AU2014271323A1 - Detergent composition - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A liquid hard surface detergent composition comprising a 5 liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfac tant comprising a greater number of the lower higher alkoxylate group than the higher alkoxylate group in the molecule and a builder. The compositions provide good shine/anti-spotting characteristics on hard surfaces and 10 are especially suitable for use as automatic dishwashing compositions.

Description

EDITORIAL NOTE 2014271323 - There are 46 pages of Description which are not page numbered, refer to divisional parent DETERGENT COMPOSITION Technical field 5 The present invention relates to hard surface detergent compositions such as dishwashing detergent compositions, in particular automatic dishwashing compositions. It also relates to a process of preparing these composi tions. In particular the present invention relates to 10 such compositions comprising particular types of non ionic surfactants and which demonstrate good anti spotting/shine properties on articles cleansed therewith. Background of the invention 15 It is well known to use detergent compositions in the cleansing of hard surfaces such as cleaning falls and walls and in dishwashing -such as automatic dishwashing. 20 However it is well known that washing hard surfaces with detergent compositions can lead to the cleansed items suffering from spotting due to mineral deposits being left behind once the cleansing operation has been com pleted. These mineral deposits can be seen as spots on 25 the items and also reduce the shine of the item which has been treated. In dishwashing operations, as well as other cleaning operations the appearance of a shiny surface is tremendously important to consumers as it is perceived as showing thorough and hygienic cleaning results. 30 The shine of a hard surface is determined mainly by the builder, the polymer and the surfactant system used in the detergent used to clean the surface in question. Typically such detergent compositions are formulated to contain a builder. Builder such as the phosphate build ers can bind calcium and magnesium ions, act as alkalin 5 ity source for the detergent and are used to buffer the wash liquor in a dishwasher at pH 9 and above sometimes together with other chemicals such as disilicate, meta silicates and soda. Phosphates are also able to disperse existing calcium carbonate in the wash liquor to prevent 10 spotting on glasses as for the aforementioned reasons Lhis is steen as uudesitablte by Lhe consumer. Thus, phos phates in a detergent have at least four different func tions in an alkaline detergent; (1) Providing alkalinity; (2) buffering capacity, (3) complexing of magnesium and 15 calcium ions; and (4) dispersing capacity of calcium car bonate. However, often the use of builders alone is not sufficient to prevent the appearance of spotting on hard surfaces. 20 Accordingly there is a need in the art to provide deter gent compositions for hard surfaces such as kitchenware, walls and floors, which show good anti-spotting proper ties and which retain the shine on the surface of the item being cleansed. This is especially important for 25 items such as glassware cleaned in a dishwashing opera tion such as in an automatic dishwashing machine. It is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the above-mentioned problems. 30 In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide detergent compositions for hard surfaces, and in particular and (automatic) dishwashing detergent com positions which provide effective shine/anti-spotting properties on the surfaces it is used to cleanse. 5 Statement of invention It has surprisingly been found that one or more of the above problems are addressed by the compositions of the present invention. 10 Thus according to a first aspect of theppresent invention there is provided a liquid hard surface detergent compo sition comprising a) a liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty al cohol non-ionic surfactant comprising a greater number of 15 moles of the lower higher alkoxylate group than of the higher alkoxylate group in the molecule and b) a builder. Preferably the composition is an automatic dishwashing detergent composition. 20 It is preferred that the detergent composition is a gel. Preferably the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant comprises at least two of EO, 20 or BO groups 25 and most preferably only EQ and PO groups. The mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant preferably has a mole ratio of the lower alkoxylate group to the higher alkoxylate group is at least 1.1:1, most 30 preferably of at least 1.8:1, especially at least 2:1. It is also preferred that the mixed alkoxylate fatty al cohol non-ionic surfactant comprises between 3 to 5 moles of the higher alkoxylate group and between 6 to 10 moles of the higher lower group, preferably 4 or 5 moles of PO and 7 or 8 moles of EO and most preferably 4 moles of PO and 8 moles of EO. 5 Preferably the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant has 12-18 carbon atoms. The detergent preferably comprises 2 to 30%wt of the 10 mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant. It is preferred that the detergent composition further comprises a builder, preferably one selected from the phosphate-containing builders, polycarboxylic acids and 15 their salts and amino acid based builders and most pref erably from tripolyphosphates, citrates, MGDA and GLDA and salts or derivatives and mixtures thereof. The detergent composition of the invention preferably 20 further comprises a polymer, especially a sulphonated polymer and most especially a sulphonated polymer com prising monomers of a carboxylic acid or a salt thereof and a sulphonated monomer, especially acrylic acid and/or 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonic acid (AMPS). 25 It is most preferred that the compositions of the present invention comprise additional non-ionic surfactant to the claimed mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfac tant. 30 According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of preparing a detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the detergent composition is prepared at a tem perature in the range of from 25-80 0 C, preferably at a temperature in the range of from 25-60 0 C such as 30-50 0 c. 5 According to a third aspect the present invention pro vides a unit dose detergent composition comprising a liq uid hard surface detergent composition according to the first aspect of the invention, which composition is en 10 veloped in a water soluble or water dispersible package. The water soluble or water dispersible package preferably has a plurality of compartments. The water soluble or water dispersible package comprises polymeric packaging material which is preferably selected from polyvinyl al 15 cohol, cellulose and cellulose derivatives, starches, gelatine, polyglycolides, gelatine and polylactides co polymers or a mixture or co-polymer thereof. According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is 20 provided a method of reducing spotting on a hard surface by contacting a hard surface with a composition according to the first aspect of the invention or a unit dose com position according to the third aspect of the invention. It is preferred that the method is carried out in an 25 automatic dishwashing machine. Surprisingly, it has been found that the detergent compo sitions according to the present invention exhibit good anti-spotting and shine properties upon hard surfaces, 30 especially in dishwashing applications such as in auto matic dishwashers.

Unless stated otherwise, all amounts herein are given as the percentage by weight of active ingredient based upon the weight of the total composition. 5 The term 'substantially free of' as used herein means less than 0.5%wt of the material in question based on the total weight of that material in the detergent composi tion. 10 By the term 'water soluble or water dispersible packag ing' as used herein is meant a package which at least partially dissolves in water or disperses in water at 20 0C within 10 minutes to allow for egress of the con tents of the package into the surrounding water. 15 By the term 'higher alkoxylate' it is meant the alkoxy late group having the greatest number of carbon atoms in that alkoxylate group. By the term 'lower alkoxylate' it is meant the alkoxylate group having the lowest number of 20 carbon atoms in that alkoxylate group. Thus for a mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol comprising ethoxylate (EO) and propoxylate (PO) groups the EO is the lower alkoxylate and the PO is the higher alkoxylate. Thus the detergent compositions of the invention comprise mixed alkoxylate 25 fatty alcohols comprising a greater number of EO groups than PO groups. The same applies to other mixed alkoxy lates such as those containing EO and butoxylate (BO) or even PO and BO groups. 30 By the term 'liquid surfactant' as used herein is meant a surfactant which is liquid at 21 0

C.

A 'liquid composition' as used herein refers coherent composition which shows a tendency to flow as a coherent mass. It includes liquids, gels and pastes. For the avoidance of doubt it does not include solid bodies, 5 granules or powders. Detailed description The present invention will now be described in further 10 detail. a) detergent composition format The composition of the invention may be type of hard sur face detergent compositions such as a floor or wall 15 cleaning composition. However it is preferred that the composition of the invention is a dishwashing composition and in particular an automatic dishwashing composition. The detergent compositions of the present invention are 20 in liquid form as herein defined. According to a pre ferred aspect of the present invention the dishwashing composition is a gel. Preferably the detergent compositions of the invention 25 are alkaline, more preferably having a pH in the range of 9-12 as a l%wt solution at 200C, most preferably 9.5 11.5. However in some applications it is possible to use less alkaline detergents e.g. those with a pH in the range of from 6.5 to 9, especially from 7 to 8.5 as a 30 1%wt solution at 20 0

C.

The detergent compositions of the present invention may be made by any suitable method as well known to the per son skilled in the art. However, it is preferred that when the detergent composition is according to the second 5 aspect of the invention. b) Liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfac tant Non-ionic surfactants are preferred for automatic dish 10 washing and some other hard surface cleaning operations as they are considered to be low foaming surfactants. The standard non-ionic surfactant structure is based on a fatty alcohol with a carbon Co to C 2 0 chain, wherein the 15 fatty alcohol has been ethoxylated or propoxylated. The degree of ethoxylation is described by the number of eth ylene oxide units (EO), and the degree of propoxylation is described by the number of propylene oxide units (PO). Surfactants may also comprise butylene oxide units (BO) 20 as a result of butoxylation of the fatty alcohol. Pref erably, this will be a mix with PO and EO units. The sur factant chain can be terminated with a butyl (Bu) moiety. The length of the fatty alcohol and the degree of ethoxy 25 lation/ propoxylation determines if the surfactant struc ture has a melting point below room temperature or in other words if is a liquid or a solid at room tempera ture. It is believed that the mixed alkoxylate fatty al cohol non-ionic surfactant of the present invention pro 30 vide their advantages for spotting inhibition and shine at least partly because they are liquid at room tempera ture.

It is preferred that the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactant have a fast wetting properties on glass, plastic and metal surfaces such that at least 90% of the surface is wetted in less than 30 seconds. 5 The compositions of the invention comprise a liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant comprising a greater number of moles of the lower higher alkoxylate group than of the higher alkoxylate group in the mole 10 cule. It is especially preferred that the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactant comprises at least two of EO, PO or BO groups and especially a mixture of EO and 15 PO groups, preferably EO and PO groups only. It is most preferred that the mole ratio of the lower alkoxylate group to the higher alkoxylate group is at least 1.1.:1., more preferably at least 1.5:1, and most 20 preferably at least 1.8:1, such as at least 2:1 or even at least 3:1. An especially preferred mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactant according to the present invention 25 comprises between 3 to 5 moles of the higher alkoxylate group and between 6 to 10 moles the higher lower group. Especially preferred are mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactants having 4 or 5 moles of the higher alkoxylate group and 7 or 8 moles of the lower alkoxylate 30 group. According to one aspect of the invention a mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactant having 4 or 5 PC moles and 7 or 8 EO moles is especially preferred and good results have been obtained with for surfactants with 4 PO moles and 8 EO moles. In an especially pre ferred embodiment the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non ionic surfactant is C12-15 8EO/4PO. 5 Surfactants of the above type which are ethoxylated mono hydroxy alkanols or alkylphenols which additionally com prise poly-oxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer units may be used. The alcohol or alkylphenol portion of 10 such surfactants constitutes more than 30%, preferably more than 50%, more preferably more than 70% by weight of the overall molecular weight of the non-ionic surfactant. The mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactants 15 used in the compositions of the invention may be prepared by the reaction of suitable monohydroxy alkanols or al kylphenols with 6 to 20 carbon atoms. Preferably the surfactants have at least 8 moles, particularly preferred at least 10 moles of alkylene oxide per mole of alcohol 20 or alkylphenol. Particularly preferred liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty al cohol non-ionic surfactants are those from a linear chain fatty alcohol with 12-18 carbon atoms, preferably 12 to 25 15 carbon atoms and at least 10 moles, particularly pre ferred at least 12 moles of alkylene oxide per mole of alcohol. When P0 units are used they preferably constitute up to 30 25% by weight, preferably up to 20% by weight and still more preferably up to 15% by weight of the overall mo lecular weight of the non-ionic surfactant.

Suitable liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactants can be found in the class of reverse block copolymers of polyoxyethylene and poly-oxypropylene and block copolymers of polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene 5 initiated with trimethylolpropane. Suitable types can also be described by the formula: RiO[CH 2

CH(CH

3 )0]x [CH 2

CH

2 0]y [CH 2

CH(OH)R

2 ] 10 where R1 represents a linear or branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbon group with 4-18 carbon atoms or mixtures thereof, R2 represents a linear or branched chain ali phatic hydrocarbon rest with 2-26 carbon atoms or mix 15 tures thereof, x is a value between 0.5 and 1.5 and y is a value of at least 15. Another group of suitable liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactants can be found in the end 20 capped polyoxyalkylated non-ionics of formula: RiO [CH 2 CH (R3) OJx [CH2] kCH (OH) [CH 2 ] jOR 2 where RI and R 2 represent linear or branched chain, satu 25 rated or unsaturated, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon groups with 1-30 carbon atoms, R 3 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, iso-propyl, n-butyl, 2-butyl or 2-methyl-2-butyl group, x is a value between 1 and 30 and, k and j are values between 1 and 12, prefera 30 bly between I and 5 with the proviso that the molecule contains more of the lower alkoxylate than of the higher alkoxylate. When the value of x is >2 each R3 in the for mula above can be different. RI and R 2 are preferably linear or branched chain, saturated or unsaturated, ali 5 phatic or aromatic hydrocarbon groups with 6-22 carbon atoms, where group with 8 to 18 carbon atoms are particu larly preferred. For the group R 3 = H, methyl or ethyl are particularly preferred. Particularly preferred values for x are comprised between 1 and 20, preferably between 10 6 and 15. As described above, in case x>2, each R 3 in the formula can be different. For instance, when x=3, the group R 3 could be chosen to build ethylene oxide (R3 = H) or pro 15 pylene oxide (R3 = methyl) units which can be used in every single order for instance -(PO) (EO) (EO), (EO) (PO) (EO), (EO) (EO) (PO), (PO) (EO) (PO) and (PO) (PO) (BO). Only the mixed alkoxylates having compris ing more of the lower alkoxylate than of the higher 20 alkoxylate are suitable as the claimed mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactant. The value 3 for x is only an example and bigger values can be chosen whereby a higher number of variations of (EO) or (PO) units would arise. 25 Particularly preferred end-capped polyoxyalkylated alco hols of the above formula are those where k=1 and j=1 originating molecules of simplified formula: RiO [CH2CH (R 3 ) 0 ] xCH 2 CH (OH) CH 2 0R2 Other suitable surfactants are disclosed in WO 95/01416, to the contents of which express reference is hereby 5 made. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present in vention the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic sur factants have the general formula; 10 Ri-[EG]n-[PO]-[B] p-BLq wherein:

R

1 is an alkyl group of between C8 and C20; EQ is ethylene oxide; P0 is propylene oxide; 15 BO is butylene oxide; Bu is butylene n and m are integers from 1 to 15; p is an integer from 0 to 15; and q is 0 or 1. 20 Examples of especially preferred mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactants can be found in the Plu TM TM .TM rafac , Lutensol and Pluronic ranges from BASF and the Genapol series from Clariant. 25 The claimed mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic sur factants, and especially the C12-15 fatty alcohol 8EO,4PO surfactant (commercially available as Genapol EP 2584 ex Clariant, Germany) exhibit; " Excellent wetting of plastic, glass, ceramic and stainless steel e Excellent temperature stability up to 90 0 C for proc essing 5 a Good compatibility with thickeners typically used in the liquid detergent compositions (e.g. PEG) * Stability in alkaline conditions. The use of a mixture of any of the aforementioned non 10 ionic surfactants is suitable in compositions of the pre sent invention, e.g. mixtures of alkoxylated alcohols and hydroxy group containing alkoxylated alcohols, provided that they are liquid and have a greater number of moles of the lower higher alkoxylate group than of the higher 15 alkoxylate group in the molecule. It is preferred that the liquid detergent compositions of the invention comprise 2-30%wt of the liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactant more pref 20 erably 3-25%wt such as 5-20%wt. If the composition of the invention are present as part of a multi-phase unit dose composition then preferably the claimed non-ionic surfac tants are present an amount of from 0.1 %wt to 15 %wt, more preferably 0.5%wt to 10 %wt, such as 0.5 to 7.5%wt 25 based on the total unit dose composition. Without wishing to be bound by theory it is believed that the film of the surfactant molecules covering the surface of the tableware and the dishwasher prevents the deposi 30 tion of calcium carbonate on the surfaces and so aids the reduction in spotting and improves the shine of the surfaces being treated. A second and unexpected beneficial effect is an increased "carry over" of surfactant from the main washing cycle into the rinse cycle in the auto matic dishwashing machine due to the high concentration 5 of surfactant. This is important for multi-benefit deter gents, because they are used without adding extra rinse aid into the reservoir provided in the dishwasher. Many technological processes require control of liquid 10 spreading over solid surfaces. When a drop is placed on a surface, it can completely wet, partially wet, or not wet the surface. Wetting can be defined in terms of the con tact angle 0 of a liquid droplet on a particular surface, with a smaller contact angle signifying greater wetting; 15 a contact angle of between 00 and 90" is defined as highly wettable, with 00 being defined as totally wet table. By reducing the surface tension with the claimed 20 surfactants non-wetting material for water can be made to become partially or completely wetting. Surfactants are absorbed onto the liquid-vapor, solid-liquid, and solid vapor interfaces, which modify the wetting behavior of hydrophobic materials to reduce the free energy. When 25 surfactants are absorbed onto a hydrophobic surface, the polar head groups face into the solution with the tail pointing outward. In more hydrophobic surfaces, surfactants may form a bilayer on the solid, causing it to become more hydrophilic. As the surfactants are 30 absorbed, the solid-vapor surface tension increases and the edges of the drop become hydrophilic. As a result, the drop spreads and the appearance of spotting is reduced. This process is time dependent, and the dynamic drop 5 radius can be characterized as the drop begins to spread. The contact angle changes are based on the following equation: cos 0(1)= cos 0 + (cos 0 - cos 0)(1-e) * e 0 is the initial contact angle 10 ( 69. is the final contact angle * T is the surfactant transfer time scale The wetting properties of a surfactant are therefore key to its performance in detergent compositions used on hard surfaces, such as dishwashing compositions as they regu 15 lating the amount of spots left on surfaces as a result of drying of unevenly spread water droplets. c) builders The compositions of the invention comprise a builder. A 20 builder may also be included in any additional detergent composition used in a multi-phase unit dose composition with the composition of the invention. The detergent com positions may comprise conventional amounts of detergent builders which may be either phosphorous based or non 25 phosphorous based, or a combination of both types. Suit able builders are well known in the art.

If phosphorous containing builders are to be used then it is preferred that mono-phosphates, di-phosphates, tri polyphosphates, polyphosphonates or oligomeric poylphosphates are used. The alkali metal salts of these 5 agents are preferred, in particular the sodium salts. An especially preferred phosphorous containing builder is sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). Conventional amounts of the phosphorous-containing builders may be used in the solid detergent compositions, typically in the range of 10 from 15%wt to 80%wt, such as 20%wt to 75%wt, more pref erably 25%wt to 60%wt. The non-phosphorous containing builder may be organic molecules with carboxylic group(s), amino acid based com 15 pounds, a succinate based compound or a mixture thereof. The term 'succinate based compound' and 'succinic acid based compound' are used interchangeably herein and these compounds are further described below. 20 Builder compounds which are organic molecules selected from water-soluble monomeric polycarboxylic acids and/or their acid forms may be used according to the invention. Suitable polycarboxylic acids include acyclic, alicyclic, heterocyclic and aromatic carboxylic acids. Suitable 25 examples of such compounds include citric acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, maleic acid, lactic acid, (ethyl enedioxy)diacetic acid, tartronic acid, lactic acid, gly colic acid, malonic acid, diglycolic acid and fumaric acid and salts and derivatives thereof, especially the 30 water soluble salts thereof. Preferred salts of the abovementioned compounds are the ammonium and/or alkali or alkaline earth metal salts, e.g. the ammonium, lithiun, sodium, potassium or calcium salts, and particularly preferred salts are the -sodium salts. These acids may be used in their monomeric or oligomeric form. An especially preferred builder is sodium citrate. 5 Preferred examples of amino acid based compounds accord ing to the invention are MGDA (methyl-glycine-diacetic acid, and salts and derivatives thereof) and GLDA (glu tamic-N,N-diacetic acid) and salts and derivatives 10 thereof. Other suitable builders are described in US 6,426,229 which is incorporated by reference herein. A preferred MGDA compound is a salt of methyl glycine di acetic acid. Suitable salts include the triammonium salt, the tripotassium salt and, preferably, the triso 15 dium salt. A preferred GLDA compound is a salt of glu tamic diacetic acid. Suitable salts include the tetraam monium salt, the tetrapotassium salt and, preferably, the tetrasodium salt. Especially preferred are the sodium salts thereof. 20 In particular suitable builders include; for example, aspartic acid-N-monoacetic acid (ASMA), aspartic acid N,N-diacetic acid (ASDA), iminodisuccinic acid (IDA), as partic acid-N- monopropionic acid (ASMP), N-(2 sulfomethyl) aspartic acid (SMAS), N- (2 25 sulfoethyl)aspartic acid (SEAS), N- (2 sulfomethyl)glutamic acid (SMGL), N-(2- sul foethyl)glutamic acid (SEGL), N- methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA), a- alanine-N,N-diacetic acid (a-ALDA), p-alanine N,N-diacetic acid (f-ALDA), serine-N,N-diacetic acid 30 (SEDA), isoserine-N,N-diacetic acid (ISDA), phenyla lanine-N,N-diacetic acid (PHDA), anthranilic acid-N,Ndiacetic acid (ANDA), sulphanilic acid-N,N--diacetic acid (SLDA), taurine-N, N-diacetic acid (TUDA) and sul phomethyl-N,N-diacetic acid (SMDA) and alkali metal salts or ammonium salts thereof. 5 Preferred succinate compounds are described in US-A 5,977,053 and have the formula; R40 RR'OR2

R

5 0 OR 3 N H 0 0 10 in which R, R , independently of one another, denote H or 2 3 4 5 OH, R , R , R, R , independently of one another, denote a cation, hydrogen, alkali metal ions and ammonium ions, ammonium ions having the general formula R6 R R R N+ and 6 7 8 9 R , R , R , R , independently of one another, denoting 15 hydrogen, alkyl radicals having 1 to 12 C atoms or hy droxyl-substituted alkyl radicals having 2 to 3 C atoms. Iminodisuccinic acid (IDS) and (hydroxy)iminodisuccinic acid (HIDS) and alkali metal salts or ammonium salts thereof are especially preferred succinate based builder 20 salts. Especially preferred are the sodium salts thereof. MGDA, GLDA, IDS and HIDS are especially preferred amino acid based and succinate based builders according to the present invention and mixtures thereof may also be used.

Any suitable form of the amino acid and succinate based compounds in the preceding paragraphs may be used. Conventional amounts of these phosphorous free builders 5 may be used, typically with an amount in the range of from 20%wt to 80%wt, such as 25 or 30%wt to 60 or 70%wt being used. According to one aspect of the present invention a mix 10 ture of a phosphorous containing builder such as STPP and a non-phosphorous containing builder such as MGDA, GLDA, IDS, HIDS and/or citrates may be used. The weight pro portions of each builder can be selected according to the needs of the formulator. 15 Preferably the total amount of builder present in the composition is at least 10 wt%, and most preferably at least 15 wt%, preferably in an amount of up to BOwt%, preferably up to 65wt%., more preferably up to 60wt%. The 20 actual amount used in the compositions will depend upon the nature of the builder used. d) optional ingredients The detergent compositions of the invention may also com 25 prise additional optional ingredients in addition to the claimed surfactant. These ingredients may also be present in any other detergent composition used in conjunction with the composition of the invention to form a multi phase unit dose detergent composition. Where reference is 30 made below to a weight percentage based it is to the weight percentage of the composition comprising that ingredient. For the composition of the invention this is based simply upon the weight of that composition. Where the composition forms part of a multi-phase unit dose de tergent composition the amount is stated as based upon 5 the weight of that part of the multi-phase unit dose com position which contains the specified ingredient. In addition to the particular liquid mixed alkoxylated fatty alcohol surfactants described above which are an 10 essential component of the detergent compositions of the invention, they may also comprise one or more further surfactants. Any other detergent compositions used with the compositions of the invention in the multi-phase unit dose compositions of the invention may also comprise sur 15 factant as described herein. If any further surfactant is present it may be any of nonionic, anionic, cationic, amphoteric or zwitterionic surface active agents or mixtures thereof although cati 20 onic surfactants are less preferred. Many such suitable surfactants are described in Kirk Othmer's Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd Ed., Vol. 22, pp. 360-379, "Surfactants and Detersive Systems", incorporated by ref erence herein. 25 For automatic dishwashing compositions according to the present invention non-ionic surfactants are especially preferred. For other cleaning applications, such as floors and walls, other surfactants such as anionic sur 30 factants may also be included and suitable types are well known in the art.

The additional nonionic surfactants which may be used in clude any solid nonionic surfactant and any nonionic sur factants which do not contain more of the lower alkoxy late than of the higher alkoxylate. 5 Additional nonionic surfactants which may be used (ex cluding any falling into the essential liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactants class above) include ethoxylated non-ionic surfactants prepared 10 by the reaction of a monohydroxy alkanol or alkylphenol with 6 to 20 carbon atoms which are not liquid or which do not contain more of the lower alkoxylate than of the higher alkoxylate. 15 Preferably the surfactants have at least 12 moles par ticularly preferred at least 16 moles, and still more preferred at least 20 moles, such as at least 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol or alkylphenol. Par ticularly preferred non-ionic surfactants suitable for 20 use as the additional nonionic surfactants are those from a linear chain fatty alcohol with 16-20 carbon atoms and at least 12 moles, particularly preferred at least 16 and still more preferred at least 20 moles, of ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol. 25 The additional fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactants may be prepared as described above for the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol nonionic surfactants. 30 The use of mixtures of different nonionic surfactants is suitable in the context of the present invention for instance mixtures of alkoxylated alcohols and hydroxy group containing alkoxylated alcohols. Preferably the total amount of non-ionic surfactants is 5 in an amount of from 0.1 %wt to 20 %wt, more preferably 0.5%wt to 15 %wt, such as 1 to 10%wt based on the weight of the composition(s) comprising the surfactant. An especially preferred optional ingredient in the deter 10 gent compositions of the invention is a polymer. Suitable polymers include those comprising polycarboxylic groups such as polyacrylate homopolymers and copolymers and the salts thereof. Copolymers of polycarboxylic acids such as acrylic acids with sulphonated monomers are especially 15 preferred according to the present invention as it has been found that the combination of a sulphonated polymer with the claimed surfactant system provides significant benefits in shine and anti-spotting properties of the de tergent composition. 20 Preferred examples of the sulphonated polymers include 1- 23_ 4_ 1 2 copolymers of CH2=CR -CR R -O-C4H 3 R -SO3X wherein R , R R3 , R4 are independently 1 to 6 carbon alkyl or hydrogen, and X is hydrogen or alkali with any suitable other mono 25 mer units including modified acrylic, fumaric, maleic, itaconic, aconitic, mesaconic, citraconic and methylenemalonic acid or their salts, maleic anhydride, acryla mide, alkylene, vinylmethyl ether, styrene and any mix tures thereof. Other suitable sulfonated monomers for 30 incorporation in sulfonated (co)polymers are 2 acrylamido-2-methyl-l-propanesulphonic acid, 2methacrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulphonic acid, 3 methacrylamido-2-hydroxy-propanesulphonic acid, allysul phonic acid, methallysulphonic acid, 2-hydroxy-3-(2 propenyloxy)propanesulphonic acid, 2-methyl-2-propenen-1 5 sulphonic acid, styrenesulphonic acid, vinylsulphonic acid, 3-sulphopropyl acrylate, 3 sulphopropylmethacrylate, sulphomethylacrylamide, sul phomethylmethacrylamide and water soluble salts thereof. Suitable sulphonated polymers are also described in US 10 5308532 and in WO 2005/090541. It is especially preferred that the sulphonated polymer comprises monomers of a carboxylic acid and a sulphonated monomer, especially acrylic acid and/or 2-acrylamido-2 15 methyl-1-propanesulphonic acid (AMPS). It is most pre ferred that the sulphonated polymer is a copolymer of acrylic acid and AMPS, especially in a weight ratio (of the monomers) of 50:50 to 90:10, such as 70:30 to 80:20. 20 When a sulfonated polymer is present, it is preferably present in the detergent composition of the invention in an amount of at least 0.5 wt%, preferably at least 1 wt%, more preferably at least 2 wt%, and most preferably at least 3 wt%, up to 40wt%, preferably up to 30wt%, more 25 preferably up to 20wt%, and most preferably up to 15 wt%. in one embodiment of the invention for a multi-phase unit dose composition it is preferred that a sulphonated poly mer is present in the detergent composition of the inven 30 tion and in at least one further detergent composition forming at least one further phase of the multi-phase unit dose composition.

It is also possible to include a polymer which is a polyaspartic acid derivative of formula (I): 0R$ NN F OM 1KK 5( ) wherein: M is selected from the group H, alkali metals ammonium, optionally substituted alkylammonium or a mixture thereof; 10 X is selected from the group NR , 0 and S or a mixture thereof, wherein R is H or C 1

-

20 hydrocarbyl optionally substituted with hydroxy or C1-8 alkyl ; Z is R2 Yn, wherein: 2 R is selected from the group comprising: 15 linear or branched C-C20 alkyl, C5-20 aralkyl, each op tionally substituted with Ci-8 alkyl or cyclic C3-10 al kyl, wherein the aralkyl may contain one or more heteroa toms selected from N, 0 and S; and linear and branched -R 3-( R O)p or -R -(N(R 4)R5 wherein R3 and R5 are selected from linear or branched

C

1

-C

1 0 alkyl and wherein R is selected from the same group as R and p and q are integers from 1 to 100; 5 each Y is independently selected from the group of hydro philic substituents containing OH; OR 10; SO 3 M; S02M; S03 R 11; SO2R 12; OS03M; OS02M; OSO3R 1; OSO 2 R 12; FO3M; PO2M,

PO

3 R 11; PO2R 12; OPO 3 M; OP02M, OP3R 11; 020 2 R 12; COOM; COOR13 wherein R 10, R 11, R12 and R13 are each selected in 10 dependently from each other from the group defined for R 6; and/or the group of hydrophobic substituents contain ing NR14R15 and NR14R15 16 wherein R14 , R15 and R16 are each independently selected from linear or branched C 1 C 2 0 alkyl, cyclic C 3

-

1 0 alkyl or C 5

-

2 0 aralkyl, each op 15 tionally substituted with Ci- 8 alkyl or cyclic C 3

-

1 0 al kyl, wherein the aralkyl may contain one or more heteroa toms selected from N, 0 and S; R8 is H or is selected from the same group as R2 provided that when X is NR 1 , then Y is not S03M, SO 2 M, 20 S03 R 11, SO 2 R 12, OS03M, O2M, OSO 3 R11 or OSO 2 R 12 n is an integer from 1 to 20; k, 1 are each independently integers from 0 to 860; and m is an integer from 1 to 860.

According to a further embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composition comprising a compound of formula (I) as hereinbefore de scribed wherein: 5 M is selected from the group H, alkali metals, ammonium, optionally substituted alkylammonium or a mixture thereof; X is selected from the group NR 1 , 0 and S or a mixture thereof, wherein R 1 is H or C1-20 hydrocarbyl optionally 10 substituted with hydroxy or Ci-8 alkyl ; Z is R Yn, wherein R2 is selected from the group comprising: linear or branched C1-C20 alkyl, C5-20 aralkyl, each op tionally substituted with Ci-s alkyl or cyclic C3-10 al 15 kyl, wherein the aralkyl may contain one or more heteroa tomu selected from N, 0 and S; and linear and branched -R3- ( R30)p or -RS- (N (R) R5) q wherein

R

3 and R 5 are selected from linear or branched Ci-C10 al kyl and wherein R 4 is selected from the same group as R 20 and p and q are integers from 1 to 100; each Y is independently selected from the group of hydro philic substituents containing OH; OR 10; SO 3 M; SO 2 M; SO 3 R 11; SO 2 R 12; OSO3M; OSO2M; OSO3R 11; OSO2R 12; PO3M; PO2M,

PO

3 R 11; P2R12 ; OP0 3 M; OPO 2 M, OPO 3 R 11; OPO 2 R 12; COOM; 25 COOR13 wherein R 10, R 1, R and R13 are each selected in dependently from each other from the group defined for R 6; and/or the group of hydrophobic substituents con 14 15 14 15 16 14 15 1 training H, NR R and NR R 1R wherein R , R and R 16 are each independently selected from linear or branched Ci-C 2 0 alkyl, cyclic C 3

-

10 alkyl or C 5

-

20 aralkyl, each 5 optionally substituted with Ci- 8 alkyl or cyclic C3-10 alkyl, wherein the aralkyl may contain one or more het eroatoms selected from N, 0 and S; Re is H or is selected from the same group as R ; provided that the molar ratio ot hydrophobic:hydrophiiic 10 substituents is from 1:1.1 to 1:1000. n is an integer from 1 to 20; k, 1 are each independently integers from 0 to 860; and m is an integer from 1 to 860. 15 The polyaspartic acid derivatives may be included in the compositions of the invention in amounts 0.1-40%wt, such as 5-30%wt. The compositions of the invention may also comprise one 20 or more thickeners to control the viscosity thereof. Any suitable thickeners as known in the art may be used with gums, polymers and gels being preferred. For example, polyethylene glycols, e.g. PEG with a molecular weight in the range of 5000 to 15,000 may be used as a thickener. 25 Thickeners are typically present in amounts of up to 2%wt.

The detergent composition of the invention may also com prise one or more foam control agents and indeed this is preferred. Suitable foam control agents for this purpose are all those conventionally used in this field, such as, 5 for example, silicones and their derivatives and paraffin oil. The foam control agents are preferably present in the composition in amounts of 0.5% by weight or less of the total weight of the composition. 10 The detergent compositions of the invention may also com prise minor, conventional, amounts of preservatives, dyes, colurants and perfume as desired. Such ingredients are typically present in amounts of up to 2%wt. 15 Solvents may also be included in the liquid detergent compositions of the invention, for example glycols such as 1,2 propylene glycol. Typically solvents, if used are present in amounts of up to 10%wt, preferably in amounts of up to 5%wt. 20 The detergent compositions of invention may comprise bleaching compounds although generally they will be sub stantially free of bleaching compounds. The detergent composition of the invention may also be used as part of 25 a multi-phase unit dose detergent composition. In this case the other detergent compositions making up the multi-phase unit dose detergent composition may comprise a bleaching compound and preferably they do so. 30 Any conventional bleaching compound can be used in any conventional amount in either the composition of the invention or in any other detergent composition forming part of the multi-phase unit dose detergent composition. When a bleach is present, it is preferably present in the 5 relevant composition in an amount of at least 1 wt%, more preferably at least 2 wt%, more preferably at least 4 wt%. Preferably it is present in the relevant composition in an amount of up to 30wt%, more preferably up to 20wt%, and most preferably up to 15wt%. Amounts of 1% to 30%wt 10 of bleach component are especially preferred. Most preferably the bleach is selected from inorganic peroxy-compounds and organic peracids and the salts de rived therefrom. 15 Examples of inorganic perhydrates include persulfates such as peroxymonopersulfate (KMPS), perborates or per carbonates. The inorganic perhydrates are normally alkali metal salts, such as lithium, sodium or potassium salts, 20 in particular sodium salts. The inorganic perhydrates may be present in the detergent as crystalline solids without further protection. For certain perhydrates, it is however advantageous to use them as granular composi tions provided with a coating which gives the granular 25 products a longer shelf life. The preferred percarbonate is sodium pexcarbonate of the formula 2Na 2

CO

3 .3H20 2 . A percarbonate, when present, is preferably used in a coated form to increase its stabil 30 ity.

Organic peracids include all organic peracids tradition ally used as bleaches, including, for example, perbenzoic acid and peroxycarboxylic acids such as mono- or diper oxyphthalic acid, 2-octyldiperoxysuccinic acid, diperoxy 5 dodecanedicarboxylic acid, diperoxy-azelaic acid and imi doperoxycarboxylic acid and, optionally, the salts thereof. Especially preferred is phthalimidoperhexanoic acid (PAP). 10 When a composition of the invention, or a unit dose com position comprising a composition of the invention, com prises a bleach it may also comprise one or more bleach activators or bleach catalysts depending upon the nature of the bleaching compound. Any suitable bleach activator 15 may be included for example TAED. Any suitable bleach catalyst may be used for example manganese acetate or di nuclear manganese complexes such as those described in EP-A-1,741,774. Conventional amounts may be used e.g. in amounts of from 1 to 30t%, more preferred of from 5 to 25 20 wt% and most preferred of from 10 to 20wt% based on the weight of the part of the composition comprising the bleach. The detergent compositions of the invention, or other de 25 tergent compositions included in the multi-phase unit dose compositions, may comprise one or more anti corrosion agents especially when the detergent composi tions are for use in automatic dishwashing operations. These anti-corrosion agents may provide benefits against 30 corrosion of glass and/or metal and the term encompasses agents that are intended to prevent or reduce the tar nishing of non-ferrous metals, in particular of silver and copper. It may be desirable to include more than one type of anti-corrosion agent to provide protection against corrosion of glass and metals. 5 Organophosphoric acids are often used as corrosion in hibitors. Diphosphoric acids and their salts are pre ferred according to the present invention.with the tetra sodium and disodium salts being especially preferred. 1, hydroxy, ethylidene 1,1- diphosphoric acid (HEDP) and it 10 tetrasodium or disodium salts is especially preferred. The organophosphoric acid is preferably used in an amount of from 0.05 to 10%wt, such as 0.1 to 7.5%wt based on the weight of the composition in which it is present. 15 It is known to include a source of multivalent ions in detergent compositions, and in particular in automatic dishwashing compositions, for anti-corrosion benefits. For example, multivalent ions and especially zinc, bis muth and/or manganese ions have been included for their 20 ability to inhibit such corrosion. Organic and inorganic redox-active substances which are known as suitable for use as silver/copper corrosion inhibitors are mentioned in WO 94/26860 and WO 94/26859. Suitable inorganic re dox-active substances are, for example, metal salts 25 and/or metal complexes chosen from the group consisting of zinc, bismuth, manganese, titanium, zirconium, haf nium, vanadium, cobalt and cerium salts and/or complexes, the metals being in one of the oxidation states II, III, IV, V or VI. Particularly suitable metal salts and/or 30 metal complexes are chosen from the group consisting of MnSO 4 , Mn(II) citrate, Mn(II) stearate, Mn(II) acetylace tonate, Mn(II) [1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonate],

V

2 0 5

,

V

2 0 4 , V0 2 , TiOSO 4 , K2TiF6, K2ZrF6, CoSO4, Co(N0 3

)

2 and Ce(NO3) 3 . Any suitable source of multivalent ions may be used, with the source preferably being chosen from sul phates, carbonates, acetates, gluconates and metal 5 protein compounds. Zinc salts are specially preferred corrosion inhibitors. Preferred silver/copper anti-corrosion agents are ben zotriazole (BTA) or bis-benzotriazole and substituted de 10 rivatives thereof. Other suitable agents are organic and/or inorganic redox-active substances and paraffin oil. Benzotriazole derivatives are those compounds in which the available substitution sites on the aromatic ring are partially or completely substituted. Suitable 15 substituents are linear or branch-chain Cl-20 alkyl groups and hydroxyl, thio, phenyl or halogen such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. A preferred sub stituted benzotriazole is tolyltriazole (TTA). 20 Therefore, an especially preferred optional ingredient according to the present invention is a source of multi valent ions such as those mentioned in the immediately preceding paragraphs and in particular compounds com prising zinc, bismuth and/or manganese ions and/or ben 25 zotriazole, including substituted benzotriazoles. In particular a source of zinc ions and unsubstituted ben zotriazole are preferred as anti-corrosion agents and a mixture of these two ingredients is especially preferred according to the invention. 30 Any conventional amount of the anti-corrosion agents may be included in the solid detergent compositions of the invention. However, it is preferred that they are pre sent in an total amount of from 0.01%wt to 5%wt, prefera 5 bly 0.05%wt to 3%wt, more preferably 0.1 to 2.5%wt, such as 0.2%wt to 2%wt based on the total weight of the compo sition. If more than one anti-corrosion agent is used, the individual amounts may be within the preceding amounts given but the preferred tdtal amounts still ap 10 ply. The compositions of the invention may optionally comprise one or more enzymes. Any type of enzyme typically used in detergent compositions may be included in the composi 15 tions of the present invention. It is preferred that the enzyme(s) is/are selected from proteases, lipases, amy lases, cellulases laccases, catalases and peroxidases. It is most preferred that protease and/or amylase enzymes are included in the compositions according to the inven 20 tion as such enzymes are especially effective in dish washing detergent compositions. Any suitable species of these enzymes may be used as desired. Conventional amounts of such enzymes may be used. 25 The compositions according to the invention, and/or any detergent composition used therewith in a multi-phase unit dose composition, may also comprise a source of acidity or a source of alkalinity (to obtain the desired pH on dissolution) especially if the composition is to be 30 used in an automatic dishwashing application.

A source of alkalinity may suitably be any suitable basic compound for example any salt of a strong base and a weak acid. When an alkaline composition is desired silicates are amongst the suitable sources of alkalinity. Preferred 5 silicates are sodium silicates such as sodium disilicate, sodium metasilicate and crystalline phyllosilicates. Other suitable sources of alkalinity may be a carbonate or bicarbonate (such as the alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts with sodium carbonate being especially 10 preferred). A source of acidity may suitably be any suitable acidic compound for example a polycarboxylic acid. Conventional amounts of the alkalinity or acidity source may be used. 15 The detergent compositions can be prepared by any suit able method. However, it has been found that they exhibit especially good stability if they are produced by mixing the ingredients together at a temperature in the range of 0 0 from 25-500C, preferably of from 30-40 C. This has been 20 found to result in liquid compositions which typically show good stability for at least three months at room temperature The present invention also provides a method of improving 25 shine and/or inhibiting spotting on hard surfaces such as kitchenware and especially glassware. In particular the method is carried out by treating kitchenware items in an automatic dishwasher by the step of contacting a deter gent composition according to either the first or second 30 aspect of the invention with kitchenware items during a dishwashing cycle. Suitable conditions to effect the re moval are employed in the method and will typically involve contact under aqueous conditions and usually at a temperature in the range of from 15-70 0 C, such as 30 70 0C. 5 According to third aspect of the invention it is pre ferred that the detergent composition of the invention forms a part of an overall dishwashing composition such as a multi-phase unit dose composition. A unit dose de tergent composition is designed to be used as a single 10 portion of detergent composition in a single washing op eration. Of course, one or more of such single portions may be used in a cleaning operation if desired. The addi tional detergent may be of any physical form e.g. liquid, powder, granules, shaped body etc. 15 One type of preferred unit dose composition according to the present invention comprises the detergent composition of the invention at least partially enveloped by a water soluble or water dispersible package. -Thus this is a unit 20 dose detergent composition intended to be consumed in a single washing operation. It is preferred that the water soluble or water dispersible packaging material fully en velopes the detergent composition. In this aspect the de tergent composition of the invention may be present 25 within the water soluble or dispersible package either on its own (e.g. as a gel encased in a water soluble single compartment package) or it may form a part of a water soluble package containing two or more different deter gent compositions. In this latter arrangement it is pre 30 ferred that the water soluble package is a multicompartment package with each compartment containing one or more detergent compositions. It is preferred according to one embodiment of the inven 5 tion that the water soluble or water dispersible package comprises a plurality of compartments, typically 2 to 5 compartments. This has the advantage of allowing incom patible ingredients of the overall formulation to be physically separated from each other which can increase 10 the stability of the overall composition. The water soluble or water dispersible package comprising the detergent of the invention- may be of any suitable form e.g. flexible pouch or a self-supporting body such 15 as one with a substantially planar base and upstanding side walls which container is typically closed with a film lid. In some embodiments of the invention it may comprise a partially pre-formed container. Preferred ex amples of such containers include gelatin capsules, such 20 as those employed in medicament applications. When gela tin is used it will be appreciated that the formulation and the physical nature of the gelatin may wary widely. For example the gelatin may be a hard gelatin or a soft gelatin (having a plasticiser component such as water, 25 glycerine, mono-propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol). As stated above the water soluble or water dispersible package may be in the form of a self supporting body. Preferably this is a self-supporting body with a substan 30 tially planar base and upstanding side walls which is typically closed with a film lid. Such a body may be of any shape but will typically be of a substantially square or rectangular cross section. The package may also not be in the form of a walled container but instead a shape, which is substantially self supporting (optionally with pores / apertures). The self supporting body preferably 5 comprises a matrix. The matrix may be formed of the ma terial used for the film of the package or alternatively the matrix may comprise a second material. Preferred ma trix forming materials include gelatin, especially in an admixture with glycerine, optionally with water. A fur 10 ther preferred matrix forming material is polyethylene glycol (PEG) having a molecular mass of 3000 or above, e.g. such as 6000, 8000, 20000, 35000 or 8 million. Generally the package has a maximum dimension in at least 15 one plane of between 5 and 60mm, preferably between 10 and 50mm, such as between 20 and 45mm. It will be appre ciated that the size of the package will vary in accor dance with desires of the unit dose detergent product formulator and the intended use of the package. It is 20 especially preferred that the package has this dimension in at least two planes and most preferably in three planes. The package may be formed by any suitable method, for ex 25 ample the method described in WO 2004/081161 which method is incorporated by reference herein. If the package is a self supporting body produced by injection moulding then it can be made according to the process disclosed in EP A-1232100 which is incorporated by reference herein. 30 When the package comprising the detergent composition is a flexible pouch, the method may comprise the step of enveloping the detergent composition with at least one sheet of the material used to form the packaging, espe cially a flexible sheet of the packaging material. 5 One way of producing the water soluble or water dispersi ble package in the form of a pouch containing the deter gent composition of the invention is to form a cavity in a first sheet of the packaging material used to form the pouch and add the detergent composition thereto prior to 10 the packaging material being sealed to produce the water soluble or water dispersible packaging pouch. The package may be sealed by the addition of a second sheet of the packaging material over the cavity containing the deter gent composition and sealing it to the first sheet of the 15 packaging material. The first and second sheets of the packaging material may comprise the same or different wa ter soluble or dispersible packaging material however the two sheets preferably comprise the same packaging mate rial. 20 The water soluble or water dispersible package may be formed by any suitable conventional method, for example, vacuum forming, thermoforming or injection moulding de pending upon the type of packaging to be produced e.g. 25 flexible pouch or self supporting container. For exam ple, in a thermoforming process the film may be drawn down or blown down into a mould. Thus, for example, the film is heated to the thermoforming temperature using a thermoforming heater plate assembly, and then drawn down 30 under vacuum or blown down under pressure into the mould. Plug-assisted thermoforming and pre-stretching the film, for example by blowing the film away from the mould before thermoforming, may, if desired, be used. One skilled in the art can choose an appropriate temperature, pressure or vacuum and dwell time to achieve an appropri ate package. The amount of vacuum or pressure and the 5 thermoforming temperature used depend on the thickness and porosity of the film and on the polymer or mixture of polymers being used. Thermoforming of PVOH films is known and described in, for example, WO 00/55045. 10 Polyvinyl alcohol is one suitable material from which to form the water dispersible or water soluble package (see further details below). A suitable forming temperature for PVOH or ethoxylated PVOH is, for example, from 90 to 130"C, especially 90 to 120*C. A suitable forming pres 15 sure is, for example, 69 to 138kPa (10 to 20 p.s.i.), es pecially 83 to 117 kPa (12 to 17 p.s.i.). A suitable forming vacuum is 0 to 4 kPa (0 to 40 mbar), especially 0 to 2 kPa (0 to 20 mbar). A suitable dwell time is, for example, 0.4 to 2.5 seconds, especially 2 to 2.5 seconds. 20 The packaging material used to produce the water soluble or water dispersible package is preferably polymeric and is preferably selected from polyvinyl alcohol, celluloses (including cellulose derivatives), starches, gelatine, 25 polyglycolides, gelatine and polylactides copolymers or a mixture or co-polymer thereof. Polyvinyl alcohol is espe cially preferred as the packaging material. Preferred cellulose derivatives include hydroxyproppyl cellulose ether (HMPC). The polymeric material may be a photopoly 30 mer or a co-polymer of any suitable monomers such as those of the aforementioned types.

The water soluble or water dispersible polymeric material may, for example, be formed of a film. The film may be a single film, or a laminated film as disclosed in GB-A 2,244,258. While a single film may have pinholes, the 5 two or more layers in a laminate are unlikely to have pinholes which coincide. The thickness of at least one, and preferably all, of the external walls of the water soluble or water dispersible 10 package may be up to 2mm, more preferably up to 1mm, more preferably 10 to 300 pm, more preferably 20 to 200 pm, especially 25 to 160 pm, more especially 30 to 150 gm and most especially 30 to 150 pm. 15 The packaging material, e.g. film, may be produced by any process, for example by extrusion and blowing or by cast ing. The film may be unoriented, monoaxially oriented or biaxially oriented. If the layers in the film are ori ented, they usually have the same orientation, although 20 their planes of orientation may be different if desired. The layers in a laminate may be the same or different. Thus they may each comprise the same polymer or a differ ent polymer. 25 Examples of the water-soluble or dispersible polymeric material which may be used in a single layer film or in one or more layers of a laminate or which may be used for injection moulding or blow moulding are poly(vinyl alco hol) (PVOH), cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropyl 30 methyl cellulose (HPMC) and gelatin. An example of a suitable PVOH is ethoxylated PVOH. The PVOH may be par tially or fully alcoholised or hydrolysed. For example it may be from 40 to 100%, preferably from 70 to 92%, more preferably about 88% or about 92%, alcoholised or hydrolysed. The degree of hydrolysis is known to influ ence the temperature at which the PVOH starts to dissolve 5 in water. 88% hydrolysis corresponds to a film soluble in cold (i.e. room temperature) water, whereas 92% hy drolysis corresponds to a film soluble in warm water. Therefore the water soluble characteristics of the film can be controlled. 10 The invention is further described with reference to the following non-limiting Examples. Further examples within the scope of the invention will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. '5 Examples 20 Two multi-phase unit dose automatic dishwashing composi tions having the formulations as shown below in Table' 1 were prepared as described below. The compositions com prise a gel according to the invention and also two addi 25 tional powder compositions herein designated as powder 1 and powder 2. The gel composition and the two powder compositions are placed into separate compartments of a water soluble injection moulded pre-formed polyvinyl alcohol container having three compartments to form the 30 multi-phase unit dose composition. All percentages are given as %wt based on the total weight of the composi tion.

Formulation 1 comprises a gel detergent composition ac cording to the invention. Formulation 2 is a comparative example comprising gel detergent composition an ethoxy lated fatty alcohol -non-ionic surfactant which is not ac 5 cording to the present invention. Powder 1 is formed by mixing together the given amounts of sodium carbonate, sodium percarbonate and sodium tri polyphosphate. 10 Powder 2 is formed by mixing together the given amounts of TAED, Protease granules, Amylase granules, Manganese acetate and the sulfonated copolymer. 15 The gel composition is formed by mixing the liquid non ionic surfactant, the two thickeners (PEG 6000 and the EO/PO thickener) with the sodium tripolyphosphate (for use in gel) in an Ystral X50/10 mixer at room temperature for 20 minutes at a speed or 1000 revolutions per minute 20 until it yielded a fine dispersion of solids and liquids which formed a gel. This dispersion did not show any ap preciable phase separation after three months storage at room temperature. 25 Table 1; Formulation 1 Formula Component in wt% Formula- tion 2 tion 1 (campara tive) Powder 1 Sodium carbonate 8.0 8.0 Sodium percarbonate 15.0 15.0 Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) 45.0 45.0 Powder 2 TAED 5.0 5.0 Protease granules 1.0 1.0 Amylase granules 0.5 0.5 Managanese acetate 0.5 0.5 Sulfonated co-polymer 8.0 8.0 Gel composition of the inven tion Liquid nonionic surfactant 5.0 0.0

(C

1 1 -E0 5

-PO

5 ), Liquid nonionic surfactant 0.0 5.0

(C

12

-C

15

-EO

8

-PO

4 ), Sodium Tripolyphosphate (STPP) 10.0 10.0 for gel PEG 6000 as thickener 1.5 1.5 Statistical EO-PO thickener with mole ratio 4:1 and Mw 0.5 0.5 1200Og/mol. Total %wt 100.0 100.0 pH measured iwt% in water at 20C 9 9.8 *1 Available ex Rohm and Haas, a copolymer of Acrylic acid and AMPS in a wt ratio of 74:26. 5 For both formulations, 8.5g of Powder 1 was placed into a first compartment of the polyvinyl alcohol water soluble capsule. 4.5g of Powder 2 was placed into a second com partment of the polyvinyl alcohol water soluble capsule. 3.0g of the gel composition of the invention was placed 10 into a third compartment of the polyvinyl alcohol water soluble capsule. The water soluble filled capsule was then sealed with a Polyvinyl alcohol water soluble film (Monosol PT 75). The capsule weight was 2.5 g. Thus the total filled capsule weight was 18.5g. Example 2 5 Formulation 1 and Formulation 2 were tested for their shine profile/anti-spotting properties in a Bosch SGS058M02EU/36 dishwashing machine using the Eco 50*C + Vario Speed (no 3-in-i function) program following the 10 Rinse Performance method as described below. A capsule according to Formulation 1 or Formulation 2 was added into the dosing chamber of the dishwasher and the machine was run on the above dishwashing program. The 15 dishwasher was loaded with glassware (long drink glasses) as described below. The water hardness was 21"GH. This test is repeated 5 times for each formulation. Spotting/filming on the long drink glassware after 5 dish 20 washing cycles was assessed by viewing the glasses in a lit black box. The results are given in Table 2 and are expressed on a scale of I to 10 (1 being worst with ex treme spotting and filming and 10 being best with no visi ble spotting and filming). 25 Table 2: Rinse Performance Formulation 1 Formulation 2 (comparative) Spotting 3.o 6.0 Filming 7.0 7.0 The rinse performance results above demonstrate that the compositions of the invention exhibit better anti spotting properties that the comparative example. This also results in a better perception of shine on the 5 glasses by the consumer.

Claims (26)

1. A liquid hard surface detergent composition compris ing; 5 a) a liquid mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non ionic surfactant comprising a greater number of moles of the lower alkoxylate group than of the higher alkoxylate group in the molecule, and b) a builder. 10

2. A detergent composition according to Claim 1, wherein the composition is an automatic dishwashing detergent composition. 15

3. A detergent composition according to either one of Claims 1 or 2, wherein the composition is a gel.

4. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mixed alkoxylate fatty 20 alcohol non-ionic surfactant comprises at least two of EO, PO or BO groups.

5. A detergent composition according to Claim 4, wherein the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic 25 surfactant comprises EO and PO groups only.

6. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mole ratio of the lower alkoxylate group to the higher alkoxylate 30 group in the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non ionic surfactant is at least 1.1:1.

7. A detergent composition Claim 6, wherein the mole ratio of the lower alkoxylate group to the higher alkoxylate group is at least 1.8:1. 5

8. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant comprises between 3 to 5 moles of the higher alkoxylate group and between 6 to 10 moles of the higher lower group. 10

9. A detergent compoition according to Claim 8, wherein the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant comprises 4 or 5 moles of PO and 7 or 8 moles of EO. 15

10. A detergent composition according to Claim 9, wherein the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant comprises 4 moles of PO and 8 moles of EO. 20

11. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant has 22-18 carbon atoms. 25

12. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the detergent composi tions comprises 2 to 30%wt of the mixed alkoxylate fatty alcohol non-ionic surfactant. 30

13. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the builder is se- lected from phosphate-containing builders, polycar boxylic acids and their salts and amino acid based builders. 5

14. A detergent composition according Claim 13, wherein the builder is selected from tripolyphos phates, citrates, MGDA and GLDA and salts or deriva tives and mixtures thereof. 10

15. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the detergent composi tion further comprises a polymer.

16. A detergent composition according Claim 15, 15 wherein the polymer is a sulphonated polymer.

17. A detergent composition according Claim 16, wherein the sulphonated polymer comprises monomers of a carboxylic acid or a salt thereof and a sulpho 20 nated monomer.

18. A detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the composition fur ther comprises additional non-ionic surfactant. 25

19. A method of preparing a detergent composition according to any one of the preceding claims, wher ein the detergent composition is prepared at a tem perature in the range of from 25- 800C. 30

20. A method of preparing a detergent composition according to Claim 19, wherein the detergent compo- sition is prepared at a temperature in the range of from 30-50 0 C.

21. A unit dose detergent composition comprising a 5 liquid hard surface detergent composition according to any one of claims 1 to 18 enveloped in a water soluble or water dispersible package.

22. A unit dose detergent composition according to 10 Claim 21, wherein the water soluble or water dis persible package has a plurality of compartments.

23. A unit dose detergent composition according to either of Claims 21 or 22, wherein the water soluble 15 or water dispersible package comprises polymeric packaging material.

24. A unit dose detergent composition according to any one of Claims 21 to 23, wherein the polymeric 20 packaging material is selected from polyvinyl alco hol, celluloses and cellulose derivatives, starches, gelatine, polyglycolides, gelatine and polylactides copolymers or a mixture or co-polymer thereof.

25 25. A method of reducing spotting on a hard surface by contacting a hard surface with a composition ac cording to any one of Claims 1 to 18 or a unit dose composition according to any one of Claims 21 to 24. 30

26. A method according to Claim 25, wherein the method is carried out in an automatic dishwashing machine.