Lever Brothers Company

Ian R Kenyon

Bryan C Smith

Peter J Russell

Thomas Taylor

A detergent composition for softening fabrics while maintaining good detergency comprises a fatty amine such as di tallow methyl tertiary amine and a nonionic surfactant with a low cloud point, such as an ethoxylated fatty alcohol with 3 moles of ethylene oxide per molecule.

Composition for softening fabrics

A particulate composition useful in the softening of fabrics from a wash liquor, especially in the form of a fabric washing product, comprises a fabric softening clay in intimate contact with a nonionic surfactant system which has a cloud point below 80.degree. C. The clay/nonionic weight ratio is from 2:3 to 20:1. A typical nonionic surfactant is a fatty alcohol with a low degree of ethoxylation, such as a C.sub.13-15 alcohol with 3 ethylene oxide groups per molecule.

Composition for softening fabrics: clay softening agent and nonionic

A particulate composition useful in the softening of fabrics from a wash liquor, especially in the form of a fabric washing product, comprises a fabric softening clay and a nonionic surfactant system which has a cloud point below 15.degree. C. The clay/nonionic weight ratio is from 2:3 to 20:1. A typical nonionic surfactant is a fatty alcohol with a low degree of ethoxylation, such as a C.sub.13-15 alcohol with 3 ethylene oxide groups per molecule.

A particulate composition for softening textile fabrics in the wash comprises: (a) from 5 to 30% by weight of a primary, secondary or tertiary amine capable of softening fabrics, sorbed onto (b) from 70 to 95% by weight of a particulate carrier comprising a porous crystal-growth-modified carbonate-based salt. The preferred particulate carrier is the sodium carbonate/sodium sulphate double salt Burkeite modified by means of a polymeric polycarboxylate. The softening composition may be incorporated in a detergent powder, suitably in an amount providing from 0.5 to 15% by weight of amine in the total powder.

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Wirral, United Kingdom

Ian R Kenyon