO - or SO 3 - ; provided that where X - is CH 2 COO - , m is O and where X - is SO 3 - , m is 1, and wherein said organic solubilizer/hydrotrope-water medium is the balance of the formula and said organic solubilizer/hydrotrope is selected from the group consisting of urea, a C 1 -C 3 aliphatic alcohol, a lower alkyl or dialkyl benzene sulfonate salt, and mixtures of the above.