CZ9903071A3 - Granular soaking composition and method for soaking fabrics - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, granulated soaking is proposed a composition comprising from 0.001 to 15 wt. a sorbitan ester of the formula C 6 H 9 O 2 (C 2 H 4 O) x R 1, R 2, R 3, from 0.001 to 20 wt. an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of formula RO- (A) n H and an oxygen bleaching agent. Another the solution is the method of soaking the substances on which the substances are applied immersing in a soaking liquid containing water a an effective amount of the composition, and then from the soaking liquid removes it.

Description

A granular soaking composition and a method of soaking fabrics

Technical field

The present invention relates to a granular detergent composition and to a method of soaking fabrics, i.e., to clean fabrics under soaking conditions, i.e., under which the fabrics are soaked in a soaking liquid containing water and detergent components, typically without mechanical agitation. , either as a first stage before a typical wash or as a single stage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Methods of soaking fabrics are described in the art. In this soaking, the substances are left in contact with the soaking liquid for an extended period of time, typically ranging from a few minutes to overnight or even up to 24 hours. This washing process has the advantage of maximizing the contact time between the substances and the key active ingredients of the soaking liquid. An advantage is also that it reduces or eliminates the need for a typical wash, which involves the need for mechanical agitation, or that improves the efficiency of a subsequent typical wash.

Such soaking processes are typically desirable to remove contamination of substances originating from the external environment, such as soil particles such as mud, sand and / or clay. For example, clays typically have a microcrystalline mineral structure (e.g., aqueous aluminum silicate such as illite, montmorillonite, kaolinite and the like) in the presence of an organic fraction. The organic fraction may contain a variety of compounds (eg, humic acid, fulvic acid, plant / animal biomass and the like). The clays may also contain some kinds of metals (eg magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron and the like). However, these particulate contamination is particularly difficult to remove from the fabrics. It is contemplated that very fine grains of dirt, such as clay or sand, typically less than about 0.002 mm in size, may be deposited between the fibers of the fabric and stably inserted into the surface of the fibers. This problem is particularly acute for socks that are most of the time

exposed to sand and clay. The soaking procedures are also not fully satisfactory in terms of performing removal of stains that are enzymatic in nature or even bleachable stains. Enzymatic spots typically consist of sugar and protein stains, such as blood. It has now been found that enzyme stains can act on the fabric as an adhesive for particle soiling. The removal of these enzymatic stains may thus facilitate the removal of particulate contamination from the fabrics.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the removal of particulate, mud and / or clay soils, as well as enzymatic stains and / or bleachable stains.

It has been found that this object can be achieved by soaking the substances in an aqueous soaking liquid comprising an effective amount of a soaking detergent composition comprising an oxygen bleach and a highly alkylated nonionic surfactant as defined herein. It has been found that a highly alkoxylated nonionic surfactant and an oxygen bleach in a soaking agent for stains, such as strong environmental soils, enzymatic stains and / or bleachable stains, provide improved stain removal when soaking conditions are used (ie if are kept in contact for an extended period of time, typically more than one hour up to 24 hours), as compared to staining with the same composition that does not contain such a highly alkylated nonionic surfactant. Thus, in its broadest aspect, the present invention encompasses a method of soaking wherein said substances are immersed for more than one hour in a soaking liquid comprising water and an effective amount of a composition comprising a highly alkoxylated nonionic surfactant and an oxygen bleaching agent as described above. is removed from the soaking liquid.

An advantage of the present invention is that stain removal when soaked in the presence of a soaking composition that contains an oxygen bleach and such a highly alkylated nonionic surfactant as noted herein, is improved even in the presence of relatively high amounts of ions due to the wetting agent. · · ·

water hardness. The presence of these ions (calcium or magnesium ions), which naturally occur in the soaking liquid, may reduce the effectiveness of the surfactant and possibly precipitate the surfactants from the soaking liquid as a calcium or magnesium salt. This phenomenon occurs less when the above alkoxylated nonionic surfactant is used. Thus, the soaking detergent manufacturer can use builders that no longer need to mask free water hardening ions, and so less expensive builders can be used in such a soaking composition.

An advantage of the present invention is that not only an improved stain removal performance is achieved, but also re-sedimentation of fabrics is prevented under prolonged soaking conditions. Furthermore, the soaking compositions of the present invention comprising such a highly alkylated nonionic surfactant and an oxygen bleaching agent provide effective stain removal performance for other types of stains, such as greasy stains such as motor oil dirt and spaghetti sauce.

European Patent Application A 736 594 discloses wetting compositions comprising a sorbitan ester in combination with a high amount of builder and soil release system comprising a compound selected from citric acid or citrates, silicates, zeolites, polycarboxylates, phosphates, and mixtures thereof. The oxygen bleaching agent is included in the optional ingredients. No alkoxylated nonionic surfactant is disclosed or exemplified.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a granular soaking composition comprising:

from 0.001 to 15 wt. from the weight of the whole sorbitan ester preparation of the formula C 5 H 8 Cl 2 H 1 H x R ₁ R ₂ R a, wherein x is a number from 0 to 40, R 1 and R ₂ independently represent OH or

(C _n H 2 _{n + 1} ) COO and R ₃ denote a group (C _n H 2 _{n +} 1) COO, wherein n is a number from 11 to 17, from 0.001 to 20 wt. by weight of the total composition of an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of the formula RO- (A) _n H, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon chain of 6 to 40 carbon atoms, A is an alkoxy group of 2 to 10 and n is from 9 to 100, and an oxygen bleach.

The present invention further encompasses a method of soaking fabrics, wherein said fabrics are immersed in a soaking liquid containing water and an effective amount of the composition as described above for an effective period of time and then removed from the soaking liquid.

Thus, in its broadest aspect, the present invention encompasses a method of soaking wherein said substances are immersed for more than one hour in a soaking liquid comprising water and an effective amount of a composition comprising an oxygen bleaching agent and an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant as described above. removes from soaking liquid.

The invention will be described in detail in the following.

The present invention relates to a composition and method for soaking fabrics. This means, hereinafter referred to as the soaking means, is used in the soaking process.

A - Composition: The granular compositions of the invention comprise at least a sorbitan ester, the aforementioned free-flowing alkoxylated nonionic surfactant and an oxygen bleaching agent.

Sorbitan ester: A first essential component of the compositions of the present invention is a sorbitan ester of the formula C 6 H 6 C ₁ H ₂ R ₅ R ₅ R ₅ , wherein x is from 0 to 40, R 1 and R ₂ independently represent OH or (C _n H 2 _{n +} 1) COO and R ₃ represents a group (C _n H 2 _{n +} 1) COO, n being a number from 11 to 17.

In preferred compositions according to the invention, x = 0 or 20. The most preferred compositions herein comprise polyethoxylated (20) sorbitan tristearate, i.e. C _e H ₉ 0 _{2 (C2} H40) ₂ O (Ci7H35COO) 3, polyethoxylated (20) sorbitan monostearate , i.e. CEH ₉ 0 ₂ (C ₂ H ₄ 0) ₂ O (OH) ₂ (Ci7H35COO) sorbitan monostearate, i.e. CEH ₉ O ₂ (OH) ₂ (C ₇ H ₃₅ COO), sorbitan monopalmitate, i.e. C ₆ H ₉ O ₂ (OH) ₂ (C ₁₅ H ₃ COO), or mixtures thereof.

All of these materials are commercially available under several trade names such as Glycosperse TS 20 from Lonza (polyethoxylated sorbitan tristearate), Glycosperse S 20 from Lonza (polyethoxylated sorbitan monostearate), Radiasurf 7145 from Fina (sorbitan monostearate), Radiasurop 7135 from Fina ( sorbitan) and Armotan MP from Akzo (sorbitan monopalmitate).

Furthermore, it has been found that combining ethoxylated sorbitan esters with nonethoxylated sorbitan esters achieves better performance than either of the esters alone.

The wetting compositions according to the invention comprise from 0.001 to 15, preferably from 0.01 to 10, more preferably from 0.1 to 5 and most preferably from 0.5 to 4% by weight. by weight of the total composition of said sorbitan ester or mixtures thereof.

Nonionic Surfactant: A second essential component of the compositions of the present invention is an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of the formula RO- (A) H, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon chain having from 6 to 6 carbon atoms. · ·

A is alkoxy having 2 to 10 carbon atoms and n is an integer from 9 to 100, or a mixture thereof.

Preferably R is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl group having 6 to 40, preferably 8 to 25, more preferably 12 to 20 carbon atoms. Typical aryl groups include C12-18 alkylbenzene groups. Preferably n is from 9 to 100, more preferably from 10 to 80, and most preferably from 10 to 30. Preferably it is an alkoxy group having 2 to 8 carbon atoms, preferably 2 to 5 carbon atoms, more preferably propoxy and / or ethoxy.

Thus, suitable alkoxylated nonionic surfactants for use herein are Dobanol ^(R) 91-10 (R is a mixture of alkyl chains of 9 to 11 carbon atoms, A is ethoxy, n is a number 10), Luthensol AT ^(R) surfactants or AO ^(R) (wherein R is a mixture of a linear alkyl chain of 16 to 18 carbon atoms or an unbranched chain of 13 to 15 carbon atoms, A is an ethoxy group and n can be 11, 18, 25, 50 or 80) or mixtures thereof . These Dobanol ^(R) surfactants are commercially available from Shell, while Luthensol ^(R) surfactants are available from BASF.

Suitable chemical methods for preparing alkoxylated nonionic surfactants for use herein include condensation of the corresponding alcohols with alkylene oxide in the desired proportions. This method is well known to the skilled artisan and has been extensively described in the art.

These highly alkoxylated nonionic surfactants are particularly suitable for use in the invention because they provide improved stain removal from bulk compounds. It is speculated that they act as soil suspending agents, i.e., they allow to suppress loose soils and prevent / avoid repositioning of said soils.

φ · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · φ ·

The soaking compositions of the invention comprise from 0.001 to 20, preferably from 0.01 to 15, more preferably from 0.1 to 10, and most preferably from 0.5 to 5% by weight. by weight of the total composition of said alkoxylated nonionic surfactant.

Oxygen bleaching agent: As a third essential component, the compositions of the present invention comprise an oxygen bleaching agent or a mixture thereof. The oxygen bleach provides more beneficial effects such as bleaching, deodorization and disinfection. The sorbitan esters and alkoxylated nonionic surfactants of the present invention have the additional advantage of being resistant to oxidation by oxygen bleaching agents. The oxygen bleaching agent in the composition may come from a variety of sources such as hydrogen peroxide or any hydrogen peroxide addition compound, organic peracids or mixtures thereof. Addition of hydrogen peroxide compounds is understood to mean compounds formed by adding hydrogen peroxide to a second chemical compound, which may be, for example, an inorganic salt, urea or organic carboxylate, so as to obtain an addition compound. Examples of hydrogen peroxide addition compounds include inorganic persalts, hydrogen peroxide compounds with organic carboxylates and urea, and compounds in which hydrogen peroxide is in the form of clathrate.

Examples of inorganic persalts include the perborate, percarbonate, perfosphate, and perborate salts. Inorganic persalts are normally alkali metal salts. The alkali metal salts of percarbonate, perborate or mixtures thereof are preferred inorganic persalts for use herein. A preferred alkali percarbonate salt is sodium percarbonate.

Other suitable bleaching agents include persulfates, especially potassium persulfate K ₂ S ₂ O ₈ and sodium persulfate K ₂ S ₂ O ₈ . Examples of inorganic persalts include the perborate, percarbonate, perfosphate, and perborate salts. Inorganic persalts are normally alkali metal salts.

The soaking compositions in the present invention typically comprise from 0.01 to 80, preferably from 5 to 45, more preferably from 10 to 40 wt. by weight of the total oxygen bleaching agent or mixtures thereof.

The soaking compositions of the present invention are granular compositions. These compositions can be manufactured by a variety of methods well known in the art. These include dry mixing, spray drying, agglomeration, ranulation and combinations thereof. The compositions of the invention may be formulated with varying bulk density, from conventional granular products to so-called concentrated products (i.e., bulk density above 600 g / l).

Optional Ingredients: The soaking compositions of the present invention may further comprise a variety of other ingredients.

The compositions of the invention preferably further comprise a bleach activator or a mixture thereof in an amount of up to 30% by weight. by weight of the whole composition. Examples of suitable compounds of this type are described in British Patent Specifications 1,586,769 and 2143,231. Preferred examples of such compounds are tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED), 3,5,5-trimethylhexanoyloxybenzenesulfonate sodium, diperdodecanoic acid, as described, for example, in the US patent No. 4,818,425, peradipic acid nonylamide, as described, for example, in U.S. Patent 4,259,201, nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate (NOBS), and acetytriethyl citrate (ATC), as described in European Patent Application 91870207.7. Especially preferred it is also an N-acyl caprolactam, which is selected from the group consisting of substituted or unsubstituted benzoyl caprolactam, nonanoyl caprolactam, hexanoyl caprolactam, decanoyl caprolactam, undecenoyl caprolactam, formylkaprolaktamu, acetylcaprolactam, propanoylkaprolaktamu, butanoylkaprolaktamu and pentanoyl. The soaking compositions of the invention may contain mixtures of said bleach activators.

Preferred bleach activator compositions of the invention comprise a nonanoyloxybenzene sulfonate (NOBS) together with a second bleach activator which has little tendency to generate diacyl peroxide but which mainly provides peracid. Said second activators may include tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED), acetyl triethyl citrate (ATC), acetyl caprolactam, benzoyl caprolactam and the like or mixtures thereof. It has been found that a bleach activator composition comprising nonanoyloxybenzene sulfonate and said second bleach activators contributes to a further improvement in the performance of said compositions for removing loose soils while at the same time showing good performance on diacylperoxide sensitive soils (e.g. beta-carotene) and peracid sensitive soils. (eg body contamination).

The soaking compositions according to the invention may thus contain 0 to 15, preferably 1 to 10, more preferably 3 to 7 wt. and from 0 to 15, preferably from 1 to 10, more preferably from 3 to 7% by weight of the total composition of the nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate. by weight of the total composition of the second bleach activator.

The compositions of the invention may include an acidifying system among the preferred optional ingredients. The purpose of said acidification system is to control the alkalinity generated by the available oxygen source and any alkaline compounds present in the wash solution. The system comprises an anhydrous acidifying agent or mixtures thereof which must be included in the product in anhydrous form and which must have good stability in the oxidizing environment. Suitable anhydrous acidifying agents for use herein are carboxylic acids such as citric acid, adipic acid, glutaric acid, 3-ketoglutaric acid, citric acid, tartaric acid and maleic acid, or salts thereof, or mixtures thereof. Other suitable acidifying agents include sodium bicarbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, and silicic acid. Highly preferred acidification systems for use according to the invention comprise citric acid and / or sodium citrate. Citric acid can be used in the form of an acid or in the form of salts (mono-, di-, tri-salts) and in all anhydrous and hydrated forms or mixtures. Furthermore, it can act as a builder and as a chelating agent and is biodegradable. Resources

according to the present invention contain up to 20, preferably from 5 to 15, most preferably about 10 wt. of anhydrous citric acid from the total weight of the composition.

The compositions of the invention may include, among preferred optional ingredients, an alkali metal silicate or mixtures thereof. The preferred alkali metal silicate used herein is sodium silicate. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein the soaking compositions comprise an oxygen bleach, it has been found that the decomposition of available oxygen that occurs in the soaking liquids upon dissolution of the soaking compositions is reduced by the presence of at least 40 parts per million sodium silicate in said soaking liquids.

Any type of alkali metal silicate may be used according to the invention, including crystalline forms as well as amorphous forms of said alkali metal silicate or a mixture thereof.

Suitable crystalline forms of sodium silicate as used herein are crystalline layered silicates of the general formula

NaMSi _x O ₂ + iy H ₂ O in which M represents a sodium or hydrogen atom, x represents a number from 1.9 to 4 and y represents a number from 0 to 20, or mixtures thereof. Crystalline layered silicates of this type are described in European Patent Application A164 514 and methods for their preparation are described in German Patent Specifications A 3417 649 and A 37 42 043. For the purposes of the present invention, x in the above general formula denotes 2, 3 or 4, preferably 2. M is more preferably sodium and y is 0. Preferred examples of this formula include a, b, g and d of the Na ₂ Si ₂ O _{5 form} . These materials are available from Hoechst AG, Germany, such as NaSKS-5, NaSKS-7, NaSKS-11 and NaSKS-6. The most preferred material is d - Na ₂ Si ₂ O ₅ , NaSKS-6. Crystalline layered silicates are included in the wetting compositions of the invention either as dry mixed solids or as solid components of agglomerates with other components.

Suitable amorphous forms of sodium silicate for use herein have the following general formula:

NaMSi _x O _{2 x +} 1 in which M represents a sodium or hydrogen atom and x represents a number from 1.9 to 4 or a mixture thereof. Amorphous forms of Si ₂ O ₅ .Na ₂ O are preferred for use herein.

Suitable zeolites for use in the present invention are aluminosilicates including those having the empirical formula

Mz (zAlO ₂ .ySiO ₂ ), wherein M is sodium, potassium, ammonium or substituted ammonium, z is from 0.5 to 2 and y is 1. This material has a magnesium ion exchange capacity of at least 50 milligrams of CaCO hardness ₃ per gram of anhydrous aluminosilicate. Preferred zeolites are compounds of formula

At _Z and _{(AlO2) z.} (SiO ₂₎ yú.x H ₂ O, in which the emanations are at least 6, the molar ratio ZKY is from 1.0 to 0.5 and x is a number from 15 to 264.

Useful materials are commercially available. These aluminosilicates may have a crystalline or amorphous structure and may be naturally occurring aluminosilicates or synthetic silicates. A method for producing aluminosilicate ion exchange materials is described in U.S. Patent 3,985,669, Krummel et al., Issued October 12, 1976. Preferred synthetic crystalline aluminosilicate ion exchange materials useful herein are available under the designations Zeolite A, Zeolite P (B), and

Zeolite X. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the crystalline aluminosilicate ion exchange material has the general formula

Nai ₂ i _(AlO2) i2. (SiO ₂₎ i2Ú.x H ₂ O, wherein z is from 20 to 30, especially about 27. This material is known as Zeolite A. Preferably, the aluminosilicate has a particle diameter of 0, 1 to 10 microns.

The compositions of the invention typically comprise from 0.5 to 15, preferably from 1 to 10, more preferably from 2 to 7% by weight. by weight of the total alkali metal silicate composition or mixtures thereof.

The composition according to the invention may also contain a building component as a preferred optional component. All builders known to those skilled in the art can be used herein. Suitable phosphate builders for use herein include tripolyphosphate, pyrophosphate, polymeric metaphosphate having a degree of polymerization of from 6 to 21, and sodium and potassium orthophosphate. Other phosphorus compounds as builders are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3159,581, 3213,030, 3,422,021, 3422137, 3400176 and 3,400,148, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Suitable polycarboxylate builders for use in the invention include ether polycarboxylates, including oxydisuccinates, as described in the US patent

128,287 Berg, issued April 7, 1964, and U.S. Patent 3,635,830 to Lamberti et al., Issued January 18, 1972. See also TMS / TDS building components in U.S. Pat.

663,071 Bush et al. Suitable ether polycarboxylates also include cyclic compounds, especially alicyclic compounds such as those described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,923,679, 3,835,163, 4,120,874 and 4,102,903.

Other useful detergent builders include ether hydroxypolycarboxylates, 1,3,5-trihydraxybenzene-2,4,6-trisulfonic acid and carboxymethyl oxysuccinic acid, various salts of polyacetic acids such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and nitrilotriacetic acid with alkaline metal, ammonia and substituted ammonium salts of these acids, as well as polycarboxylates such as melitic acid, succinic acid, oxydisuccinic acid, polymaleic acid, benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid, carboxymethyloxysuccinic acid, and soluble salts thereof.

Also suitable in the wetting compositions of the present invention are 3,3-dicarboxy-4-oxa-1,6-hexanedioates and the like, which are described in U.S. Patent 4,566,984, Bush, issued Jan. 28, 1986. succinic acids include alkyl- and alkenyl (C 5 -C 20) succinic acids and salts thereof. A particularly preferred compound of this type is dodecenylsuccinic acid. Specific examples of succinate builders include: laurylsuccinate, myristylsuccinate, palmitylsuccinate, 2-dodecenylsuccinate (preferred), 2-pentadecenylsuccinate and the like. Lauryl succinates are preferred components of this group and are described in European Patent Application 86 200 690.5 / 0 200 263, published November 5, 1986.

Other suitable polycarboxylate builders are described in U.S. Patent 4,144,226 to Crutchfield et al., Issued March 13, 1979, and U.S. Patent 3,308,067 to Diehl, issued March 7, 1967. See also U.S. Patent No. 3,723,322 to Diehl.

Other suitable polycarboxylate builders for use herein include those of Formula I

R ¹ --- Y p - (CH 2 CR ³⁾ n -R ²

I (O,

CO ₂ M in which Y represents a comonomer or a comonomer mixture, R ¹ and R ² represent a bleaching and alkali-stable polymer end group, R ³ represents a hydrogen atom, OH or a (C 1 -C 4) alkyl group, M represents hydrogen, alkali metal, metal, alkaline earth, ammonium or substituted ammonium, p is a number from 0 to 2 and n is at least 10, or mixtures thereof.

Preferred polymers for use in the invention fall into two categories. The first category belongs to a group of copolymeric polymers which are formed from an unsaturated polycarboxylic acid such as maleic, citraconic, itaconic and mesaconic acid, and their salts as the first monomer, and an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid such as acrylic acid or alpha-alkyl (s). up to 4 carbon atoms) acrylic acid as the second monomer. In view of the above general formula (I), the polymers belonging to said first group are those in which p is not 0 and Y is selected from the above list of acids. Preferred polymers of this group are those of formula (I) above wherein Y is maleic acid. In preferred embodiments, R ³ and M are hydrogen and n is a number such that the polymers have a molecular weight of from 1000 to 400,000.

A second category of preferred polymers for use in the present invention belongs to the group of polymers in which, with respect to formula I above, p is 0 and R ³ is hydrogen or C 1 -C 4 alkyl. In a preferred embodiment, n is such that the polymers have a molecular weight of from 1000 to 400,000. In a highly preferred embodiment, R ³ and M are hydrogen.

The alkali-stable polymer of the terminal groups R ¹ and R ² in formula I above include alkyl groups, oxyalkyl groups and alkylcarboxyl groups, and salts and esters thereof.

In the above, the polymerization degree of the polymer can be determined from the weighted average molecular weight of the polymer by dividing the average molecular weight of the monomer. For weighted average maleic / acrylic acid copolymers 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

99 99 with a molecular weight of 15,500 and containing 30 mole% of units derived from maleic acid n is 182 (i.e., 15,500 / (116.0.3 + 72.0.7)).

Columns with a controlled temperature of 40 ° C are used against polymer standards of sodium polystyrene sulfonate available from Polymer Laboratories Ltd, Shropshire, England. Polymer standards are 0.15M sodium dihydrogenphosphate and 0.02M tetramethylammonium hydroxide at pH 7.0 in water mixture. / acetonitrile (80:20).

Of all the above, highly preferred polymers for use herein are those of the first category wherein n is an average of 100 to 800, preferably 120 to 400.

Preferred builders for use herein are maleic or acrylic acid polymers or maleic-acrylic acid copolymers.

The compositions of the present invention typically comprise up to 50, preferably from 0.1 to 20, more preferably from 0.5 to 11% by weight. the total weight of the building agent composition or mixtures thereof.

The soaking compositions of the invention preferably further comprise a chelating agent or mixtures thereof. Chelating agents are desirable in the present invention because they help to control the level of free heavy metal ions in the soaking liquids and thereby prevent rapid decomposition of the oxygen released by the oxygen bleaching agent. Suitable aminocarboxylate chelating agents that may be used in the present invention include diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetates (EDTA), N-hydroxyethylethylenediamine triacetates, nitrilotriacetates, ethylenediaminetetrapropionates, triethylenetetramine hexaacetates, and their ethanedioates, ethanol salts thereof, . Other suitable chelating agents include ethylenediamine-N, N'-disuccinic acid (EDDS) or

alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium or substituted ammonium salts thereof. Particularly suitable EDDS compounds are the free acid form and the sodium or magnesium salt or complex thereof. Other suitable chelating agents may be organic phosphonates, including aminoalkylene poly (alkylene phosphonate), alkali metal salts of ethane-1-hydroxy diphosphonates, nitrilotrimethylene phosphonates, ethylenediaminetetramethylene phosphonates, and diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonates. The phosphonate compounds may be present either in their acid form or in the form of their alkali metal salts. The organic phosphonate compounds, if present, are preferably in the form of a magnesium salt.

The soaking compositions of the present invention may thus comprise from 0 to 5%, preferably from 0 to 3, more preferably from 0.05 to 2% by weight. by weight of the total composition of said chelating agents.

The compositions of the invention may also contain other surfactants on a sorbitan ester and an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant as described herein. These surfactants may be desirable as they may further contribute to the beneficial effects of the compositions of the invention, i.e., improved stain removal in bulk soils, as well as other types of soils, such as enzymatic and / or oily soils.

These surfactants may be present in the soaking compositions of the present invention on a sorbitan ester and an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant as described hereinbefore in an amount of from 0.1 to 50, preferably from 0.1 to 20, and more preferably from 1 to 20, % to 10 wt. of the total weight of the composition. Surfactants to be used herein include nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof.

Suitable anionic surfactants for use herein include the water-soluble salts or acids of the formula ROSO ₃ M, wherein R is preferably a C 10 -C 24 hydrocarbon group, preferably a C 10 -C 20 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group. a C 10 -C 20 alkyl component, more preferably a C 12 -C 18 alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group, and M represents a hydrogen atom or a cation, for example an alkali metal (e.g., sodium, potassium, lithium) or ammonium or substituted ammonium cation (eg, methyl, dimethyl and trimethyl ammonium cations and quaternary ammonium cations such as tetramethylammonium and dimethylpiperidinium cations and quaternary ammonium cations derived from alkylamines such as ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine and mixtures thereof and the like). C 12 -C 16 alkyl chains are typically preferred for lower temperature washes (e.g., below 50 ° C), and C 16 -C 18 alkyl chains are preferred for higher wash temperatures (e.g., above 50 ° C).

Other suitable anionic surfactants for use herein are the water-soluble salts or acids of formula RO (A) _m SO ₃ M, wherein R is unsubstituted C 10 -C 24 alkyl or C 10 -C 10 alkyl. 24 carbon atoms, preferably an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group having 12 to 20 carbon atoms, more preferably an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group having 12 to 18 carbon atoms, A is an ethoxy or propoxy unit, m is a number greater than 0, typically between 0.5 and 6 more preferably between 0.5 and 3, and M represents a hydrogen atom or a cation, which may be, for example, a metal cation (eg, sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, etc.), ammonium or substituted ammonium cation. These include alkyl ethoxylated sulfates as well as alkyl propoxylated sulfates. Specific examples of substituted ammonium cations include methyl, dimethyl and trimethyl ammonium cations and quaternary ammonium cations such as tetramethylammonium and dimethylpiperidinium cations and cations derived from alkanolamines such as ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine and mixtures thereof, and the like. Examples of surfactants are the alkyl (C 12 -C 18) sulfate of the polyethoxylate (1,0) (C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ E (10) M), the alkyl (C 12 -C 18) sulfate, the poly (C ₎ -C ₁₈ E (10).

ethoxylate (2,25) (C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ E (2.25) M), alkyl (C 12 -C 18) sulfate, polyethoxylate (3,0) (C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ E (3.0) M), and alkyl sulfate (C 12 -C 18) polyethoxylate (4.0) (C ₁₂ -C ₁₈ E (4.0) M), wherein M is suitably selected from sodium and potassium.

Other anionic surfactants can also be used for the purification purposes of the invention. These include salts (including, for example, sodium, potassium, ammonium and substituted ammonium salts such as mono-, di-, and triethanolamine salts) of soaps, linear C 9 -C 20 alkylbenzene sulfonates, C 8 -C 24 olefin sulfonates, sulfonated polycarboxylic acids prepared by sulfonating the pyrolyzed alkaline earth citrate product, e.g. as described in British Patent Specification No. 1,082,179, alkyl (C8-C24) polyglycol ether sulfates (with up to 10 moles of ethylene oxide), alkyl ester sulfonates such as methyl ester sulfonates with C 14 -C 16 acylglycerol sulphonates, fatty oleyl glycerol sulphonates, alkylphenol ethylene oxide ether sulphates, alkyl phosphates, isethionates such as acyl isethionates, N-acyl taurates, alkyl succinamates and sulfosuccinates, monoesters of sulfosuccinates (especially saturated and unsaturated sulfates) saturated and not found saturated diesters of 6 to 14 carbon atoms), acyl sarcosinates, alkylpolysaccharide sulfates such as alkylpolyglucoside sulfates (nonionic unsulfated compounds described below), branched chain alkyl sulfates and alkylpolyethoxycarboxylates such as compounds of formula

RO (CH ₂ CH ₂ O) k -CH ₂ COO'M ⁺ , wherein R is an alkyl of 8 to 22 carbon atoms, k is an integer from 1 to 10, and M is a soluble salt cation. Also suitable are resin acids and hydrogenated resin acids such as rosin, hydrogenated rosin and resin acids and hydrogenated resin acids present in or derived from tall oil. Further examples are provided in Surface Active Agents and Detergents (Vol. I and II by Schwartz, Perry and Berch). Various such surfactants are also generally described in U.S. Patent 3,929,678 to Laughlin et al.

Issued December 30, 1975, at column 23, line 58, to column 29, line 23 (herein incorporated by reference).

Suitable anionic surfactants for use herein are those of the formula R-SO ₃ M wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon chain of 6 to 40 carbon atoms and M is hydrogen or cation. Preferably R is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl group having 6 to 40 carbon atoms, preferably 8 to 30, more preferably 10 to 25, and most preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms. M preferably denotes a cation which may be, for example, a metal cation (eg sodium, potassium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, etc.), an ammonium or substituted ammonium cation (eg methyl, dimethyl and trimethyl ammonium cations and quaternary ammonium cations (such as tetramethylammonium and dimethylpiperidinium cations and quaternary ammonium cations derived from alkylamines (such as ethylamine, diethylamine, triethylamine and mixtures thereof and the like). Suitable anionic sulfonates for use herein are sodium paraffin sulfonates. They may be commercially available from Hoechst under the name Hostapur or Hostatat ^ ^(R>.

The compositions of the invention may further comprise fillers such as inorganic filler salts such as alkali metal carbonates, bicarbonates and sulfates. These fillers, for example sodium bicarbonate, may also act as acidifying agents, as further described herein. Thus, sodium bicarbonate and sodium sulfate are preferred filler materials for use herein.

The compositions of the present invention typically comprise up to 50, preferably up to 0.1 to 20, and more preferably from 0.5 to 10% by weight. by weight of the entire filler composition or mixtures thereof.

The compositions of the invention typically also contain the enzyme or a mixture thereof. The compositions of the invention preferably comprise a protease or mixtures thereof. Protease enzymes are generally present in preferred embodiments of the invention in an amount sufficient to achieve 0.005 to 0.2 Anson units (AU) of activity per gram of composition. Proteolytic enzymes may be of animal, vegetable or preferably microbiological origin. More preferably, the serine proteolytic enzyme is of bacterial origin. Purified or uncleaned forms of the enzyme may be used. Proteolytic enzymes produced by chemically or genetically modified mutants are by definition included as close structural variants of the enzyme. A particularly preferred proteolytic enzyme is a bacterial serine proteolytic enzyme derived from Bacillus, Bacillus subtilis and / or Bacillus licheniformis. Suitable commercial proteolytic enzymes include Alcalase ^(R) , Esperase ^(R) , Durazym ^(R) , Savinase ^(R) , Maxatase ^(R) , Maxacal ^(R) and Maxap ^(R) 15 (a protein assembled by Maxacal); Purafect ^(R), and subtilisin BPN and BPN 'are also commercially available. Preferred proteolytic enzymes also include modified bacterial serine proteases, such as those described in European Patent Application No. 87303761.8, filed April 28, 1987 (particularly pages 17, 24, and 98), and are referred to herein as Protease B, and in European Patent Application 199,204 Venegase, published October 29, 1986, which refers to a modified bacterial serine proteolytic enzyme referred to herein as Protease A. More preferred is an enzyme referred to herein as Protease C, which is a triple variant of an alkaline serine protease from Bacillus. in which tyrosine is replaced by valine at position 104, serine is replaced by asparagine at position 123 and alanine is replaced by threonine at position 274. Protease C is described in European Patent 90915958.4, corresponding to WO 91/06637, published May 16, 1991, which is incorporated herein by reference. Genetically modified variants, particularly Protease C, are also included herein.

Also suitable for use in the present invention is a protease called Protease D, which is a carbonyl hydrolase variant having a non-naturally occurring amino acid sequence derived from a carbonyl hydrolase precursor by substituting different amino acids for multiple amino acid residues at a position equivalent to said carbonyl hydrolase. position +76 in combination with one or more positions of amino acid residues equivalent to those that are

selected from the group consisting of +99, +101, +103, +107 and +123 in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subtilisin, as described in co-pending patent applications of A. Baeck, C.Khosho, PPGreycar, RRBott and LJ Wilson, entitled Protease-Containing Cleaning Compositions, US Patent Application No. 08/136 797 (P&G Time 5040) and Bleaching Compositions Comprising Protease Enzymes, US Patent Application 08/136 626, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Some preferred proteolytic enzymes are selected from the group consisting of Savinase ^(R) , Esperase ^(R) , Maxacal ^(R) , Purafect ^(R) , BPN ', Protease A and Protease B, and mixtures thereof. Preferred are bacterial serine protease enzymes derived from Bacillus subtilis and / or Bacillus licheniformis. Particularly preferred are Savinase ^(R) , Alcalse ^(R) , Protease A and Protease B.

The compositions of the invention typically also contain amylase or mixtures thereof. It is known to engineer enzymes to improve stability, for example stability to oxidation. See, for example, J. Biological Chem. June 1985, 260 (11), 6518-6521. Reference amylase is hereinafter referred to as amylase outside the amylase range of the invention and against which the stability of any amylase of the invention can be measured.

Thus, the present invention uses amylases with improved stability in detergent compositions, in particular improved oxidation stability. A suitable absolute stability reference point against which the amylases are used in the present invention and which represents a measurable improvement is the stability of Termamyl ^(R) , which has been commercially available since 1993 and available from Nova Nordisk A / S. This amylase Termamyl ^(R) is a reference amylase. Amylases within the spirit and scope of the present invention share the property of amylase with increased stability, characterized by a minimally measurable improvement in one or more of the following properties: oxidative stability, eg to hydrogen peroxide / tetraacetylethylenediamine in buffered solution at pH 9 to 10, thermal stability eg at conventional wash temperatures, such as 60 ° C, or alkaline stability, eg at a pH of from 8 to 11, all measured relative to the above.

said reference amylase. Preferred amylases of the invention may represent further improvements with respect to more problematic reference amylases, reference amylases are illustrated by any of the precursor amylases, of which the amylases of the invention are variants. These precursor amylases may themselves be natural or may be genetic engineering products. Stability can be measured using any of the technical tests in the art. See the references described in WO 94/02597 itself and in the documents cited therein, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Amylases with enhanced stability according to the invention can generally be obtained from Novo Nordisk A / S or from Genencor International.

Preferred amylases of the invention usually have the ability to be derived using site-directed mutagenesis from one or more Bacillus amylases, particularly Bacillus alpha-amylases, regardless of whether one, two or more amylase strains are immediate precursors.

As noted, amylases with enhanced oxidation stability are preferred for use herein. These amylases are illustrated, but are not limited to:

a) Amylase according to WO / 94/02597, Novo Nordisk A / S, published February 3, 1994, as further illustrated by a mutant substitution using alanine or threonine (preferably threonine) methionine residue located in position 197 Bacillus licheniformis alpha-amylase, known as Termamyl (R) or a homologous position variation similar to parental amylase, such as Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus stearothermophilus.

(b) Amylases with enhanced stability as described by Genencor International in Oxidatively Resistant alpha-Amylases, presented at 207. American Chemical Society National Meeting, 13-17 March 1994, C.

«· · ·

Mitchinson. It has been reported herein that bleaching agents in automatic wash detergents inactivate alpha-amylases, but that amylases with improved oxidation stability have been produced from Bacillus licheniformis NCIB8061 by Genencor. Methionine (Met) was identified as the most likely modified residue. Met was substituted simultaneously at positions 8, 15, 197, 256, 304, 366 and 438, resulting in specific mutants, of particular importance were M197L and M197T, with the M197T variant being the most stable variant expressed. Stability was measured in Cascade (R) and Sunlight (R). These enzymes are commercially available from Genencor under the tradename Plurafact Oxam ^(R) .

c) Particularly preferred according to the invention are amylase variants having further modification in the foregoing parent amylase available from Novo Nordisk A / S. These amylases do not yet have a trade name, but are those amylases referred to by the supplier as QL37 + M197T. These enzymes are commercially available under the tradename SP 703 from Novo.

Any other amylase with increased oxidation stability can be used, such as amylase, which is derived by site-directed mutagenesis from known chimeric, hybrid, or simply mutant parent forms of amylases available.

The soaking compositions of the invention may also contain a soil suspending agent or mixture thereof, typically in an amount of up to 20, preferably from 0.1 to 10, more preferably from 0.5 to 2% by weight. Suitable soil suspending agents include ethoxylated diamines, ethoxylated polyamines, ethoxylated amine polymers as described in European Patent Application A112 593, which is incorporated herein by reference. Preferred soil-suspending agents used in the present invention include ethoxylated polyethylene amine having a molecular weight of from 140 to 310 prior to ethoxylation, 15-18 times ethoxylated tetraethylenepentamine, 15-18 times ethoxylated polyethylene amine, 15-18 times ethoxylated ethylenediamine, ethoxy.

Polyethyleneimine having a molecular weight of from 600 to 1800 before ethoxylation and mixtures thereof.

The soaking compositions of the present invention may further comprise other optional ingredients such as optical brighteners, other enzymes, other chelating agents, dispersing agents, soil release agents, photoactivated bleaching agents such as zinc phthalocyanine sulfonate, dyes, dye transfer inhibitors, pigments, perfumes etc. Said optional ingredients may be added in varying amounts as desired.

B - Method: The present invention includes a method of soaking fabrics. The present invention encompasses a method of soaking fabrics, wherein said fabrics are immersed in a soaking liquid comprising water and an effective amount of a composition as described above for an effective period of time and then removed from said soaking liquid.

The term "wetting process" as used herein refers to wetting the agents in a soaking liquid containing water and a composition as described herein for a period of time sufficient to purify said materials. In contrast to a typical washing process using a washing machine, the soaking process of the invention allows an extended contact time between the fabrics and the soaking liquid, typically up to 24 hours. The soaking process can be carried out independently of any other process, such as a typical washing process, or as a first step before a second, typically washing step. According to a preferred soaking process according to the invention, the substances are allowed to soak for a period of from 10 minutes to 24 hours, preferably from 30 minutes to 24 hours, more preferably from 1 hour to 24 hours, even more preferably from 2 to 24 hours and most preferably from 4 to 24 hours. 24 hours. After the substances have been immersed in the soaking liquid for a sufficient period of time, they are removed from the soaking liquid and rinsed with water. These substances can then be washed by a normal washing process after they have been soaked, with or without rinsing, between the soaking process and the subsequent washing process.

When soaking according to the invention, the soaking composition described above is diluted with an appropriate amount of water to obtain a soaking liquid. Suitable dosages may range from 45 to 50 grams of soaking composition in 3.5 to 5 liters of water, and from 90 to 100 grams of soaking composition in 20 to 45 liters of water. A typical single dose for concentrated soaking (in a bucket) is 45 to 50 grams per 3.5 to 5 liters. For washing in an automatic washing machine, a dose of 90 to 100 grams in 20 (Europe) to 45 (US) liters of water is used. The substances to be soaked are then immersed in the soaking liquid for an appropriate period of time. There are factors that can affect the overall performance of this process for loose dirt / soil. These factors include extended soaking time. The longer the substances are soaked, the better the results are obtained. An ideal soaking time is overnight soaking, i.e. 8 hours to 24 hours, preferably 12 hours to 24 hours. Another factor is the initial temperature, warm or lukewarm. The higher the temperatures of the dipping liquids are used, the better the results are obtained.

The method of the invention is suitable for cleaning various fabrics, but the preferred use is to soak socks that are particularly exposed to mud and clay.

In its broadest aspect, the present invention relates to a method of soaking fabrics, wherein the substances are immersed in a soaking liquid comprising water and an effective amount of a composition comprising an oxygen bleach and an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of formula RO- (A) _n H wherein R is substituted. or an unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon chain of 6 to 40 carbon atoms, A represents an alkoxy group of 2 to 10 carbon atoms and n is a number of from 9 to 100, for more than 1 hour, preferably 2 to 24 hours, more preferably 4 to 24 hours, after which it is removed from the soaking liquid. It has been found that when this highly alkoxylated nonionic surfactant is added in a soaking composition containing an oxygen bleaching agent, improved loose soil removal as well as improved enzymatic stain removal is achieved.

• ·

Method for testing stain removal performance: The stain removal of a composition on a soiled fabric under soaking conditions can be evaluated by the following testing method. The soaking liquids are prepared by diluting, for example, 45 g of soaking agents in 3.78 liters of water or 90 g of soaking agents in 45 liters of water. Substances are then immersed in the resulting soaking liquid for a time ranging from more than one hour to 18 hours. Finally, the fabrics are removed from the soaking liquids, rinsed in water and washed by a conventional washing method, manually or in an automatic washing machine, with a conventional detergent with or without re-use of the dipping liquid, and the fabrics are allowed to dry.

For example, typical soiled substances used in this stain removal test are commercially available from EMC (Empirical Manufacturing Company), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, such as clay, grass, spaghetti sauce, meat sauce, dirty motor oil, make -up, baked juice, tea and blood on two different substrates: cotton (CW120) and polycotton (PCW28).

The stain removal can be evaluated by comparing the soiled substances treated with the soaking composition of the invention side-by-side with the same substances treated with the control compositions, eg the same soaking composition without the highly alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of the present invention. A visual rating scale ranging from 1 to 4 may be used to determine differences in panel rating units (psu).

The following examples will further illustrate the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following compositions are prepared by mixing the ingredients in the proportions indicated.

folders 1 2 (weight percent) 3 Sorbitan monostearate (SMS) 0.5 0.5 0.5 citric acid 11 11 8 NOBS 6 6 6 polyacrylate (Acusol 445 ND) 11 11 11 sodium percarbonate 31 31 31 ethoxylated (EO 25) alcohol 2 - - C 14 -C 16 carbon atoms ethoxylated (EO 11) alcohol - 2 - C 12-C. 16 ethoxylated (EO 50) alcohol - - 2 C 12-C. 16 Anionic No (LAS / AS / AES) 8 8 8 DTPA 0.2 0.2 0.2 TAED minor and inert components 5 5 add to 100 5

folders 4 5 (weight percent) 6 Sorbitan monostearate (SMS) sorbitan monostearate EO 20 2.5 0 0 (SMS EO 20) sorbitan tristearate EO 20 0 3.0 0 STS EO 20 0.5 0 3.0 citric acid 10 10 10 polyacrylate (Acusol 445 ND) 11 11 11 silicate (amorphous, 1.6r) 0.4 0.4 0.4 sodium percarbonate 31 31 31 NOBS 6 6 6 TAED 5 5 5 Anionic No (LAS / AS / AES) 7 7 7 (EO 25) alcohol with 14-16 carbon atoms other inert and minor components 2 2 add to 100 2

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

folders 7 8 9 (weight percent) Sorbitan monostearate (SMS) - - 0.5 citric acid 10 10 10 polyacrylate (Acusol 445 ND) 11 11 11 silicate (amorphous, 1.6r) 0.4 0.4 0.4 (EO 11) alcohol with 12 to 16 - 2 - carbon atoms (EO 25) alcohol with 14-16 2 - 2 carbon atoms NaPS 2 2 - sodium percarbonate 31 31 31 sodium sulfate 24 24 24 NOBS 6 0 6 TAED 5 11 5 Anionic No (LAS / AS / AES) 8 8 8 other inert and minor components add to 100

TAED stands for tetraacetylethylene.

NOBS means nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate.

NaPS means sodium paraffin sulfonate.

DTPA means diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid.

The soaking liquids were prepared by diluting 45 g of the above compositions in 3.5 to 5.0 liters of water each. 0.5 to 2.0 kg of substances were always immersed in the soaking liquid. The soaking times for soaking solutions containing any of the aforementioned soaking compositions 1 to 6 or 9 are typically in the range of 10 minutes to 24 hours.

• fc ··· ·· 9 99 99

9 9 9 9 9 9

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

9 9 9 9 9

999 99 99 99 99

In the soaking liquid comprising the soaking means 7 or 8 described above, the soaking time according to the soaking method of the present invention is greater than 1 hour and preferably 4 to 24 hours.

Finally, the fabrics were removed from the soaking liquids, rinsed with water and washed by a conventional washing method, manually or in an automatic washing machine, with a conventional detergent, with or without re-use of the dipping liquid, and the fabrics were allowed to dry. With these compositions, excellent stain removal performance is achieved with various stain types including mud / clay stains, enzymatic stains and / or bleachable stains and the like.

Claims (13)

PATENT CLAIMS 1. A granular soaking composition comprising: from 0.001 to 15 wt. by weight of the total sorbitan ester C ₆ H ₉ O 2 (C ₂ H ₄ O) x R ₁ R ₂ R 3, wherein x is an integer from 0 to 40, R 1 and R ₂ independently represent OH or (C _n H 2 _n + 1) COO and R ₃ denote (C _n H _{2n +} i) COO, wherein n is from 11 to 17, from 0.001 to 20 wt. by weight of the total composition of an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of the formula RO- (A) _n H, wherein R is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon chain of 6 to 40 carbon atoms, A is an alkoxy group of 2 to 10 and carbon atoms are from 9 to 100, and an oxygen bleaching agent. 2. A granular wetting composition according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises from 0.01 to 10, preferably from 0.1 to 5, more preferably from 0.5 to 4% by weight. by weight of the whole sorbitan ester preparation or mixture thereof. Granular dipping composition according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sorbitan ester used is polyethoxylated (20) sorbitan tristearate, polyethoxylated (20) sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monopalmitate or mixtures thereof. 4. A granular wetting composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3 comprising a non-ethoxylated sorbitan ester and an ethoxylated sorbitan ester. Flf 7777 ~ sJt / yy s »• f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f ** 5. A granular soaking composition according to any one of the preceding claims comprising from 0.01 to 15, preferably from 0.1 to 10, more preferably from 0.5 to 5% by weight. an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant or mixture thereof. A granular wetting composition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of the general formula RO- (A) _n HR is a substituted or unsubstituted, saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched alkyl group of 6 to 40 , preferably 8 to 25, more preferably 10 to 20 carbon atoms, n is from 9 to 100, more preferably 10 to 80, and most preferably 10 to 30, and A is C 2 -C 8 alkoxy and preferably is propoxy and and / or ethoxy. 7. A granular wetting composition according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises from 0.01 to 80, preferably from 5 to 45, more preferably from 10 to 40% by weight. by weight of the total oxygen bleaching agent composition or mixtures thereof. 8. A granular wetting composition according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the oxygen bleaching agent is an alkali metal percarbonate salt. A granular soaking composition according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a bleach activator in an amount of up to 30% by weight. of the total weight of the composition. 10. The granular wetting composition of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising at least one optional component selected from the group consisting of acidifying agents, alkali metal silicates, builders, suspending agents. 9 · 99 99 · 9 999 9 J-sy ss 9 9 99 99 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 99 9 9 9 9 9 9 • • 9 9 9 9 9 99 99 Dirt, fillers, other surfactants, optical brighteners, enzymes, chelating agents, dispersants, soil release agents, dyes, dye transfer inhibitors, pigments, perfumes and mixtures thereof. A method of soaking a fabric, comprising dipping said fabric into a soaking liquid containing water and an effective amount of a composition according to any preceding claim for an effective period of time, and then removing said soaking liquid. A method of soaking substances according to claim 11, wherein the soaking time is from 10 minutes to 24 hours, preferably from 30 minutes to 24 hours, more preferably from more than 1 to 24 hours and most preferably from 4 to 24 hours. 13. A method of soaking a substance comprising dipping a substance in a soaking liquid containing water and an effective amount of a composition comprising an oxygen bleach and an alkoxylated nonionic surfactant of the formula RO- (A) _n H wherein R is substituted or unsubstituted. , a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbon chain of 6 to 40 carbon atoms, A is an alkoxy group of 2 to 10 carbon atoms and n is a number from 9 to 100, for more than 1 hour, preferably 2 to 24 hours, more preferably 4 up to 24 hours and then removed from the soaking liquid.