Built thickened stable non-aqueous cleaning composition and method of use

Claim 2

A non-aqueous liquid fabric treating composition which comprises a non-aqueous liquid comprising a nonionic surfactant, fabric-treating solid particles selected from the group consisting of detergent builders, bleaching agents, antistatic agents, and mixtures thereof suspended in said non-aqueous liquid, and an organophilic clay, in an amount from about 0.2% to about 1% by weight, based on the weight of the composition, as a stabilizing agent to inhibit settling of the suspended particles, said organophilic clay comprising a swelling smectite clay modified with a nitrogen containing compound including at least one long chain hydrocarbon having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms.

Claim 3

The fabric treating composition of claim 1 wherein the suspended particles have an average particle size of 15 microns or less, no more than about 10% by weight of said particles having a particle size of more than about 15 microns.

Claim 4

The fabric treating composition of claim 1 wherein the suspended particles have an average particle size of from about 1 to 10 microns, no more than about 10% by weight of said particles having a particle size of more than about 10 microns.

Claim 5

The fabric treating composition of claim 3 wherein said nitrogen containing compound is a quaternary ammonium compound.

Claim 6

The fabric treating compound of claim 4 wherein the quaternary ammonium compound is a compound of the formula [R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 R.sub.4 N].sup.+ X.sup.- wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are each, independently, hydrogen or an alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, aralkyl or alkaryl group having from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, at least two of R 1 -R 4 having from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms and at most two of R 1 -R 4 having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms; and X is an inorganic or organic anion.

Claim 7

The fabric treating composition of claim 1 wherein the nonionic surfactant is an alkoxylated fatty alcohol having from about 10 to about 22 carbon atoms.

Claim 8

The fabric treating composition of claim 6 wherein the fatty alcohol is a C 12 to C 18 alcohol alkoxylated with up to about 12 moles ethylene oxide and up to about 8 moles propylene oxide.

Claim 9

The fabric treating composition of claim 7 wherein the non-aqueous liquid further comprises a diluent or organic solvent selected from the group consisting of lower alcohols having from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms, and alkylene glycols having from 2 to about 6 carbon atoms.

Claim 10

The fabric treating composition of claim 7 wherein the non-aqueous liquid further comprises a viscosity-controlling and antigelling amount of an alkylene glycol ether of the formula RO(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n H wherein R is a C 2 to C 8 alkyl group and n is a number having an average value of from about 1 to 6.

Claim 11

The fabric treating composition of claim 9 wherein the alkylene glycol ether is diethylene glycol monobutyl ether.

Claim 12

The fabric treating composition of claim 1 wherein the non-aqueous liquid comprises from about 30% to about 70% by weight of the composition and the suspended solid particles comprise from about 70% to about 30% by weight of the composition.

Claim 13

The fabric treating composition of claim 11 wherein the non-aqueous liquid comprises from about 45% to 55% by weight of the composition and the suspended solid particles comprise from about 55% to 45% by weight of the composition.

Claim 14

The fabric treating composition of claim 1 comprising from about 30 to about 60% of alkoxylated fatty alcohol nonionic surfactant; from about 0% to about 20% of alkylene glycol ether viscosity control and antigelling agent; from about 20% to about 50% of detergent builder particles; and from about 0% to about 50% in total of one or more optional detergent additives selected from the following: enzymes, enzyme inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, anti-foam agents, suds suppressors, soil suspending agents, anti-yellowing agents, colorants, perfumes, optical brighteners, bluing agents, pH modifiers, pH buffers, bleaching agents, bleach stabilizers, and sequestering agents.

Claim 15

The fabric treating composition of claim 1 wherein the amount of the organophilic clay is from 0.2% to 0.7% by weight of the composition.

Claim 16

A heavy duty built liquid thickened non-aqueous laundry detergent composition comprising from about 30% to about 40% of a liquid nonionic surfactant which is a mixed ethylene oxide--propylene oxide condensate of a fatty alcohol having from about 12 to about 18 carbon atoms; from about 25% to about 40% of alkali metal phosphate detergent builder salt; from about 5% to about 12% of an alkylene glycol ether solvent as a viscosity control and anti-gelling agent; from about 0.2% to about 0.7% of an organophilic modified smectite clay in which from about 10% to 100% of the available base exchange capacity of the smectite clay is replaced by an organic cationic nitrogen compound having at least one long chain hydrocarbon with from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms; from about 2% to about 20% of a peroxide bleaching agent; from about 0.1% to about 8% of a bleach activator; up to about 2% of enzymes; up to about 10% of soil suspending, anti-redeposition and anti-yellowing agents; up to about 5% of high complexing power sequestering agent; and up to about 2% each of one or more of colorants, perfumes and optical brighteners; the solid components of said composition being stably suspended in the liquid components of said composition and having an average particle size in the range of from about 2 to 10 microns, with no more than about 10% of the particles having a particle size of more than 10 microns; said composition having a plastic viscosity in the range of from about 0.05 Pa·sec to 0.5 Pa·sec.

Claim 17

A heavy duty built liquid thickened non-aqueous laundry detergent composition comprising from about 30% to about 40% of a liquid nonionic surfactant which is a mixed ethylene oxide--propylene oxide condensate of a fatty alcohol having from about 12 to about 18 carbon atoms; from about 25% to about 40% of alkali metal phosphate detergent builder salt; from about 5% to about 12% of an alkylene glycol ether solvent as a viscosity control and anti-gelling agent; from about 0.2% to about 0.7% of an organophilic modified smectite clay in which from about 10% to 100% of the available base exchange capacity of the smectite clay is replaced by an organic cationic nitrogen compound having at least one long chain hydrocarbon with from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms; from about 2% to about 20% of a peroxide bleaching agent; from about 0.1% to about 8% of a bleach activator; up to about 2% of enzymes; up to about 10% of soil suspending, anti-redeposition and anti-yellowing agents; up to about 5% of high complexing power sequestering agent; and up to about 2% each of one or more of colorants, perfumes and optical brighteners; the solid components of said composition being stably suspended in the liquid components of said composition and having an average particle size in the range of from about 2 to 10 microns, with no more than about 10% of the particles having a particle size of more than 10 microns; said composition having a plastic viscosity in the range of from about 0.05 Pa·sec to 0.5 Pa·sec.