CN111201310B

CN111201310B - Cleaning compositions comprising fatty acid blends

Info

Publication number: CN111201310B
Application number: CN201780095793.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵媛; 姜春鹏; 王东鹏; 侯思聪; 高倩
Original assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Current assignee: Procter and Gamble Co
Priority date: 2017-10-19
Filing date: 2017-10-19
Publication date: 2021-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2037-10-19
Also published as: ZA202002173B; WO2019075684A1; CN111201310A; EP3697884A1

Abstract

A cleaning composition, preferably in granular form, is disclosedA granular laundry detergent composition comprising a fatty acid or salt thereof in an amount of C in a weight ratio of 3:1 to 50:1₁₀‑C₂₀Linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS) and C₆‑C₁₈Mixing in a specific surfactant system of non-alkoxylated Alkyl Sulfates (AS). The mixture of fatty acids or salts comprises from 15% to 30% of fatty acids or salts derived from palm kernel oil and/or coconut oil, and from 70% to 85% of fatty acids or salts derived from palm oil. Such mixtures of fatty acids or salts in particular surfactant systems can provide improved sudsing characteristics during laundering and can also reduce insoluble residues on laundered fabrics.

Description

Cleaning compositions comprising fatty acid blends

Technical Field

The present invention relates to cleaning compositions, preferably particulate laundry detergent compositions.

Background

Although automatic washing machines have found wide acceptance and use in modern households, there are still many situations where manual washing is required, for example when delicate clothing or stubborn stains are involved. Indeed, in most developing countries, the consumer's laundry habit is still to wash their clothes by hand in a tub or bucket, which involves the steps of washing with detergent, wringing or spinning, and rinsing with water one or more times.

The sudsing profile of the cleaning compositions is especially important to consumers who are still washing their garments and fabrics by hand, as their washing experience is directly affected by the sudsing profile, including but not limited to: the speed and volume of suds generated upon dissolution of the detergent composition in the wash solution, the look and feel of the suds so generated, the retention of suds during the wash cycle, and the ease with which the suds can be rinsed off during the rinse cycle.

On the one hand, consumers often regard the large amount of foam in the wash cycle as the main and most desirable cleaning signal, i.e. an indication that the detergent is "working" and that sufficient fabric cleaning has been achieved. Therefore, rapid generation of large amounts of foam during the wash cycle is particularly desirable. On the other hand, large amounts of suds generated during the wash cycle are generally converted to more residual suds which are transferred to the rinse solution. When the consumer observes residual foam during the rinse cycle, they immediately infer therefrom that surfactant residue may still be present on the fabric and that the fabric is not yet "clean". Consumers therefore believe it is necessary to rinse the fabric multiple times to ensure complete removal of the surfactant, but this requires additional time, energy and water. For areas where resources are scarce, particularly those suffering from water shortages, such over-rinse requirements can make detergents difficult or expensive to use.

Thus, while rapid foam generation and large amounts of foam are desired during the wash cycle, the desire for rapid collapse of foam and significant reduction in foam volume during the rinse cycle is paradoxical.

Linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS) is one of the most commonly used anionic surfactants in laundry detergents. While adequate cleaning can be achieved by using detergent compositions having relatively low levels of LAS (e.g., 20% by weight or less), the volume of foam generated by such detergent compositions is significantly reduced, which will inevitably be perceived by the consumer as under-cleaning, which in turn is associated with poor quality laundry detergents being used. To avoid such negative perception by the consumer, one or more co-surfactants may be added to the detergent composition to increase the lather volume during the wash cycle.

Has been found to have C₈-C₁₆The mid-cut alkyl sulfate (MCAS) of a branched or unbranched alkyl group is an effective co-surfactant for LAS with foam boosting properties. For example, WO2009010911 discloses the use of MCAS in LAS based surfactant systems for foam boosting and forming detergent compositions having reduced total surfactant levels without significantly deteriorating the foaming characteristics of the detergent composition. As another example, WO2009149276 discloses a detergent composition comprising a specific surfactant system formed from LAS and MCAS with relatively low levels of inorganic builders (such as aluminosilicates and phosphates), however such detergent compositions exhibit improved sudsing characteristics while maintaining the cleaning characteristics of the composition.

However, the foaming characteristics of such LAS and MCAS based surfactant systems are still relatively limited. Thus, there is a continuing need to improve the sudsing profile of cleaning compositions characterized by surfactant systems based on LAS and MCAS.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention employs specific mixtures or blends of fatty acids or salts thereof in combination with specific surfactant systems to improve and optimize the sudsing profile of cleaning compositions, preferably granular laundry detergent compositions, during washing. Furthermore, the specific mixtures or blends of fatty acids or salts thereof may also advantageously reduce insoluble residues on the washed fabrics.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a cleaning composition comprising:

(a) from 5% to 40% by weight of such cleaning compositions of C₁₀-C₂₀Linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS);

(b) from 0.1% to 5%, by weight of such cleaning composition, of an Alkyl Sulfate (AS) having a branched or straight chain non-alkoxylated alkyl group containing from 6 to 18 carbon atoms; and

(c) from 0.5% to 1.2% by weight of such cleaning composition of a mixture of fatty acids or salts thereof whereas from 15% to 30% by weight of such fatty acids or salts thereof are derived from palm kernel oil and/or coconut oil and wherein from 70% to 85% by weight of such fatty acids or salts thereof are derived from palm oil, wherein the LAS and AS are present in such cleaning composition at a LAS to AS weight ratio of from 3:1 to 50: 1.

Preferably, the cleaning composition further comprises 0 wt.% to 1 wt.% of a linear or branched alkyl alkoxy sulfate having a weight average degree of alkoxylation ranging from 0.1 to 10.

The LAS surfactant is preferably present in an amount ranging from 8% to 30%, more preferably from 10% to 25% by weight of such compositions. The AS surfactant is optionally present in an amount ranging from 0.2% to 3%, more preferably from 0.3% to 2%, by weight of such composition.

The cleaning compositions of the present invention may further comprise from 0.3% to 3%, by weight of the composition, of an amphiphilic graft copolymer comprising a polyalkylene oxide backbone grafted with one or more side chains selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl acetate, vinyl polyacrylate, vinyl butyrate, and combinations thereof, and the weight ratio of the polyalkylene oxide backbone to the one or more side chains ranges from 1:0.2 to 1: 10; and preferably the graft copolymer has a polyethylene oxide backbone grafted with polyvinyl acetate side chains.

In a preferred, but not essential, embodiment of the invention, the cleaning composition is a particulate laundry detergent composition comprising: (1) from 5% to 50%, preferably from 10% to 40%, more preferably from 15% to 30% by weight of such particulate laundry detergent composition of a water-soluble alkali metal carbonate and/or bicarbonate, which is preferably sodium carbonate and/or bicarbonate; and/or (2) from 10% to 80%, preferably from 20% to 70%, more preferably from 30% to 60% by weight of such particulate laundry detergent composition of a water-soluble alkali metal sulphate, which is preferably sodium sulphate.

The above-mentioned particulate laundry detergent composition is preferably characterized by a moisture content of less than 3% by weight of the composition. More preferably, the particulate laundry detergent composition is substantially free of any phosphate builder and comprises from 0% to 15%, preferably from 0% to 10%, more preferably from 0% to 5% by weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition of zeolite builder.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to the use of a cleaning composition as mentioned above for hand washing of fabrics.

Detailed Description

The features and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, which includes examples intended to give a broad representation of specific embodiments of the invention. Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this description and from practice of the invention. The scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

As used herein, articles such as "a" and "an" when used in a claim are understood to mean one or more of what is claimed or described. The terms "comprising", "containing", "including" and "including" are meant to be non-limiting.

As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term "cleaning composition" includes multipurpose or "heavy duty" detergents, especially cleaning detergents for fabrics, in granular or powder form, as well as cleaning adjuncts such as bleaching agents, rinse aids, additives or pretreatment types; hand dishwashing detergents or light duty dishwashing detergents, especially those of the high sudsing type; machine dishwashing detergent; mouthwashes, denture cleaners, car or carpet cleaners, bathroom cleaners; hair shampoos and hair rinses; shower gels and foam baths and metal cleaners; and cleaning aids such as bleach additives or pre-treatment types. In a preferred aspect, the cleaning composition is a solid laundry detergent composition, and more preferably a free-flowing particulate laundry detergent composition (i.e., a granular laundry detergent product).

In addition, the terms "substantially free", or "substantially free" mean that the material referred to is present in an amount of from 0 wt% to about 0.5 wt%, or preferably from 0 wt% to about 0.1 wt%, or more preferably from 0 wt% to about 0.01 wt%, and most preferably it is not present at analytically detectable levels. The term "substantially pure" or "substantially pure" means that the indicated material is present in an amount of about 99.5% to about 100% by weight, preferably about 99.9% to about 100% by weight, and more preferably 99.99% to about 100% by weight, and most preferably all other materials are present only as impurities below analytically detectable levels.

As used herein, the term "water soluble" refers to a solubility of greater than about 30 grams per liter (g/L) of deionized water measured at 20 ℃ and atmospheric pressure.

As used herein, "foam" refers to a non-equilibrium dispersion of gas bubbles in a relatively small volume of liquid. Within the meaning of the present invention, terms such as "foams", "foam" are used interchangeably.

As used herein, "sudsing profile" or "sudsing profile" refers to the characteristic of a cleaning composition that is related to sudsing profile during the wash cycle and rinse cycle. Sudsing characteristics of detergent compositions include, but are not limited to, the rate of suds generation upon dissolution in the laundry liquor, the volume and retention of suds during the wash cycle, and the volume and disappearance of suds during the rinse cycle. Preferably, the sudsing profile comprises a wash suds volume and a rinse suds volume. The sudsing profile can also include additional suds related parameters, such as suds stability measured during the wash cycle, and the like.

As used herein, the term "co-surfactant" refers to one or more surfactants in the cleaning composition that are primarily used to improve the foaming characteristics of the cleaning composition. Co-surfactants can be classified as suds boosting co-surfactants (i.e., those that increase suds volume during both the wash cycle and the rinse cycle), suds suppressing co-surfactants (i.e., those that decrease suds volume during both the wash cycle and the rinse cycle), and suds optimizing co-surfactants (i.e., those that "boost" suds or increase suds volume during the wash cycle, but "suppress" suds or decrease suds volume during the rinse cycle).

As used herein, all concentrations and ratios are by weight unless otherwise specified. All temperatures herein are in degrees Celsius (. degree. C.) unless otherwise indicated. All conditions herein are at 20 ℃ and atmospheric pressure unless otherwise specifically indicated. All polymer molecular weights are determined as weight average molecular weights unless otherwise specifically indicated.

Surfactant system

The cleaning compositions of the present invention comprise a surfactant system comprised of an anionic surfactant, and optionally one or more nonionic, zwitterionic and/or cationic surfactants. For the purposes of the present invention, the fatty acids or salts described above are not considered part of the surfactant system.

The cleaning composition may comprise the surfactant system in an amount ranging from any of about 5% to about 90% by total weight of the composition. For example, the composition may comprise such surfactant systems at a level ranging from about 6% to about 70%, typically from about 8% to about 60%, or from about 10% to about 50%, or from about 12% to about 40% by weight. In a preferred embodiment, the cleaning composition is in concentrated form, especially concentrated powder or granular form, and the total surfactant level is from about 10% to about 40%, preferably from about 15% to about 40%, by total weight of the composition.

LAS

The surfactant system of the present invention comprises at least a first anionic surfactant which is C₁₀-C₂₀Linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS). LAS anionic surfactants are well known in the art and are readily available by sulfonating commercially available linear alkylbenzenes. Exemplary C that can be used in the present invention₁₀-C₂₀Linear alkyl benzeneSulfonates including C₁₀-C₂₀Alkali metal, alkaline earth metal or ammonium salt of linear alkyl benzene sulphonic acid, and preferably C₁₁-C₁₈Or C₁₁-C₁₄Sodium, potassium, magnesium and/or ammonium salts of linear alkyl benzene sulphonic acid. More preferably C₁₂Sodium or potassium salt of linear alkyl benzene sulphonic acid, and most preferably C₁₂Sodium salt of linear alkyl benzene sulphonic acid i.e. sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate.

The amount of LAS used in the cleaning composition may range from about 5% to about 40%, preferably from about 8% to about 30%, and more preferably from about 10% to about 25%, by total weight of the composition. In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning composition comprises from about 10 wt.% to about 25 wt.% of C₁₂Sodium, potassium, or magnesium salt of linear alkyl benzene sulphonic acid.

AS

The surfactant system of the present invention further comprises at least a second anionic surfactant which is an anionic Alkyl Sulfate (AS) surfactant having a branched or straight chain non-alkoxylated alkyl group containing from about 6 to about 18 carbon atoms. Preferably, AS has the formula R-O-SO₃ ^-M⁺Wherein R is branched or straight-chain non-alkoxylated C₆-C₁₈An alkyl group, and M is an alkali metal cation, an alkaline earth metal cation, or an ammonium cation. More preferably, the R group of the AS surfactant comprises from about 6 to about 16 carbon atoms, and more preferably from about 6 to about 14 carbon atoms. R may be substituted or unsubstituted, and is preferably unsubstituted. R does not substantially have any degree of alkoxylation. M is preferably a sodium cation, a potassium cation, or a magnesium cation, and more preferably M is a sodium cation. Such AS surfactants act AS co-surfactants for LAS to promote foam volume during washing.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the surfactant system of the present invention comprises C₆-C₁₈Mixtures of AS surfactants, wherein C₆-C₁₄The AS surfactant is present in an amount ranging from about 85% to about 100% by total weight of the mixture. This mixture may be referred to as "richC₆-C₁₄AS mixture ". More preferably, such C-rich₆-C₁₄The AS mixture contains about 90 wt.% to about 100 wt.%, or 92 wt.% to about 98 wt.%, or about 94 wt.% to about 96 wt.%, or 100 wt.% (i.e., pure) C₆-C₁₄ AS。

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the surfactant system in the cleaning composition comprises a surfactant having from about 30 wt.% to about 100 wt.% or from about 50 wt.% to about 99 wt.%, preferably from about 60 wt.% to about 95 wt.%, more preferably from about 65 wt.% to about 90 wt.%, and most preferably from about 70 wt.% to about 80 wt.% of C₁₂C of AS₆-C₁₈A mixture of AS surfactants. Furthermore, such C₆-C₁₈The AS surfactant mixture may comprise from about 10 wt% to about 100 wt%, preferably from 15 wt% to about 50 wt%, and more preferably from 20 wt% to about 30 wt% of C₁₄And (6) the AS. This mixture may be referred to as "C-rich₁₂-C₁₄AS mixture ".

In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the surfactant system of the cleaning composition comprises a surfactant consisting essentially of C₁₂And/or C₁₄AS surfactant a mixture of AS surfactants. For example, such mixtures of AS surfactants may consist essentially of from about 70% to about 80% by weight of C₁₂AS and 20 to about 30 wt.% of C₁₄AS composition with little or no other surfactant. Such mixtures may also be prepared from substantially pure C₁₂AS, or alternatively substantially pure C₁₄And (3) the AS.

Commercially available AS mixtures which are particularly suitable for carrying out the invention are

V95G, available from Cognis (Monheim, Germany).

Furthermore, the surfactant system of the present invention may comprise C₆-C₁₈A mixture of AS surfactants comprising greater than about 50 wt%, preferably greater than about 60 wt%, more preferablyPreferably greater than 70 or 80 wt%, and most preferably greater than 90 or even 100 wt% (i.e., substantially pure) of a linear AS surfactant having an even number of carbon atoms, including, for example, C₆、C₈、C₁₀、C₁₂、C₁₄、C₁₆And C₁₈An AS surfactant.

As described for C₆-C₁₈Mixtures of AS surfactants can be readily obtained by sulfonating alcohols having the corresponding number of carbon atoms. The desired distribution of carbon chain lengths can be obtained by using alcohols with a corresponding distribution of chain lengths, which are prepared synthetically or by extraction/purification from natural raw materials, or are formed by mixing corresponding pure starting materials. E.g. C₆-C₁₈Mixtures of AS surfactants can be derived from naturally occurring triglycerides (such AS those contained in palm kernel oil or coconut oil) AS follows: such triglycerides are chemically treated to form a mixture of long chain alcohols, and then such alcohols are sulfonated to form AS surfactants. Mixtures of alcohols derived from naturally occurring triglycerides typically contain greater than about 20 wt.% C₁₆-C₁₈An alcohol. In order to form the desired C as described above₆-C₁₈Mixtures of AS surfactants, possibly separated from the initial mixture before the sulphonation step, containing a lower proportion of C₁₆-C₁₈A mixture of alcohols. Alternatively, desired C₆-C₁₈Mixtures of AS surfactants can be readily obtained by isolating and purifying the formed AS mixture. Suitable methods of isolation and purification include, but are not limited to: distillation, centrifugation, recrystallization and chromatographic separation.

The AS surfactant used in the cleaning compositions of the present invention may range from about 0.1% to about 5%, preferably from about 0.2% to about 3%, more preferably from about 0.3% to 2%, by total weight of the composition. In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning composition comprises from about 0.3% to about 2% of an AS mixture consisting essentially of from about 70% to about 80% by weight of C₁₂AS and 20 to about 30 wt.% of C₁₄And (3) the AS.

LAS: AS ratio

AS a co-surfactant for LAS, AS is most effective if provided in the cleaning composition in an amount such that the weight ratio of LAS to AS is in the range of from about 3:1 to about 50:1, preferably from about 3.5:1 to about 45:1, more preferably from about 4:1 to about 40:1, and most preferably from about 5:1 to about 30: 1.

Cleaning compositions of the present invention having such a weight ratio of LAS to AS exhibit the correct balance between the amount of wash and rinse foam generated. It also helps to maintain good foaming characteristics in different areas of various dosing habits.

Alkoxylated alkyl sulfates

The cleaning compositions of the present invention employ alkyl sulfates or AS AS co-surfactants in place of alkyl alkoxy sulfates to promote LAS foam. AS co-surfactants have significantly better rinse lather characteristics (i.e., reduced rinse lather volume) than alkyl alkoxy sulfates and are therefore particularly useful for imparting easy rinse benefits to cleaning compositions so formed. Thus, the cleaning compositions of the present invention are substantially free of alkyl alkoxy sulfates, particularly Alkyl Ethoxy Sulfates (AES). In other words, the cleaning compositions of the present invention comprise alkyl alkoxy sulfates, or more specifically AES, in an amount ranging from 0 wt.% to about 1 wt.%, preferably from 0 wt.% to about 0.8 wt.%, or more preferably from 0 wt.% to about 0.5 wt.%, and most preferably at an analytically undetectable level. As used herein, alkyl alkoxy sulfate refers to any straight or branched alkyl alkoxy sulfate having a weight average degree of alkoxylation ranging from about 0.1 to about 10.

Other surfactants of the surfactant system

In addition to the LAS and AS described above, the surfactant system employed in the cleaning compositions of the present invention may further comprise one or more additional surfactants selected from the group consisting of: other anionic surfactants (other than LAS, AS and AES AS described above), nonionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, semi-polar nonionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof.

The cleaning compositions of the present invention may comprise an additional anionic surfactant comprising one or more moieties selected from the group consisting of carbonate, phosphate, phosphonate, sulfate, sulfonate, carboxylate, and mixtures thereof and fall outside of the above description of LAS, AS and AES surfactants.

The cleaning compositions of the present invention may comprise one or more nonionic surfactants in an amount of from about 0.1% to about 20%, preferably from about 0.2% to about 4%, more preferably from about 0.4% to about 3%, by total weight of the composition. The nonionic surfactant may be selected from: alkyl polyglucoside and/or alkyl alkoxylated alcohol; c₁₀-C₁₈Alkyl ethoxylates, such as those from Shell

A nonionic surfactant; c₆-C₁₂An alkylphenol alkoxylate, wherein the alkoxylate unit is an ethyleneoxy unit, a propyleneoxy unit, or a mixture thereof; c₁₂-C₁₈Alcohol and C₆-C₁₂Condensates of alkylphenols with ethyleneoxy/propyleneoxy block polymers, such as from BASF

C₁₄-C₂₂Mid-chain branched alcohols; c₁₄-C₂₂Mid-chain branched alkyl alkoxylates, BAEx, where x is 1 to 35; alkylcelluloses, in particular alkylpolyglycosides; polyhydroxy fatty acid amides; ether-terminated poly (alkoxylated) alcohol surfactants; and mixtures thereof.

The cleaning compositions of the present invention may comprise a cationic surfactant. When present, the compositions typically comprise from about 0.05% to about 5%, or from about 0.1% to about 2%, by weight of such cationic surfactants. Suitable cationic surfactants are alkanesA pyridinium-based compound, an alkyl quaternary ammonium compound, an alkyl quaternary phosphonium compound, and an alkyl ternary sulfonium compound. The cationic surfactant may be selected from: alkoxylated Quaternary Ammonium (AQA) surfactants; a dimethyl hydroxyethyl quaternary ammonium surfactant; a polyamine cationic surfactant; an ester cationic surfactant; an amino surfactant, in particular amidopropyl dimethylamine; and mixtures thereof. Highly preferred cationic surfactants are mono-C_8-10Alkyl-hydroxyethyl dimethyl Quaternary ammonium chloride, mono-C_10-12Alkyl-hydroxyethyl dimethyl quaternary ammonium chloride and mono-C₁₀Alkyl mono hydroxyethyl dimethyl quaternary ammonium chloride. Cationic surfactants such as Praepagen HY (trade name Clariant) may be useful and may be used as suds boosters.

Fatty acids or salts thereof

The cleaning compositions of the present invention employ specific mixtures or blends of fatty acids or salts thereof to help improve the sudsing profile of the cleaning composition during laundering and reduce insoluble residues on laundered fabrics.

In particular, the fatty acid mixture comprises from 15% to 30% by weight of such mixture of fatty acids or salts derived from Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) and/or coconut oil (CNO), and from 70% to 85% by weight of such mixture of fatty acids or salts derived from Palm Oil (PO). If the PKO/CNO derived fatty acid or salt in the mixture is present in an amount of less than 15% by weight of such mixture, the sudsing profile of the cleaning composition during laundering is not optimal and more insoluble residues are observed on the treated fabrics after laundering. If the PKO/CNO derived fatty acids or salts in the mixture are present in an amount of greater than 30% by weight of such mixture, the particles formed from such fatty acid mixture may be too soft and may affect the overall flowability of the resulting granular composition formed therefrom.

Suitable fatty acid salts include monovalent or divalent alkali metal salts, such as sodium, potassium, lithium and/or magnesium salts of fatty acids, and ammonium and/or alkylammonium salts, preferably sodium salts.

The total amount of such fatty acids or salts ranges from about 0.5% to about 1.2%, preferably from about 0.8% to about 1.1%, by total weight of the cleaning composition. In one particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning compositions of the present invention comprise from about 0.8% to about 1.1%, by weight of such compositions, of a mixture or blend of fatty acids or salts comprising from about 20% to about 30%, by weight of such mixture or blend, of a PKO/CNO-derived fatty acid or salt and from about 70% to about 80%, by weight of such mixture or blend, of a PO-derived fatty acid or salt.

Water soluble alkali metal carbonate

The cleaning compositions of the present invention, when in powder or granular form, may also comprise a water soluble alkali metal carbonate or bicarbonate salt. Suitable alkali metal carbonates or bicarbonates that may be used in the practice of the invention include, but are not limited to, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium bicarbonate (all of which are hereinafter referred to as "carbonates" or "carbonates"). Sodium carbonate is particularly preferred. Potassium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate may also be used. Such water soluble alkali metal carbonates can be present in the cleaning composition at levels ranging from about 5 wt.% to about 50 wt.%.

In order to provide sufficient foam generation during the wash cycle, relatively high concentrations (e.g., 25 wt% or more) of carbonate have been used in cleaning compositions comprising a surfactant system formed from LAS and AS anionic surfactants AS described above. However, higher carbonate concentrations in the cleaning composition inevitably increase the pH of the wash liquor, rendering it more harsh and damaging to the skin surface of the hand wash consumer. In the present invention, the use of specific mixtures or blends of fatty acids or salts thereof for promoting or maintaining wash foam enables the level of carbonate in cleaning compositions to be reduced without compromising the overall lather profile of such compositions, thereby providing milder formulations more suitable for use by handwash consumers.

Accordingly, the cleaning composition preferably comprises a relatively low level of water soluble alkali metal carbonate or bicarbonate, for example from about 10% to about 40% by weight, and preferably from about 15% to about 30% by weight. In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning composition of the present invention comprises from about 15% to about 30% by weight sodium carbonate or bicarbonate.

Amphiphilic graft copolymers

The amphiphilic graft copolymers used in the present invention are characterized by a polyalkylene oxide (also referred to as polyalkylene glycol) backbone grafted with one or more side chains.

The polyalkylene oxide backbone of the amphiphilic graft copolymers of the present invention may comprise C₂-C₁₀Preferably C₂-C₆And more preferably C₂-C₄Alkylene oxide repeat units. For example, the polyalkylene oxide backbone may be a polyethylene oxide (PEO) backbone, a polypropylene oxide (PPO) backbone, a polybutylene oxide (PBO) backbone, or a polymer backbone that is a linear block copolymer of PEO, PPO, and/or PBO, with a PEO backbone being preferred. Such polyalkylene oxide backbones preferably have a number average molecular weight of from about 2,000 to about 100,000 daltons, more preferably from about 4,000 to about 50,000 daltons, and most preferably from about 5,000 to about 10,000 daltons.

One or more side chains of the amphiphilic graft copolymers of the present invention pass through C₂-C₁₀Preferably C₂-C₆And more preferably C₂-C₄Vinyl esters of carboxylic acids. For example, one or more side chains can be selected from polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl propionate, polyvinyl butyrate, and combinations thereof, with polyvinyl acetate being preferred. The polyvinyl ester side chains may be partially saponified, for example, to the extent of up to 15%. The amphiphilic graft copolymer is preferably characterized by having an average of no more than 1 graft site per 50 alkylene oxide units on the backbone (i.e., sites on the polymer backbone to which the polyvinyl ester side chains are grafted).

The amphiphilic graft copolymers of the present invention can have a molecular weight of about 3000 daltons to about 100,000 daltons, preferably about 10,000 daltons to about 50,000 daltonsAnd more preferably from about 20,000 daltons to about 40,000 daltons_w)。

Particularly preferred amphiphilic graft copolymers of the present invention have a polyethylene oxide backbone grafted with one or more polyvinyl acetate side chains. More preferably, the weight ratio of polyethylene oxide backbone to polyvinyl acetate side chains ranges from about 1:0.2 to about 1:10, or from about 1:0.5 to about 1:6, and most preferably from about 1:1 to about 1: 5. An example of such a preferred amphiphilic graft copolymer is Sokalan^TMHP22 polymer, commercially available from BASF Corporation. The polymer has a polyethylene oxide backbone grafted with polyvinyl acetate side chains. The polyethylene oxide backbone of the polymer had a number average molecular weight of about 6,000 daltons (equivalent to about 136 ethylene oxide units) and the weight ratio of the polyethylene oxide backbone to the polyvinyl acetate side chains was about 1: 3. The number average molecular weight of the polymer itself was about 24,000 daltons.

Preferably, but not necessarily, the amphiphilic graft copolymer of the present invention has the following characteristics: (i) a surface tension of 39ppm by weight of the aqueous polymer distilled solution, as measured using a tensiometer at 25 ℃, is from about 40mN/m to about 65 mN/m; and (ii) a viscosity of 500ppm by weight of the aqueous polymer distilled solution is from about 0.0009Pa · S to about 0.003Pa · S as measured using a rheometer at 25 ℃. The surface tension of the polymer solution can be determined by any known tensiometer under the specified conditions. Non-limiting tensiometers useful herein include a Kruss K12 tensiometer (available from Kruss), a Thermo DSCA322 tensiometer (available from Thermo Cahn), or a Sigma 700 tensiometer (available from KSV Instrument Ltd). Similarly, the viscosity of the polymer solution can be measured by any known rheometer under specified conditions. The most common rheometer is one that uses a rotary method, which is also known as a stress/strain rheometer. Non-limiting rheometers useful herein include the Hakke Mars rheometer from Thermo, the Physica 2000 rheometer from Anton Paar.

One or more amphiphilic graft copolymers may be present in the cleaning compositions of the present invention in an amount ranging from about 0.3 wt.% to about 3 wt.%, or from about 0.35 wt.% to about 2 wt.%, based on the total weight of the composition. It was found that it provides excellent hydrophobic soil suspension even in the presence of cationic coacervate polymers.

Adjuvant component

The cleaning compositions of the present invention may comprise one or more additional adjunct components. The exact nature of these additional adjunct components and the amounts added will depend on the physical form of the composition and the handling properties of its application. Suitable adjunct materials include, but are not limited to, builders, carriers, structurants, flocculation aids, chelating agents, dye transfer inhibiting agents, enzymes, enzyme stabilizers, catalyst materials, bleach activators, hydrogen peroxide, sources of hydrogen peroxide, preformed peracids, polymeric dispersing agents, clay soil removal/anti-redeposition agents, brighteners, suds suppressors, dyes, perfumes, structure elasticizing agents, fabric softeners, hydrotropes, processing aids, and/or pigments.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning compositions of the present invention are granular laundry detergent compositions comprising one or more builders (excluding carbonates as described above) in an amount ranging from about 1 wt% to about 40 wt%, typically from 2 wt% to 25 wt%, or even from about 5 wt% to about 20 wt%, or from 8 wt% to 15 wt%, by total weight of such compositions. As used herein, a builder refers to any ingredient or component that is capable of enhancing or improving the cleaning efficiency of a surfactant, for example by removing or reducing "free" calcium/magnesium ions in the wash solution, to "soften" or reduce the hardness of the wash liquor.

It is particularly desirable that such granular laundry detergent compositions have relatively low levels of phosphate builder, zeolite builder, and silicate builder. For example, it may comprise up to 15 wt% in total of phosphate builder, zeolite builder and silicate builder by weight. Preferably, such particulate laundry detergent compositions are substantially free of phosphate builder. More preferably, it comprises from 0 wt% to about 5 wt% zeolite builder and/or from 0 wt% to about 10 wt% silicate buildingAnd agents, and the total amount of such zeolite builders and silicate builders together does not exceed 10 wt%, based on the total weight of the composition. Still more preferably, the granular laundry detergent composition comprises from 0 wt% to about 2 wt% zeolite builder and from 0 wt% to about 2 wt% silicate builder, with the total amount of such builders totaling no more than 5 wt%, based on the total weight of the composition. Most preferably, the granular laundry detergent composition comprises from 0 wt% to about 1 wt% zeolite builder and from 0 wt% to about 1 wt% silicate builder, with the total amount of these builders totaling no more than 2 wt%, based on the total weight of the composition. The composition may also comprise one or more of any other supplementary builder, one or more chelating agents, or generally any material that removes calcium ions from solution by, for example, chelation, complexation, precipitation, or ion exchange. In particular, the composition can comprise a calcium binding capacity of at least 50mg/g and a calcium binding constant log K Ca of at least 3.50 at a temperature of 25 ℃ and 0.1M ionic strength²⁺The substance of (1).

The granular laundry detergent composition of the present invention may comprise one or more solid carriers selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium sulfate, and potassium sulfate. In a preferred, but not required, embodiment, such particulate laundry detergent compositions comprise from about 10% to about 80% by weight sodium chloride and/or from about 10% to about 80% by weight sodium sulfate. More preferably, such particulate laundry detergent compositions comprise from about 10 wt% to about 80 wt%, preferably from about 20 wt% to about 70 wt%, more preferably from about 30 wt% to about 60 wt% sodium sulfate.

The cleaning compositions of the present invention may also contain one or more suitable detergent ingredients, such as transition metal catalysts; an imine bleach booster; enzymes, such as amylases, carbohydrases, cellulases, laccases, lipases, bleaching enzymes such as oxidases and peroxidases, proteases, pectate lyases and mannanases; a source of peroxygen such as percarbonate salts and/or perborate salts, preferably sodium percarbonate, preferably at least partially coated, preferably completely coated, with a coating ingredient such as a carbonate salt, a sulphate salt, a silicate salt, a borosilicate salt, or mixtures thereof, including mixed salts thereof; bleach activators such as tetraacetylethylenediamine, oxybenzene sulphonate bleach activators such as nonanoyl oxybenzene sulphonate, caprolactam bleach activators, imide bleach activators such as N-nonanoyl-N-methylacetamide, preformed peracids such as N, N-phthalamido peroxyhexanoic acid, nonyl amidoperoxyadipic acid or dibenzoic acid peroxide; suds suppressing systems such as silicone-based suds suppressors; a whitening agent; a toner; a photo-bleaching agent; fabric softeners, such as clays, silicones, and/or quaternary ammonium compounds; flocculants such as polyethylene oxide; dye transfer inhibitors such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly 4-vinylpyridine N-oxide and/or copolymers of vinylpyrrolidone and vinylimidazole; fabric integrity components such as oligomers produced by the condensation of imidazole and epichlorohydrin; soil dispersants and soil antiredeposition aids such as alkoxylated polyamines and ethoxylated ethyleneimine polymers; antiredeposition components such as polyester and/or terephthalate polymers, polyethylene glycols, including polyethylene glycols substituted with vinyl alcohol and/or vinyl acetate side groups; perfumes, such as perfume microcapsules, polymer assisted perfume delivery systems (including schiff base perfume/polymer complexes), starch encapsulated perfume accords; a soap ring; aesthetic particles, including colored stripes and/or pins; a dye; copolyesters of dicarboxylic acids and diols; cellulose polymers such as methyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethoxy cellulose, or other alkyl or alkylalkoxy celluloses, and hydrophobically modified celluloses; carboxylic acids and/or salts thereof, including citric acid and/or sodium citrate; and any combination thereof.

Cleaning composition

The detergent composition is typically a laundry detergent composition or a dishwashing detergent composition. The composition is typically a laundry detergent composition.

The laundry detergent composition may be in the form of a liquid, gel, paste, dispersion, typically a colloidal dispersion, or any combination thereof. When in ambient conditions (20 ℃ and 1 large)Air pressure) for 20s^-1The liquid composition typically has a viscosity of from 500mpa.s to 3,000mpa.s, and typically has a density of from 800g/L to 1300g/L, when measured at a shear rate of (a). If the composition is in the form of a dispersion, it will typically have a volume average particle size of from 1 micron to 5,000 microns, typically from 1 micron to 50 microns. The volume average particle size of the dispersion is typically measured using a Coulter Multisizer. Preferably, the laundry detergent composition is in the form of a liquid comprising the cleaning active dissolved or dispersed in a solvent. Suitable solvents include water and other solvents such as lipophilic fluids. Examples of suitable lipophilic fluids include silicones, other silicones, hydrocarbons, glycol ethers, glycerol derivatives such as glycerol ethers, perfluoroamines, perfluorinated and hydrofluoroether solvents, low-volatility fluorine-free organic solvents, glycol solvents, other environmentally friendly solvents, and mixtures thereof.

The laundry detergent composition may also be, and preferably is, in solid or particulate form, typically in free-flowing particulate form. The solid composition may be in the form of: agglomerates, granules, flakes, extrudates, bars, tablets, or any combination thereof. The solid composition may be prepared by methods such as dry blending, agglomeration, pressing, spray drying, pan granulation, spheronization or any combination thereof. The solid composition typically has a bulk density of from 300g/L to 1,500g/L, typically from 500g/L to 1,000 g/L.

Laundry detergent compositions may be in unit dosage form, including not only tablets, but also unit dose pouches, wherein the composition is at least partially enclosed, typically completely enclosed, by a film, such as a polyvinyl alcohol film.

The laundry detergent composition may also be in the form of an insoluble substrate, such as a nonwoven sheet impregnated with detergent active.

Laundry detergent compositions are capable of cleaning and/or softening fabrics during the laundering process. Typically, the compositions are formulated for use in an automatic washing machine, or for hand washing use, and preferably for hand washing.

Method of using cleaning composition or laundry detergent composition

The compositions are generally used for cleaning and/or treating a situs, especially a surface or fabric. As used herein, "surface" may include surfaces such as dishes, glass, and other cooking surfaces, hard surfaces, hair, or skin. Such methods include the steps of: embodiments of laundry detergents or cleaning compositions (in pure form or diluted in the wash liquor) are contacted with at least a portion of a surface or fabric, and such surface or fabric is optionally rinsed. The surface or fabric may be subjected to a washing step prior to the above-described rinsing step. For purposes of the present invention, "washing" includes, but is not limited to, scrubbing, wiping, and mechanical agitation.

The composition solution pH is selected to be most suitable for the target surface to be cleaned, among a wide range of pH spanning from about 5 to about 11. The pH of such compositions preferably has a pH of from about 5 to about 8 for personal care such as skin and hair cleansing, and from about 8 to about 10 for laundry cleaning compositions. The composition is preferably used at a concentration of about 200ppm to about 10,000ppm in solution. The water temperature preferably ranges from about 5 ℃ to about 100 ℃.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the laundry detergents of the present invention are ideally suited for use in laundry applications. Accordingly, the present invention includes a method of laundering fabrics. The method may comprise the step of contacting the fabric to be laundered with a laundry detergent comprising a carboxyl group-containing polymer. The fabric may comprise most any fabric capable of being laundered under normal consumer use conditions. The solution preferably has a pH of about 8 to about 10.5. The laundry detergent may be used at a concentration of about 500ppm to about 15,000ppm in solution, and more dilute wash conditions may optionally be employed. The water temperature typically ranges from about 5 ℃ to about 90 ℃. The water to fabric ratio is typically from about 1:1 to about 30: 1.

The method of laundering fabrics may be carried out in a top-loading or front-loading automatic washing machine, or may be used in hand-wash laundry applications. In these applications, the concentration of the formed wash liquor and laundry detergent composition in the wash liquor are those in the main wash cycle. Any added water is not included when determining the volume of wash liquor during any optional rinse step or steps.

The wash liquor may comprise 40 litres or less of water, or 30 litres or less, or 20 litres or less, or 10 litres or less, or 8 litres or less, or even 6 litres or less of water. The wash liquor may comprise from above 0 litres to 15 litres, or 2 litres and to 12 litres, or even to 8 litres of water. In the case of dilute wash conditions, the wash liquor may comprise 150 liters or less of water, 100 liters or less of water, 60 liters or less of water, or 50 liters or less of water, especially for hand wash conditions, and may depend on the number of rinses.

Typically, from 0.01Kg to 2Kg of fabric per litre of wash liquor is dosed into the wash liquor. Typically, 0.01Kg, or 0.05Kg, or 0.07Kg, or 0.10Kg, or 0.15Kg, or 0.20Kg, or 0.25Kg of fabric per liter of wash liquor is dosed into the wash liquor.

Optionally, 50g or less, or 45g or less, or 40g or less, or 35g or less, or 30g or less, or 25g or less, or 20g or less, or even 15g or less, or even 10g or less of the composition is contacted with water to form a wash liquor.

Test method

Various techniques for determining the properties of the compositions of the present invention comprising cationic polymers are known in the art. The following assays must be used in order to fully understand the disclosure described and claimed herein.

Test 1: foaming characteristics test

The wash foam height of the test cleaning compositions herein was measured by using a foam roller tester (SCT). The SCT has a set of 8 cylinders. Each roller is typically 60cm long and 9cm in diameter and may rotate together at a rate of 20 to 22 revolutions per minute (rpm). The performance of laundry detergents was measured using the method to obtain a reading on the ability to generate foam and its foam stability. The rinse foam height of the test cleaning compositions was measured from 1/4 diluted solution in a tumbler by using a SITA foam tester R-2000 manufactured by SITA Lab Solutions (Stuttgart, Germany).

1. Weighing 6 grams of a sample of the test cleaning composition and dissolving it in 2 liters of water having a water hardness of about 16gpg for at least 15 minutes to form a sample solution comprising the test cleaning composition product at a concentration of about 3000 ppm;

2. 300ml of sample solution was poured into the SCT drum. Rubber plugs are installed to lock the drum in place.

3. Rotate 10 revolutions. Locking the tube in an upright position. Wait 1 minute and check the foam height very quickly from left to right (about 10 seconds). The total height of the foam (i.e. the height of the foam plus the wash liquid) and the height of the wash liquid alone were recorded. The height of the foam generated from each test detergent composition was calculated by subtracting the height of the wash liquor alone from the total foam height. This marks the 10-turn data and indicates foam generation.

4. The drum is opened. 1 piece of clay-bearing fabric and 1/4 pieces of Dirty Cooking Oil (DCO) bearing fabric were added to each cylinder. A rubber stopper was placed. Rotate 20 revolutions.

5. And (4) repeating the step. Locking the tube in an upright position. Wait 1 minute and check the foam height very quickly from left to right (about 10 seconds). The total height of the foam (i.e. the height of the foam plus the wash liquid) and the height of the wash liquid alone were recorded. The height of the foam generated from each test detergent composition was calculated by subtracting the height of the wash liquor alone from the total foam height. This marks the data after 50 revolutions and indicates wash foam.

6. The addition of artificial soils is intended to simulate real washing conditions, since in real situations more soil is washed off the fabric being washed and then dissolves into the wash liquor. Thus, the present test is used to determine the initial sudsing profile of a composition, as well as the sudsing profile of the composition during the wash cycle.

(Note: preparation of the clay-bearing fabric was carried out as follows:

20g of BJ-clay (clay collected 15cm below the surface of Beijing, China) was dispersed into 80ml of deionized water via stirring to prepare a clay suspension.

Keep a stirring suspension during the preparation process while brushing 2g of such clay suspension to the center of 10cm by 10cm cotton fabric to form round stains (d 5 cm).

The clay-bearing cotton fabric was left to dry at room temperature and then used for performance evaluation.

The fabric with DCO was prepared as follows:

frying 20g salted fish at 150-180 ℃ for 2 hours using 100 g peanut oil to form Dirty Cooking Oil (DCO).

Brush 0.6mL of DCO to the center of 10cm by 10cm cotton fabric to form a round spot (d ═ 5 cm).

The 10cm by 10cm cotton fabric was cut into 4 equal pieces and one was used for performance evaluation. )

7. 250ml of the sample solution was gently poured from the roller into a beaker and 750ml of water having the above-mentioned water hardness level was added to the beaker to form an 1/4 dilution solution with a total volume of about 1 liter.

8. 250ml of the 1/4 diluted solution was poured into a beaker of SITA foam tester R-2000.

SITA measurement parameters set as follows

a. Foam accumulation measurement;

i. stirring and counting: 15;

stirring time: 15 s;

rotation speed: 1000 rpm;

b. foam decay measurement:

i. time interval: 30 s;

maximum time: 3 minutes;

minimum volume: 0 ml.

The foam volume was read at about 1s-15 s.

10. In a typical foaming profile test, steps (1) - (9) are repeated at least twice (i.e., 3 replicates) to obtain an average foam volume and ensure reproducibility of results.

11. And (3) data analysis: decomposition of foam classes

The average foam height of the different categories described above was calculated by averaging the height data for each replicate.

And (3) testing 2: fabric residue testing (Wet Screen)

The test method is used herein to determine the solubility of cleaning compositions by measuring the weight percent (Wt%) of undissolved residue left by such cleaning compositions on a 250 micron sieve after such cleaning compositions are dissolved in water for about 10 minutes.

(1) Measurement of the Dry weight (M) of a 250 micron Screen₀)，

(2) Three (3) parts of the test cleaning composition were weighed, 30g per sample (i.e., total sample weight of 90 grams);

(3) each sample was dissolved in about 2L of distilled water under constant magnetic stirring (for about 10 minutes), thereby forming three (3) sample solutions. Magnetic stirring was performed in a 2L beaker having a height of approximately 18cm by using a C-MAG HS 7S25 magnetic stirrer manufactured by IKA (Staufen, Germany).

(4) Simultaneously pouring the three sample solutions onto a 250 micron sieve to filter out any insoluble residue from such solutions;

(5) drying a 250 micron sieve in an oven DHG-9145A manufactured by Shanghai YiHeng Scientific Instrument co., Ltd. (Shanghai, China) at about 150 ℃ for about 50 minutes;

(6) after the sieve has cooled, the sieve is weighed (M)₁)；

(7) The residual weight percent was calculated as follows:

Wt％＝(M₁-M₀)/(30g×3)×100％

(8) steps (1) to (7) were repeated three (3) times to ensure test repeatability and the average was taken as the final residue weight percent (Wt%) of the test cleaning composition.

Examples

The following examples are given by way of illustration only and therefore should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.

Example 1: comparative test showing foaming characteristics

Two samples of granular laundry detergent formulations with two different fatty acid blends were prepared to demonstrate the effect of fatty acid build on the foaming performance of the laundry detergent formulations. First, the comparative granular laundry detergent composition employs a fatty acid blend comprising about 10 wt% PKO-derived fatty acid salt (sodium) and about 90 wt% PO-derived fatty acid salt (sodium). Second, the granular laundry detergent compositions of the present invention employ a fatty acid blend comprising about 20 wt.% PKO-derived fatty acid salts (sodium) and about 80 wt.% PO-derived fatty acid salts (sodium). The compositional breakdown of these two formulations is shown in table I:

TABLE I

The foaming characteristics of the above-described inventive compositions comprising a fatty acid blend comprising about 20 wt.% PKO-derived fatty acid salt (sodium) and about 80 wt.% PO-derived fatty acid salt (sodium) were measured by the foaming characteristics test as mentioned above and compared to the foaming characteristics of a comparative composition comprising about 10 wt.% PKO-derived fatty acid salt (sodium) and about 90 wt.% PO-derived fatty acid salt (sodium).

The following measurements were made of the foaming characteristics of the two sample formulations:

TABLE II

From the above results it is clear that even when used in significantly smaller amounts (only 0.8%) in the granular laundry detergent composition of the present invention, the 80/20 PO/PKO soap blend can generate higher wash foam height and comparable rinse foam volume after the initial rinse compared to the 90/10 PO/PKO soap blend used in much larger amounts (2.96%) in the comparative granular laundry detergent composition. This shows that 80/20 PO/PKO soap blend can provide satisfactory lather characteristics when used at much lower concentrations than 90/10 PO/PKO soap blend.

Example 2: comparative test showing the residue of the washed Fabric

Four (4) granular laundry detergent formulation samples with two different fatty acid blends were prepared to demonstrate the effect of fatty acid build on insoluble fabric residues of the laundry detergent formulation after washing. The compositional breakdown of these four formulations is shown in table III:

TABLE III

The fabric residues left after washing by the four laundry detergent composition samples mentioned above were measured by the fabric residue test as mentioned above, and the test results are as follows.

TABLE IV

Sample (I)	Soap blend type	Soap content (% by weight)	Residue (wt%)
				A	90/10 PO/PKO fatty acid blend (sodium salt)	2.7	1.57
B	80/20 PO/PKO fatty acid blend (sodium salt)	2.7	0.92
				C	90/10 PO/PKO fatty acid blend (sodium salt)	0.8	0.48
D	80/20 PO/PKO fatty acid blend (sodium salt)	1.4	0.46

From the above results it is clear that 80/20 PO/PKO soap blend leaves significantly less residue on the washed fabric than 90/10 PO/PKO soap blend when used in the same amount (2.7%). To achieve a fabric residue percentage (%) of less than 0.5%, the amount of 90/10 PO/PKO soap blend used in the laundry detergent composition needs to be reduced to about 0.8%, while the amount of 80/20 PO/PKO soap blend used can be kept at about 1.4%.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Rather, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm".

Each document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or patent application and any patent application or patent to which this application claims priority or its benefits, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with any disclosure of the invention or the claims herein or that it alone, or in combination with any one or more of the references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A cleaning composition, comprising:

(a) from 5% to 40% by weight of the cleaning composition of C₁₀-C₂₀Linear alkyl benzene sulphonate (LAS);

(b) from 0.1% to 5%, by weight of the cleaning composition, of an Alkyl Sulfate (AS) having a branched or straight chain non-alkoxylated alkyl group containing from 6 to 18 carbon atoms; and

(c) from 0.5% to 1.2% by weight of the cleansing composition of a mixture of fatty acids or salts thereof, wherein from 15% to 30% by weight of the fatty acids or salts thereof are derived from palm kernel oil and/or coconut oil, and wherein from 70% to 85% by weight of the fatty acids or salts thereof are derived from palm oil,

wherein the LAS and AS are present in the cleaning composition at a LAS to AS weight ratio of from 3:1 to 50: 1.

2. The cleaning composition of claim 1, further comprising from 0% to 1%, by weight of the cleaning composition, of a linear or branched alkyl alkoxy sulfate having a weight average degree of alkoxylation ranging from 0.1 to 10.

3. The cleaning composition of claim 1 or 2, wherein LAS is present in an amount ranging from 8% to 30% by weight of the composition.

4. The cleaning composition of claim 3, wherein LAS is present in an amount ranging from 10% to 25% by weight of the composition.

5. The cleaning composition of claim 1 or 2, wherein AS is present in an amount ranging from 0.2% to 3% by weight of the composition.

6. The cleaning composition of claim 5, wherein AS is present in an amount ranging from 0.3% to 2% by weight of the composition.

7. The cleaning composition of claim 1, further comprising from 0.3% to 3%, by weight of the composition, of an amphiphilic graft copolymer comprising a polyalkylene oxide backbone grafted with one or more side chains selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl propionate, polyvinyl butyrate, and combinations thereof, wherein the weight ratio of the polyalkylene oxide backbone to the one or more side chains ranges from 1:0.2 to 1: 10.

8. The cleaning composition of claim 7, wherein the graft copolymer has a polyethylene oxide backbone grafted with polyvinyl acetate side chains.

9. The cleaning composition of claim 1, wherein the cleaning composition is a particulate laundry detergent composition comprising: (1) from 5% to 50% by weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition of a water-soluble alkali metal carbonate and/or bicarbonate; and/or (2) from 10% to 80% by weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition of a water-soluble alkali metal sulphate.

10. The cleaning composition of claim 9, wherein the particulate laundry detergent composition comprises from 10% to 40% by weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition of a water-soluble alkali metal carbonate and/or bicarbonate salt.

11. The cleaning composition of claim 10, wherein the particulate laundry detergent composition comprises from 15% to 30% by weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition of a water-soluble alkali metal carbonate and/or bicarbonate salt.

12. The cleaning composition of any one of claims 9-11, wherein the water soluble alkali metal carbonate and/or bicarbonate salt is sodium carbonate and/or bicarbonate.

13. The cleaning composition of claim 9, wherein the particulate laundry detergent composition comprises from 20% to 70%, by weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition, of a water-soluble alkali metal sulfate.

14. The cleaning composition of claim 13, wherein the particulate laundry detergent composition comprises from 30% to 60% by weight of the particulate laundry detergent composition of a water-soluble alkali metal sulfate.

15. The cleaning composition of any one of claims 9, 13, and 14, wherein the water-soluble alkali metal sulfate is sodium sulfate.

16. The cleaning composition of claim 9, wherein the particulate laundry detergent composition is characterized by a moisture content of less than 3% by weight of the composition.

17. The cleaning composition of claim 9, wherein the granular laundry detergent composition is substantially free of any phosphate builder and comprises from 0% to 15% by weight of the granular laundry detergent composition of zeolite builder.

18. The cleaning composition of claim 17, wherein the granular laundry detergent composition comprises from 0% to 10% zeolite builder.

19. The cleaning composition of claim 18, wherein the granular laundry detergent composition comprises from 0% to 5% zeolite builder.

20. Use of a cleaning composition according to any of claims 1 to 19 for hand washing fabrics.