MXPA03001747A - Laundry bar comprising polymeric colorants. - Google Patents

Abstract

Colored detergent bars are provided comprising water soluble polymeric colorants that exhibit excellent non-staining performance on fabrics and other contacted surfaces, including manufacturing and/or washing equipment, are easy to process into the desired detergent bar compositions, and do not exhibit any appreciable harmful effects to the environment. The particular polymeric colorants utilized in this respect are of very high molecular weight (in order to assure staining will not occur on target cleaning surfaces), are extremely water soluble, provide excellent vivid and aesthetically pleasing color shades within the target bar compositions, and are present as liquid or waxy pastes at room and at processing temperatures. The ultimate laundry bar product thus exhibits highly pleasing colors for product distinction as well as for aesthetic purposes.

Description

WASH BAR COMPRISING POLYMERIC COLORANTS Field of the Invention This invention relates to colored detergent bars comprising water soluble polymer dyes that exhibit excellent performance without staining on fabrics and other contacted surfaces, including manufacturing and / or washing equipment, are easy of processing in the desired detergent bar compositions and do not exhibit any appreciable harmful effects to the environment. The particular polymeric colorants used in this aspect are of very high molecular weight (to ensure that staining does not occur on the target cleaning surfaces), they are extremely soluble in water, they provide excellent color dyes that are vivid and aesthetically pleasing within the Target bar compositions and are presented as waxy or liquid pastes at ambient and processing temperatures. The final product of washing bar, in this way exhibits highly pleasing colors for product distinction as well as for aesthetic purposes. Background of the Prior Art All US patents listed below, are fully incorporated here by reference.

In most of the world, automatic washing machines do not predominate. In order to regularly clean clothes, many people wash their clothes by hand. Although detergents and / or soaps in powders and liquids can be used in these hand washing processes, the standard cleaning compositions used for this purpose are in the form of a stick. Wash bars provide users with the ability to scrub or rub more effectively cleaning their targeted garments by allowing the wearer to concentrate friction and detergent simul- taneously on a stained or soiled article of clothing. As such, the wash bars are more suitable for hand washing procedures particularly in comparison with powders and liquids, for obvious reasons. Examples of these wash bars are present in the following U.S. Patents. No. 4,543,204 issued to Gervasio, No. 4,721,581 issued to Ramachandran et al., No. 5,041,243 issued to Joshi, No. 5,043,091 issued to Joshi et al., No. 5,053,159 issued to Joshi, and No. 5,069,825 issued to Joshi. These wash bars differ from personal cleaning and / or household soap bars, in that the amount of detergent and / or soap there concentrated is much greater than for household soaps, etc., alone. In this way, a continuous application of these high level wash bars of soap and / or detergent to human skin will most likely cause skin irritation. As with most household products, it is highly convenient to provide wash bars that can be easily identified (both from the production source perspective and detergent concentration) and exhibit aesthetically pleasing appearances. One way to provide these properties is to add color to the final product. colored or colored wash bars have been produced, sold and used in the past however, these bars have included, primarily pigments as coloring agents. Pigments and dyes contribute a number of problems for these washing bars from processing difficulties to staining possibilities during use.

For example, milling and extrusion processes are generally followed to produce these wash bars. The presence of pigments and / or dyes within this machinery causes mechanical problems (due to higher viscosities, solid particles and / or high staining compounds) that can be compensated in various ways. Pigments are generally provided in solid, small particles, which are difficult to handle and which can provide handling problems during production. Also, after the production of certain batches of specific color wash bars, the machinery must be thoroughly cleaned to remove pigments and / or high stain dyes (which may create discolored or speckled bars if they remain present during extrusion and / or grinding of a subsequent batch). The pigments are not easily washed by entrainment in general, and thus the cleaning steps may require the use of organic solvent compositions which have their own difficulties and potential problems. Colorants in general require pre-mix production that contribute to the complexity of the production of wash bars. In addition, the colorations that are provided by the pigments, are difficult to control from batch to batch (and in this way uniform colorations are rather difficult to produce on an industrial scale). The dyes in general are ionic in nature and thus are not readily compatible with other constituents of wash bars (such as surfactants, perfumes, preservatives and the like). Pigments, dyes and dyes also include heavy metal components, which sometimes provides environmental and health aspects. Additionally, the appearance of color in general that is provided by the pigments is opaque due to the adsorption and scattering of light by the solid constituent particles. By using these wash bars containing pigments and / or dyes, the coloring agents have been found to cause staining of the user's skin as well as the washboard and the objective garments themselves. In addition, most of the pigments include metals or other components that by introducing into the waste water by a washing process, have been known to cause environmental problems. In this way, it is important to provide a way to color wash bars that is easy to incorporate into standard milling and extrusion processes, facilitate the cleaning of this necessary machinery, fabrics, human skin and other washing equipment, and be environmentally friendly.

To date, no improvement in the wash bar industry has been granted by the prior art. Objectives and Brief Description of the Invention An object of the present invention is to provide color washing bars that do not exhibit substantially staining on the objective fabrics, the user's skin and the manufacturing equipment employed to produce these wash bars. A further objective of the present invention is to provide dyes that do not have heavy metals and have no dye powder involved in the manufacturing process and thus are relatively easy to use and produce. A still further objective of this invention is to provide a colored wash bar that exhibits the above characteristics and that also exhibits stable and aesthetically pleasing colorations through the bar even after repeated use within an aqueous environment. Accordingly, this invention encompasses a colored wash bar, comprising at least one component selected from the group consisting of a soap, a detergent, a surfactant, a surfactant and any mixtures thereof, preferably an amount of about 25 and 80% by weight of the total weight of the bar, more preferably between about 30 and 60%, and at least one dye present in an amount from about 0.001 to about 2.0% by weight of the total weight of the bar, wherein the dye is a polymeric water-soluble dye having from about 3 to 50 moles of oxyalkylene constituents per polymer chain. This specific colored wash bar composition has never been produced or illustrated within the relevant prior art. In fact, there has been a belief in the past that these high molecular weight polymer dyes could not function properly within the wash bar compositions due to the extremely high water solubility and liquid nature of the dyes themselves. Since the wash bars are used within processes that require a large amount of repeated contact with water, it is rather difficult to retain stable colorations through these wash bars, including these polymeric dyes extremely soluble in water. Thus, previous attempts to incorporate the desired high molecular weight polymer colorants into these solid wash rods, have not been successful or are not existing to date. Detailed description of the invention The particularly high molecular weights and degree of oxyalkylenation of the dyes in the wash bars of the invention are necessary to provide the desired low staining capacity. Polymeric dyes in general are prone to coloring any surface to which they are contacted, adhered or incorporated. The polymeric dyes currently discussed were developed to provide temporary, readily removable but highly effective colorations to certain substrates, including fabrics, threads or filaments, liquids and the like. These high molecular weight dyes do not readily react with substrates and are extremely soluble in water. In this way, the dyes are, as noted above, easily removable from certain substrates through a simple aqueous rinse procedure. The same is true for human skin, metal surfaces, plastics, concrete and other common substrates. As a result, these dyes do not exhibit any appreciable staining of target substrates that are cleaned through the use of the wash bars of the invention. The problem with using these dyes as now illustrated is that water solubility is difficult to control, particularly when the final wash bar composition comprises components of which a vast majority is water (eg, soaps and detergents comprising or extracting easily water from the atmosphere) and the bar in general is in constant contact with water during use. Nevertheless, it has been shown that the dyes remain fairly stable in dispersed compositions through the soap and / or detergent formulation of the wash bar itself and thus exhibit no appreciable loss or alteration in concentration or color dye. The particularly preferred dyes defined above are produced by Milliken &; Company and have been used only in the past in liquid compositions such as liquid detergents, liquid fabric softeners, liquid antifreezes and the like. Again, the high molecular weight and extremely high water solubility of these dyes, are much more suitable for these liquid applications due to the ability to provide a uniform and stable color throughout the objective composition and yet do not exhibit any undesired discoloration. to substrates objective before use. These dyes have not been used as colorants within solid compositions to any appreciable extent as noted above. In particular, these dyes provide the wash bar composition of the invention, with improved stain resistance of fabrics or fabrics including one or more of cotton, wool, acetate, polyester, polyamide, acrylics and viscose, such that all or Virtually all dyes are not left in the fabric by normal hand washing procedures. Furthermore, these dyes exhibit superior brilliance, are less toxic to humans due to the relatively high molecular weight of the dyes and the lack of heavy metals in comparison with dyes and / or pigments. Additionally, these dyes are present as waxy pastes or low viscosity liquids (at room temperature, at least) and thus are much easier to handle than solids and dyes and pigments. The particularly preferred dyes of this invention comply with the following structure (I) (I) R { A [(B) n], "} x where R is an organic chromophore; A is a linking portion in the chromophore selected from the group consisting of N, O, S, SO? , S03N, Y C02; B is an alkyleneoxy constituent containing from 2 to 4 carbon atoms; n is an integer from 12 to about 50; m is from 1 to 4; and x is an integer from 1 to about 5. These dyes are highly soluble in water due to the high degree of alkoxylation (between 3 and 50 moles per polymer chain). These oxyalkylene groups include ethyleneoxy (EO), propyleneoxy (PO), butyleneoxy (BO), and so on.

Furthermore, these dyes are, when present in their undiluted substantially pure states, generally liquid or waxy at room temperature. The organic chromophore is more specifically one or more of the following types of compounds: azo, diazo, disazo, trisazo, diphenylmethane, triphenylmethane, xanthene, nitro, nitroso, acridine, methine, styryl, indamin, thiazole (including benzothiazole), oxazine, stilbene, phthalocyanine, or anthraquinone. Preferably, R is one or more of azo, diazo, (including without limitation, chromophores based on -phenyl, -naphthol, -benzothiazole and acid) triphenylmethane, methine, anthraquinone or thiazole-based compounds. This group can produce coloring effects that are obvious to the eye; however, optical brighteners are also contemplated in this aspect. Group A is present in group R and is used to connect the polyoxyalkylene constituent to the organic chromophore. Nitrogen is the preferred binding portion. The polyoxyalkylene group in general is an ethylene oxide, propylene oxide or combinations thereof. Preferably, ethylene oxide is present in the main amount and more preferably all the polyoxyalkylene constituent is ethylene oxide. The preferred number of moles (n) of the polyoxyalkylene constituent per polyoxyalkylene chain is from 3 to 50, more preferably from 20 to 30. Also preferably two of these polymer chains are present in each polymeric dye compound (x, above is preferably 2). ). At present, the number of moles (n) per polymer chain is an average of the total number present since it is very difficult to control the addition of specific numbers of moles of alkylenoxy groups. The following Table lists some particularly preferred colorants for use within the wash rods of the invention in relation to structure (I), above and is not intended to limit the types of colorants available within the wash bar formulations of the invention. . The degree of alkoxylation is listed as ranges (under n) due to the inaccuracy of applying and measuring such portions within the final dye products: TABLE 1 Preferred Poli (oxia.lquilena.dos) dyes Col. # R A B n m x 1 Phenyl Diazo S03N EO 3-6 3 2 2 Anthraquinone N 1-3 PO; 2-5 EO 3-5 2 2 3 Benzothiazole Diazo N EO 16-20 2 1 4 Metin N EO (with methoxy end termination) 16-20 2 1 Phenyl Diazo N EO 16-20 2 1 6 Diazo N EO Acid 16-20 2 1 The term "wash bar" is intended to encompass a solid composition (of any shape or configuration, but preferably of a three-dimensional rectangle). at least one soap, detergent, surfactant, and / or surfactant (as well as other components such as adjuvants or additives, optical brighteners, fillers and the like) which is used primarily for the purpose of hand cleaning and / or hand washing with detergent . These bars must be very firm to withstand the frictional pressures that are applied to the target tissues during cleaning (vigorous rubbing on the target garment, for example) in order to retain their structural integrity during use. Also, the bar should not be too firm to excessively wear the bar or the objective garment. The patents of the U.S.A. above-referenced provide more information as to the particular washing bars discussed here and thus covered by the above definition. Specifically, these wash bars should comprise from about 25 to 80% by weight, more preferably from about 30 to about 60% by weight (from about 15 to 40 parts) of active cleaning ingredient (ie soap, detergent, surfactant). , surfactant or any mixtures thereof). These quantities are extremely high compared to standard personal cleaning bars; the use of these high quantities for body washing and / or standard hands would be harmful to the user since these compounds cause skin irritation. Apart from the aforementioned dyes, the wash bar formulation can also comprise any of the following components (in% by weight of the total composition): 30-40% of adjuvants (such as for example sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium silicate and the like), 40- 50 percent fillers and binders (such as for example calcium carbonate, clays such as bentonite, sodium sulfate, starch, magnesium sulphonate, talc and the like) and 1-10 percent other additives (such as glycerin, wax of paraffin, foam reinforcements, perfumes, enzymes, dye inhibitors and antibacterial agents). In addition, the amount of free water within the composition produced initially, preferably will not exceed about 15%. Any higher amounts will result in a too soft bar for proper use as a wash bar. Suitable soaps in this invention include any of the well-known salts of fatty acids that are produced by combining a hydroxide cation (as an example) with a fatty acid. These fatty acids in general have from 8 to about 24 carbon atoms of chain length, either straight or branched, preferably from about 10 to about 20 carbon atoms in length. Preferred cations within these salts include without limitation, metals, such as potassium and sodium, and other components such as ammonium and alkylammonium cations. The fatty acids are preferably obtained from natural resources such as esters of animals or plants, including without limitation palm oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, corn oil, soybean oil, palm kernel oil or palm kernel oil. of fish, lard, fat, tallow, castor oil and the like. These ingredients within the wash bars of the invention are basically the same as those listed in US Pat. No. 5,952,289 issued to Wise et al. Detergents, surfactants and surfactants are also standard constituents of the fabric cleaning technique. These can be derived from non-ionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants and zwitterionic surfactants. Any alkyl or alkenyl groups listed below, are 1 to 12 carbon atoms in length, unless otherwise noted. Nonionic surfactants include fatty alcohols and ethoxylated or propoxylated acids, ethoxylated or propoxylated alkyl phenols, fatty acid amides, such as diethanolamides, amine oxides, phosphine oxide, polyglucosides, sulfoxides, polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymers, and glycols of silicon.

Anionic surfactants include linear or branched alkylbenzene, toluene, xylene, or naphthalene sulfonates, alkyl sulfonates and sulfates, fatty ether sulfates, ammonium ethoxysulfate; sodium ethoxysulfate, phosphate esters, alkyl and alkylenyl carboxylic esters and fatty acids (and their salts), ethoxylated alcohol sulphates, alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates, esters of sulfonated fatty acids, 2-acyloxyalkane-1-sulfonates, olefin sulphonates and paraffin and ß-alkoxyalkane sulfonates. Possible cationic surfactants include quaternary ammonium salts, amines and amine oxides. Convenient amphoteric include 8-carbon amphocarboxylates, cocoanfocarboxiglicinates, and heterocyclic aliphatic secondary and tertiary amine derivatives. Suitable zwitterionics include betaines, such as cocoamidopropyl betaine, quaternary ammonium derivatives, phosphonium and sulfonium compounds. Other possible components within these detergent compositions include adjuvants / softeners, solvents, hydrotropes, pH adjusters, bleaches, bleach activators, optical brighteners, abrasives, foam reinforcements, foam depressants. Agents for soil release / suspension, anti-redeposition agents, enzymes, enzyme stabilizers, chlorine scrubbers, perfumes, anti-corrosion agents, fungicides, germicides, fillers (such as smectite clays and the like) and other colorants (such as colorants) reagents, acids, solvents and similar). These compounds are well known within the detergent art. It is also contemplated and is of particular importance within this invention the process for manufacturing these detergent washing bars. It has been determined that the initial wash bar components are generally in powder form. These components in this way must be pre-mixed in conjunction with other liquid components, including perfumes, polymeric dyes and water, added later. After mixing the subsequent formulation, it is then amalgamated, milled, extruded and / or painstakingly processed under vacuum to form a solid composition, which is then cut to the desired shape. Since polymeric dyes are in liquid form, they are more versatile and easier to use within the washing bar manufacturing processes. Using standard bar production equipment, and well-known methods for producing the wash bar product, polymer dyes can always be added in the last stage of the mixing process, which is much more convenient and less complex from a manufacturing perspective. The particularly preferred process comprises the following steps: (a) mix the soap, detergent, surfactant and / or surfactants with any other components, except dyes; (b) adding the desired polymeric dyes to the mixture of step "a"; (c) optionally grinding the mixture of step "b" to produce flakes of ground product; (d) extruding the product of step "b" or step "c", to produce the elongated solid product; and (e) cutting and shaping the product of step "d" to form the desired wash bar. This simplified method of producing a current colored wash bar is highly convenient from a complexity point of view and allows a reduction in cost for the producer and finally for the user. Preferred Modalities of the Invention As mentioned above, the wash bar compositions of the present invention are characterized by significantly reducing tissue staining. Tissue spotting can be determined by measuring the value ?? eme of the residual dye stain on a target substrate. This value ?? eme is directly related to tissue staining after washing.

The numerical value of ?? eme as determined in this invention, may vary from 0 to 5; preferably from 0 to about 1. As an example, the cotton-based toweling stain having a very rough surface can be measured by qualifying the residual stain visually. The numerical value for cotton-based toweling on a scale of zero to 10, as determined in this invention, may vary from 0 to 2.; preferably from 0 to about 1. The following examples serve to illustrate the subject matter of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. All parts and percentages that are established are by weight unless otherwise indicated. All of the following preferred embodiments comprise the following wash bar base material components, in the amounts listed in parts: COMPOSITION OF BASE MATERIAL Component Quantity in Parts Alkyl benzene sulfonate with - 9 to 18 carbon atoms 19 Soap (sodium salt of fatty acid with 12-18 carbon atoms) 10 Sodium tripolyphosphate 14 Sodium carbonate 22 Sodium silicate 7 Starch 10 Component Quantity in Parts Magnesium Sulfate 4 Water 14 Ex ampio 1 g of a 20% / 80% blend of Dyes # 1 and # 2 of TABLE 1, above, are added to 10 kg of colorless wash bar base material, in a ribbon mix, and mixed by a short time to properly disperse them in the mixture, to produce a uniform green colored material (the concentration of the base material colorant was approximately 0.2%). The mixture is fed through roller mills to provide more intimate mixing. The roller mills used for this purpose are those typical of the soap milling process. The ground product is then extruded by the Sunlab International processing apparatus to form a homogeneous bar. Examples 2-4 The following polymer dyes or their mixtures (at the concentration of groups 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3%, respectively) were mixed with the base material of the colorless washing bar, using standard bar production equipment, as mentioned in Example 1 TABLE 2 In example # Type of Conc. Coloring Color (s) Coloring 2 50% / 50% mixture of 0.05% Purple Colorings # 2 and # 3 3 Coloring # 2 0.05% Blue 4 Coloring # 2 0.1% A z u l dark Commercially available comparative wash bars were tested for stability and staining as discussed below. Measurement of Stain for Examples and Comparisons Wide poplin 100% combed cotton 2.94 (from TestFabrics, Incorporated) with the dimensions of 10 cm by cm, prewashed, dried and ironed based on the protocol of the process described in Test Method ASTM D 4265.

A 100% cotton-based towel cloth (from Test Fabrics, Incorporated) with the dimensions of 10 cm by 4 cm, was also prepared by the same protocol for further testing. The pieces of sample fabric were pre-immersed individually in water for 5 minutes, to completely wet the tissue. The tissue was removed from the water and rubbed with the wash bar sample until it was completely covered with soap on both sides. These samples were kept at room temperature in closed plastic bags for 24 hours before they were washed and rinsed with water until the rinse water did not show visible color. Finally, the test cloth sample was dried at room temperature. The above procedure can also be repeated for multi-cycle wash tests, if desired. Cotton-based towel cloth samples were placed side-by-side for comparisons. The wide poplin fabric was smoothed with a steam iron to make more measurements. After the washing procedures were completed, the samples were analyzed by residual staining using CIELAB coordinates measured by a colorlab uitrascanMR XE from Hunterlab. The color computer was adjusted to the following parameters: 1. observer at 10 degrees 2. illuminant or light source D65 3. Observation aperture with diameter of 1.27 cm (½ inch) 4. UV filter The instrument was then calibrated at zero reflectance with a black mosaic and 100% reflective with a white mosaic. Both the control (white cloth) and the stained test samples are evaluated according to the following procedure. Each fabric test sample was folded lengthwise and widthwise to present a four-fold thickness of fabric to be inserted into the light source of the instrument. A white mosaic was then placed on the fabric sample and the CIELAB data are obtained from the color computer. Data ?? eme were used as an indication for any residual staining of the test and comparison fabric. The residual staining on the sample fabric was then scored on a scale of 0 to 10. The following lines are used to give a numerical value to the staining in cotton-based towel fabrics: 0 No apparent stain on the fabric 1 Light apparent stain, approximately 10% intensity of the original 2 Light apparent stain, approximately 20% of original intensity 3 Moderate stain, approximately 30% intensity of the original 4 Moderate stain, approximately 40% intensity of the original 5 Moderate stain, approximately 50% intensity of the original g Severe stain, approximately 60% of original intensity 7 Severe stain, approximately 70% intensity of the original 8 Severe stain, approximately 80% original intensity 9 Severe stain, approximately 90% original intensity 10 Stays 100% of the original stain The comparative samples tested in this experiment were the following with the current color and font listed ( all were colored wash bars with pigment or dye base or colorant): Comparative A - Trojan ™ (Colgate-Palmolive Green) Comparative B - Dobi ™ (Lion's Purple) Comparative C - Trojan ™ (Colgate-Palmolive Blue) Comparative D - FabMR Total (Dark Blue of Colgate-Palmolive) The results of the following Experimental Table illustrate the typical washing capacity (in cotton). n 100%) of the samples of commercial washing bar above compared with those of samples with similar color intensity and dye, prepared using polymeric colorants (Examples 1-4, above).

Experimental Table 1 Stain data for both commercial wash bar and the samples of the polymeric dyes in cloth of % cotton The results clearly demonstrate the superior properties of the wash bars of the invention, compared to commercially available types comprising dyes, pigments or mixtures thereof. The results of Experimental Table 2 illustrate the cotton-based toweling washing performance test results.

Experimental Table 2 Spot data for both commercial wash bars as the samples of polymeric dyes in fabric of cotton-based towel The polymeric dyes illustrated in the two above tables clearly provide superior staining properties against the commercial wash bars shown in the above tables. In general, the staining of the fabric (both 100% cotton and cotton-based toweling) was as much as 3-4 times better for the polymeric dyes of the above tables. While specific features of the invention have been described, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to any particular configuration or practice, since modification and other embodiments of the principles of the invention may well be made without a doubt will occur to those of the invention. with dexterity in the specialty to which the invention relates. Therefore, it is contemplated by the appended claims to cover any of these modifications incorporating the features of the invention within the meaning, spirit and actual scope of these claims.

Claims (19)

1. CLAIMS 1. A wash bar characterized in that it comprises at least one cleaning compound selected from the group consisting of a soap, a detergent, a surfactant and any mixtures thereof and from about 0.001 to about 2.0% by weight of a total weight of the bar of at least one polymeric dye having from about 3 to 50 moles of oxyalkylene monomers per polyoxyalkylene-containing chain, and wherein the polymer dye is at least as soluble in water.
2. 2. The wash bar according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning compound is at least present in an amount from about 25 to about 80% by weight of the total weight of the bar.
3. 3. The wash bar according to claim 2, characterized in that the cleaning compound is at least present in an amount from about 30 to about 60% by weight of the total weight of the bar.
4. 4. The wash bar according to claim 1, characterized in that the amount of water present in the bar is at most 15%.
5. 5. The wash bar according to claim 2, characterized in that the amount of water present in the bar is at most 15%.
6. 6. The wash bar according to claim 3, characterized in that the amount of water present in the bar is at most 15%.
7. The wash bar according to claim 1, characterized in that the polymer dye at least exists as a liquid or waxy paste in its pure state, undiluted at room temperature.
8. 8. The wash bar according to claim 2, characterized in that the polymer dye at least exists as a liquid or waxy paste in its pure state, undiluted at room temperature.
9. 9. The wash bar according to claim 3, characterized in that the polymer dye at least exists as a liquid or a waxy paste in its pure state, undiluted at room temperature.
10. The wash bar according to claim 5, characterized in that the polymer dye at least exists as a liquid or a waxy paste in its pure, undiluted state, at room temperature.
11. A method for producing a colored wash bar, characterized in that it comprises the sequential steps of: (a) mixing a base material composition comprising at least one cleaning component selected from the group consisting of at least one soap, at least a detergent, at least one surfactant and any mixtures thereof, wherein the base material composition does not comprise colorants; (b) adding at least one polymeric dye to the mixture of step "a"; wherein at least one polymeric dye has from about 3 to 50 moles of oxyalkylene monomers per polymer chain and is soluble in water; (c) optionally grinding the mixture of step "b" to produce flakes of the ground product; (d) extruding the product from step "b" or step "c" to produce an elongated solid product; and (e) cutting and shaping the product of step "d" to form the desired wash bar.
12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the cleaning component at least is present in an amount between about 25 and 80% by weight of the total weight of the bar of the "e" stage.
13. 13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the component as a minimum is present in an amount between about 30 and 60% by weight of the total weight of the bar of the stage "e".
14. 14. The wash bar according to claim 11, characterized in that the amount of water present in the bar of stage "e" is at most 15%.
15. 15. The wash bar according to claim 12, characterized in that the amount of water present in the bar is at most 15%.
16. 16. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the polymeric dye at least exists as a liquid or a waxy paste in its pure, undiluted state, at room temperature.
17. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the polymeric dye at least exists as a liquid or waxy paste in its pure, undiluted state, at room temperature.
18. 18. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the polymeric dye at least exists as a liquid or waxy paste in its pure state, undiluted at room temperature.
19. 19. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that the polymer dye at least exists as a liquid or waxy paste in its pure state, undiluted at room temperature.