US2930760A - Laundering compositions - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent LAUNDERING COMPOSITIONS Edmund Frederick Gebhardt, Glendale, Ohio, assignor to The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio No Drawing. Application October 1,1956 Serial No. 612,954

Claims. (Cl. 252--110) This invention relates to improved laundering compositions which maintain the initial whiteness of fabrics and which increase the apparent whiteness of fabrics which have acquired undesirable color characteristics as a result of repeated laundering.

It is a well known fact that white fabrics often tend to acquire a yellow or oif-white cast, especially after repeated launderings. Two principal methods have been employed for preventing such discoloration and imparting an apparent whiteness to such discolored fabrics. The first of these methods involves the use of bluing agents which are substantive to the fabrics to be laundered and which through actual blue coloring, complementing the yellow color, cause an apparent whitening of these fabrics, thereby rendering these fabrics more pleasing to the eye. The second of these methods involves the use of so-called fluorescent brightening agents, i.e. optical bleaching agents, which are substantive to the fabrics and which, through emission of light of predetermined wave length cause the fabrics to acquire an apparent whiteness.

Types of bluing agents in common use are, for example: iron base bluing agents, examples of which are Turnbulls Blue and Prussian Blue and pigment bluing agents such as Ultramarine. These bluing agents are generally applied to fabrics in the form of a water rinse after the fabrics have been laundered. It is, of course, desirable to effect bluing by incorporating these bluing agents directly into the laundering compositions, and there have been several attempts to do this. For several reasons, however, the addition of these bluing agents to a laundering composition has not been entirely satisfactory, when attempted.

As a constituent of laundering compositions, a bluing agent, at effective bluing levels, should not cause permanent staining of fabrics when the dry compositions come into contact with wet fabrics or, for example, when pastes or concentrated solutions of the compositions are brought into contact with fabrics for the purpose of removing localized heavy soil. The bluing agent should be compatible with the sound components of laundering compositions; and since laundering compositions are normally alkaline, it should be stable in the presence of alkali. If a liquid laundering composition is desired, the bluing agent should be soluble or easily dispersible in the liquid medium. The bluing agent should be relatively heat stable, to enable its incorporation during detergent manufacture and processing. The bluing agent, at effective bluing levels, should not impart undesirable color characteristics to the laundering composition itself.

No one of the commonly used bluing agents possesses all of the desirable qualities above mentioned.

The use of fluorescent brightening agents is the second of the major methods which has been employed to maintain initial fabric whiteness and impart an apparent whitening to fabrics which have been laundered repeatedly. However, certain of these brightening agents impart to the fabrics a faint residual color, usually pink Patented Mar. 29, 1960 or green. Although this residual color is considered to be much more desirable than a yellow or off-white cast, a significant proportion of the public have some objection to it. This objection is particularly evident when consumer panels are asked to express a preference as between fabrics displaying a blue-white cast and fabrics displaying such a residual color.

The laundering compositions of this invention provide effective and desirable bluing action without causing permanent staining when these laundering compositions come into direct contact with wetted fabrics or when pastes or concentrated solutions of the compositions come into direct contact with fabrics. In addition to possessing this highly desirable non-staining property in the laundering compositions of the present invention this bluing agent is compatible with the usual constituents of launder ing compositions, is stable in the presence of alkali, is sufficiently heat stable to enable its incorporation at elfective bluing levels during detergent manufacture, is soluble in water and detergent solutions, and does not contribute undesirable product color characteristics when present in laundering compositions at effective bluing levels. This bluing agent also improves the apparent whiteness of fabrics which have acquired the pink or green hue which often occurs when fabrics are laundered in the presence of fluorescent brightening agents.

A water-soluble alkali metal salt of the condensation product of 2 mols of 1-amino-4-bromo-2-anthroquinone sulfonic acid and 1 mol of pp-diaminodiphenyldimethylmethane, the sodium salt having the following structural formula,

II I I ll is employed as a bluing agent in the laundering compositions of this invention. The invention is based on the discovery that this particular dyestufi has the unique and unexpected property of coacting with detergent compositions of alkaline reaction in such a way that the intensity of the bluing action in any given washing on any given fabric is dependent upon the ratio of dyestuff to active detergent, and substantially independent of the concentration of dyestuff in the washing solution within a wide range of washing concentrations. So far as is known this property has never been attained before; nor is it known that this property can be attained with any other dyestuif. Because of this property the laundering compositions of this invention, containing bluing agent, are completely non-staining, as hereinafter more fully explained.

The above bluing agent is designated CI Acid Blue T/ 321 by the manufacturer, Geigy Dyestuffs, New York, N.Y., and is sold under the trade name Polar Brilliant Blue GAW 180%. Polar Brilliant Blue GAW 180% is stated by the manufacturer to comprise 10% inactive diluent and active dye which consists of the sodium salt of the reaction produce of the above condensation. For purposes of describing and claiming this invention the active ingredient dye concentration is to be construed as the reaction product above referred to. The manufacturer designation CI Acid Blue T/ 321 will be employed herein to characterize the active ingredient dye. CI Acid Blue T/321 is recommended by the manufacturer to use in acetic acid solution as a permanent dye for silk and wool fabrics.

The active detergent in the laundering compositions of this invention may be water-soluble alkali-metal soap or any of the well-known anionic or nonionic organic synthetic detergents and mixtures of any of these, alone or in combination with water-soluble alkali metal polyphosphates such as tripolyphosphate, pyrophosphate, etc. The laundering composition may be in any of the conventional physical forms of laundering compositions such as granular, liquid or flake form.

Since the substantivity of CI Acid Blue T/321 is greatest toward cotton, the laundering compositions of this invention are particularly effective for the laundering of cotton fabrics. Other fabrics such as nylon and other fine fabrics also exhibit improved whiteness after laundering in the presence of detergent compositions containing CI Acid Blue T/ 321 either alone or in combination with fluorescent brightening agents.

The amount of CI Acid Blue T/ 321, which when incorporated into the laundering compositions of this invention will cause fabrics laundered in the presence of such compositions to acquire a desirable blue-whiteness, is subject to wide variation, depending primarily upon the amount and type of active detergent and the type of fabrics to be laundered, but influenced as well by the effect of supplementary ingredients on substantivity, the shade and degree of the discoloration of the fabrics to be laundered, the presence or absence of fluorescent brighteners, and the degree of blue coloration which is considered to be acceptable.

In a laundering composition wherein alkali metal water-soluble soaps comprised about 95% by weight of the total composition, a minimum level of 0.0014% by weight, based on active detergent, of CI Acid Blue T/ 321 was observed to produce a desirable blue-whiteness in the laundering of cotton fabrics. However, in a liquid laundering composition containing Water, pyrophosphate and miscellaneous ingredients in amount equal to 87% by weight of the total and as the active synthetic anionic detergent a mixture of 9.0% by weight, based on total product, of sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate (the alkyl group being derived from polypropylene and averaging 12 carbon atoms per molecule) and 4% by weight, based on total product, of potassium alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonate (the sulfonated and neutralized product obtained by reacting epichlorohydrin and coconut fatty alcohols containing from to 14 carbon atoms), from about 0.005 to about 0.03% by weight, based on the active detergent, of CI Acid Blue T/321, was observed to produce a desirable blue-whiteness in laundering cotton fabrics, without imparting an undesirable blue hue. In another laundering composition which contained massive amounts of tripolyphosphate, sodium sulfate, etc., i.e. 82.5% by weight, and as the active detergent 17.5% by weight, based on total product, of sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate the alkyl group being derived from polypropylene and averaging 12 carbon atoms per molecule), a minimum level of 0.004% by weight, based on active detergent, was observed to produce a desirable blue-whiteness in the laundering of cotton toweling. It is apparent, of course, that the laundering of fabrics, toward which the substantivity of CI Acid Blue T/ 321 is less than it is toward cotton will require greater amounts of CI Acid Blue T/ 321 than set forth above to achieve equivalent bluing.

As indicated above, a minimum level of 0.0014% by weight, based on active detergent of CI Acid Blue T/ 321, will produce a desirable level of blue-whiteness in certain of the laundering compositions of this invention, but this minimum level will vary depending especially on the active detergent employed in the composition. Similarly, the maximum level of CI Acid Blue T/32l usage will vary, but amounts which impart a definite blue color are to be avoided, and in no instance has it been found desirable to exceed a concentration of 0.04% CI Acid Blue T/32l based on the active detergent.

In broad terms the laundering compositions of the present invention impart an alkaline reaction to aqueous solutions at conventional laundering concentrations, e.g. from about 0.1% to about 0.3% of such compositions by weight of the water, and contain at least one active detergent substance selected from the group consisting of water-soluble alkali-metal soaps, water-soluble alkalimetal anionic synthetic organic detergents, and nonionic synthetic organic detergents and an effective bluing level, at least about 0.00l4% by weight of the active detergent, of CI Acid Blue T/321.

The preferred laundering compositions of the present invention embody an alkali-metal (such as sodium or potassium) anionic synthetic sulfate or sulfonate detergent salt and an alkali-metal (such as sodium or potassium) polyphosphate salt selected from the group consisting of alkali-metal tripolyphosphate and alkali-metal pyrophosphate. The ratio of alkali metal polyphosphate salt to the anionic detergent salt preferably ranges from 1:1 to 5:1 and indeed, those products in which the ratio is about 1:1 to 3:1 are outstanding in their performance. In these laundering compositions, it is preferred that there be an effective bluing level within the range of from about 0.004% to 0.03% by weight, based on the anionic detergent salt, of CI Acid Blue T/32l.

The anionic synthetic to which reference is made is generally referred to as a water-soluble salt of an organic sulfuric reaction product having in its molecular structure an alkyl radical having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms and a radical selected from the group consisting of sulfonic acid and sulfuric acid ester radicals. Important examples of the synthetics which form a part of the preferred compositions of the present invention are the sodium or potassium alkyl sulfates, especially those derived by sulfation of higher alcohols produced by reduction of glycerides of tallow or coconut oil; sodium or potassium alkyl benzene sulfonates, especially those of the types described in US. Patents 2,220,099, and 2,477,383 in which the alkyl group contains from about 9 to about 15 carbon atoms; sodium alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates, especially those ethers of higher alcohols from tallow and coconut oil; sodium coconut oil fatty acid monoglyceride sulfates and sulfonates, sodium salts of sulfuric acid esters of the reaction product of one mole of a higher fatty alcohol (e.g. tallow or coconut oil alcohols) and about three moles of ethylene oxide; and others known in the art, a number being specifically set forth in Byerly US. Patents 2,486,921 and Strain US. Patent 2,486,922. Laundering compositions prepared from such water-soluble synthetic detergent salts, and mixtures thereof, and containing from about 10% to about 50% of active anionic synthetic with alkali metal pyrophosphate, tripolyphosphate or higher polyphosphate within the range of ratios above mentioned and with an effective bluing level within the range of from about 0.004% to about 0.03% by weight, based on the synthetic detergent salt, of CI Acid Blue T/32l are particularly effective for the production of a desirable bluewhiteness in the laundering of the average home wash.

The nonionic synthetic organic detergents which are constituents of the laundering compositions of this invention may be broadly defined as compounds produced by the condensation of alkylene oxide groups (hydrophilic in nature) with an organic hydrophobic compound, which may be aliphatic or alkyl aromatic in nature. As those skilled in the art are well aware, the length of the hydrophilic or polyoxyalkylene radical required for condensation with any particular hydrophobic group can be readily adjusted to yield a water-soluble compound having the desired degree of balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements.

For example, a well known class of nonionics is made available on the market under the trade name of Pluronic. These compounds are formed by condensing ethylene oxide with a hydrophobic base formed by the condensation of propylene oxide with propylene glycol. The hydrophobic portion of the molecule, of course, exhibits water insolubility. Its molecular weight is of the order of 1500 to 1800. The addition of polyoxyethylene radicals to this hydrophobic portion tends to increase the water solubility of the molecule as a whole. Liquid products are obtained up to the point where polyoxyethylene content is about 50% of the total weight of the condensation product.

Suitable nonionics also include the polyethylene oxide condensates of alkyl phenols, e.g. the condensation products of alkyl phenols having about 6 to 12 carbon atoms, either straight chain or branch chain, in the alkyl group with ethylene oxide in amounts equal to to 25 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of alkyl phenol. The alkyl substituent in such compounds may be derived from polymerized propylene, diisobutylene, octane, or nonane, for example.

Other suitable nonionics may be derived by the condensation of ethylene oxide with the product resulting from the reaction of propylene oxide and ethylene diamine. Here again, a series of compounds may be produced, depending on the desired balance between hydrophobic and hydrophilic elements. For example, compounds (molecular weight from about 5,000 to about 11,000) of about 40% to 80% polyoxyethylene content and resulting from the reaction of ethylene oxide groups with a hydrophobic base constitued of the reaction product of ethylene diamine and excess propylene oxide, said base having a molecular weight of the order of 2500 to 3000, are satisfactory.

Further satisfactory nonionics include the condensation product of aliphatic alcohols having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms, either straight chain or branch chain, with ethylene oxide, an example being a coconut alcohol ethylene oxide condensate having from 10 to 30 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of coconut alcohol, the coconut alcohol fraction having from 10 to 14 carbon atoms.

Tallow, grease, coconut oil, and palm oil are illustrative of fats which, either alone or in admixture, can be used for making the water-soluble alkali-metal (such as sodium and potassium) soaps which are employed in the laundering compositions of this invention.

The following examples will serve to illustrate the invention with greater particularity. In all of the tests set forth in these examples, washing conditions were comparable to home laundering conditions.

Example I The following spray-dried granular laundering composition was prepared, all amounts being expressed as parts by weight:

Sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate (the alkyl group being derived from polypropylene and averaging 12 carbon atoms per molecule) 17.5 Sodium tripolyphosphate 47.0 Water-soluble sodium silicate solids 6.0 Sodium sulfate 16.3 The monoethanolamide of coconut oil fatty acids having from 10 to 14 carbon atoms 2.7 Water, carboxymethylcellulose, tarnish inhibitor and perfume 8.5 Polar Brilliant Blue GAW 180% (90% CI Acid Blue T/321) 0.0015

to one gallon of water containing 8.8 grams of the laundering composition was added an amount of cloth equivalent to 6% by weight of the water. The cloth was laundered at 130 F. for a period of 10 minutes, rinsed, dried, and then laundered a second time under identical conditions, rinsed and dried.

As a control and a basis for comparison, identical cloths were laundered under the same conditions, except that the control laundering composition contained no CI Acid Blue T/ 321.

When compared with the corresponding cloths laundered in the absence of CI Acid Blue T/32l, the cotton terrycloth, cotton muslin and nylon cloths laundered in the presence of CI Acid Blue T/321 displayed a definite and desirable blue-whiteness. The blue color was more pronounced in the case of the cotton fabrics, as would be expected, since the substantivity of CI Acid Blue T/ 321 in the laundering compositions of this invention is greater toward cotton than nylon. A desirable level of blue-whiteness was not visually perceptible in the viscose rayon, acetate rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and wool cloths.

Example II The following liquid laundering composition was prepared, all amounts being expressed as parts by weight:

Sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate (the alkyl group being derived from polypropylene and averaging Sodium 2-sulfo-4-(2-naptho 1,2 triazolyl stilbene- (fluorescent brightener) 0.040 Polar Brilliant Blue GAW 180% CI Acid Blue T/ 321) 0.003 Water 49.15

The pH of this laundering composition in aqueous solution at F. and at a conventional laundering con centration of 12.4 grams per gallon was 11.3 and the color of the liquid laundering composition was highly satisfactory in respect to both brilliance and hue. The percentage of CI Acid Blue T/ 321, by weight, based on the total active detergent, i.e. sodium alkyl benzene sulfonate plus potassium alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonate, was 0.021%.

Cotton terrycloth toweling, cotton muslin, nylon, acetate rayon, viscose rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and wool cloth swatches were laundered together in a miniature upright washing machine in the following manner: to one gallon of water containing 12.4 grams of the above laundering composition was added an amount of cloth equivalent to 6% by 'weight of the water. The cloth was laundered at a temperature of 130 F. for a period of 10 minutes, rinsed, dried and then laundered a second time under identical conditions, rinsed and dried.

As a control and a basis for comparison, identical cloths were laundered under the same conditions, except that the laundering composition which was employed as a control contained no CI Acid Blue T/ 321. It should be noted that the control laundering composition contained fluorescent brighteners which were substantive to the cotton, nylon, viscose rayon and acetate rayon fabrics set forth above.

The cotton, nylon, viscose rayon and acetate rayon fabrics laundered in the control laundering composition had an appearance characteristic of fabrics laundered in the presence of the particular fluorescent brighteners which were employed, that is, a faint pink hue.

When compared with the corresponding cloths laundered in the presence of the control laundering composition, the cotton terrycloth, cotton muslin, nylon and viscose rayon cloths which were laundered in the presence of CI Acid Blue T/ 321 displayed a definite and desirable blue-whiteness not possessed by the control cloths. As in Example I, the blue-whiteness was more pronounced in the case of cotton materials, the visual intensity of the blue color being at a level which is highly acceptable to the average consumer. The nylon cloth had acquired a definite blue-whiteness which although at a desirable level, was discernibly less blue in color than in the case of the cotton fabrics. The level of CI Acid Blue T/ 321 in the laundering composition of this example was sutficiently high to impart a definite blue-whiteness to the viscose rayon fabric, a result which was not observed in Example I. As observed in Example I, a desirable level of blue-whiteness was not visually perceptible in the acetate rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and wool cloths.

To determine the fabric staining characteristics of CI Acid Blue T/ 321 in the laundering compositions of this invention, the undiluted liquid laundering composition of this example was applied directly to a small area of each of the following fabrics: cotton, nylon, viscose rayon, acetate rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and wool. After a contact period of 15 hours the fabrics were rinsed in Water, dried, and examined visually for signs of staining. The color which had been imparted to the fabric during the 15 hour contact period had rinsed out to the extent that no evidence of a stain could be observed. Presumably, at the alkaline pH of the composition, a combination of the substantive properties of the CI Acid Blue T/321 and the solubilizing action of the high local concentration of active detergent resulted in a dispersal of the CI Acid Blue T/321 evenly throughout the entire fabric. As one instance of the practical significance of this lack of permanent staining, the liquid detergent composition of this example can be applied directly to very soiled portions of an article of clothing constructed of any of the above fabrics, an example being the collars and cuffs of white cotton shirts, without fear of permanent staining. I am aware of no other bluing agent which when present in a laundering composition at effective bluing levels, displays such advantageous and comparable performance characteristics.

Example III The following detergent composition was prepared in flake form, all amounts being expressed as parts by weight:

A mixture of sodium and potassium soaps of the higher fatty acids obtained from tallow (20% by weight being the potassium salt and 80% by weight being the sodium salt) 94.5 Water 4.3 Polar Brilliant Blue GAW 180% (90% CI Acid Blue T/32l) 0.0015 Sodium chloride and glycerine 1.2

The pH of this laundering composition at a conventional washing concentration of 8.8 grams per gallon in water at 130 F. was 10.4 and the product in flake form was light blue in color. The percentage of CI Acid Blue T/321 by weight, based on the tallow soap, was 0.0014.

Cotton terrycloth toweling, cotton muslin, nylon, acetate rayon, viscose rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and wool cloth swatches were laundered together in a miniature upright washing machine as in Example I.

As in Example I and II above, for comparison purposes a control was established by laundering identical cloths under the same conditions using a laundering composi- 8 tion which differed only in that it contained no CI Acid Blue T/ 321.

When compared with the cotton control cloths, the cotton terrycloth and cotton muslin cloths which were laundered in the presence of CI Acid Blue T/ 321, displayed a desirable blue-whiteness. A desirable level of blue-whiteness was not visually discernible in the nylon, viscose rayon, acetate rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and wool cloths.

In the formulation of this example, 10 parts of the tallow soap can be replaced with 10 parts of the alkyl benzene sulfonate used in Example II, with substantially equal results.

Example IV The laundering operation of Example III was repeated using the laundering composition of Example III, containing additionally as a fluorescent brightener, 0.02 part by Weight of sodium 4,4-bis(4,6-dianilino-s-triazo-2- ylamino)2,2' stilbene disulfonate. It was observed that the CI Acid Blue T/321 enhanced the blue-whiteness of the cotton terrycloth and cotton muslin cloths and that the visual intensity of the blue color appeared to be slightly greater than was observed in Example III.

Example V The condensation product of tall oil and ethylene oxide containing 1.6 parts of ethylene oxide per part of tall oil 16.0 Sodium tripolyphosphate 21.0 Sodium pyrophosphate 21.0 Water-soluble sodium silicate solids 10.0 Sodium carbonate 20.0 Carboxymethylcellulose 1.0

Sodium 4,4 bis(4,6 dianilino s triazo 2- ylamino)2,2 stilbene disulfonate-(fluorescent brightener) 0.09 Sodium 2 sulfo 4 (2 naptho 1,2 triazolyl) stilbene (fluorescent brightener) 0.03 Polar Brilliant Blue GAW 180% CI Acid Blue T/ 321) 0.0015 Water 11.0

Cotton terrycloth toweling, cotton mulsin, nylon, acetate rayon, viscose rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and wood cloth swatches are laundered together in a miniature upright washing machine in the following manner: to one gallon of water containing 8.8 grams of the laundering composition is added an amount of cloth equivalent to 6% by weight of the water. The cloth is laundered at F. for a period of 10 minutes, rinsed, dried and then laundered a second time under identical conditions, rinsed, and dried. As a basis for comparison and a control, identical coths are laundered under the same conditions, except that the control laundering composition contains no CI Acid Blue T/321.

The following results are observed in laundering fabrics in the detergent solution of this example. When compared with corresponding cloths laundered in the absence of CI Acid Blue T/321, the cotton terrycloth, cotton muslin, and nylon cloths, laundered in the presence of CI Acid Blue T/321 display a definite and desirable blue-whiteness, the intensity of the blue color being more pronounced in the cotton cloths. A desirable level of blue-whiteness is not visually perceptible in the viscose rayon, acetate rayon, Orlon, Dacron, silk and Wool.

Other nonionic synthetics can replace the tall oilethylene oxide condensate in the laundering composition of this example without adversely affecting the substantive properties of the CI Acid Blue T/321, e.g, a nonylphenol ethylene oxide condensate having on the average 15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of nonylphenol and a coconut alcohol-ethylene oxide condensate having 15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of coconut alcohol, the coconut alcohol fraction having from 10 to 14 carbon atoms.

The above examples are merely specific illustrations of the numerous laundering compositions which come within the scope of the present invention and it is not intended that the present invention be limited thereto. The laundering compositions of this invention can include any of the auxiliary substances normally employed by the art in conventional laundering compositions. The various alkali metal phosphates (e.g. tripolyphosphate, pyrophosphate, hexametaphosphate, tetrapolyphosphate, and higher polyphosphates, the tripolyphosphate and pyrophosphate being preferred), the alkali metal silica-tes, sulfates, carbonates, carboxymethylcellulose, and organic suds builders are intended to be illustrative but not preclusive examples of these auxiliary materials.

My invention is not limited to any particular method of mixing the CI Acid Blue T/ 321, with the active detergent with or without the added presence of polyphosphates. The bluing agent may be incorporated in the detergent in any of the forms in which such detergents are manufactured. The bluing agent may be crutched into the detergent in the form of a slurry; it may be sprayed-on to form a solid product having a speckled or discontinuous coloration; and it may be dissolved in a solution of the detergent. While such ready for use mixtures may be manufactured and may be desirable for many purposes, it is likewise within the scope of my invention to add the bluing agent to the water prior to the adding of the detergent or vice versa, or to add both detergent and bluing agent simultaneously but separately to the Water.

What is claimed is:

l. A laundering composition for use in washing white fabrics and which imparts an alkaline reaction to aqueous solutions at conventional laundering concentrations comprising at least one water-soluble detergent selected from the group consisting of nonionic organic synthetic detergents plus an alkaline-reacting detergent builder, alkali-metal salts of higher fatty acids and alkali-metal salts of organic synthetic anionic non-soap detergents in combination with at least about 0.0014% by weight, but less than about 0.04% by weight based on the watersoluble detergent, of a bluing agent which is a watersoluble alkali-metal salt of SOaH HOsS 10 2. The composition of claim 1 in which said bluing agent is r m, Hm o I SOsNa Naots a t O n H 3. A laundering composition for use in washing white fabrics and which imparts an alkaline reaction to aqueous solutions at conventional laundering concentrations and which comprises from about 10% to about 50% by weight of the composition of at least one water-soluble salt of an organic sulfuric reaction product having in its molecular structure an alkyl radical having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms and a radical selected from the group consisting of sulfonic acid and sulfuric acid ester radicals, in combination with at least one water-soluble alkali-metal polyphosphate selected from the group consisting of alkali-metal tripolyphosphates and alkali-metal pyrophosphates, the weight ratio of said polyphosphate to said organic reaction product being from 1:1 to 5:1, and an effective bluing level within the range of from about 0.004% to about 0.03% by weight, based on said organic reaction product, of the bluing agent of claim 2.

4. The composition of claim 3 in which said organic sulfuric reaction product is alkali-metal alkyl benzene sulfonate in which the alkyl radical has an average of about 12 carbon atoms, and said alkali-metal polyphosphate is alkali-metal tripolyphosphate, the weight ratio of said tripolyphosphate to said organic sulfuric reaction product being from 1:1 to 3:1.

5. The composition of claim 3 in which said organic sulfuric reaction product is a mixture of alkali-metal alkyl benzene sulfonate in which the alkyl radical has an average of 12 carbon atoms and alkali-metal alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonate in which the alkyl group has from 10 to 14 carbon atoms and said alkali-metal polyphosphate is alkali-metal pyrophosphate, the weight ratio of said pyrophosphate to said organic sulfuric reaction product being from 1:1 to 3:1.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,059,449 Fowler Nov, 3, 1936 2,353,041 Klein July 4, 1944 2,424,778 Tainsh July 29, 1947 2,763,650 Ackermann Sept. 18, 1956

Claims (1)

1. A LAUNDERING COMPOSITION FOR USE IN WASHING WHITE FABRICS AND WHICH IMPARTS AN ALKALINE REACTION TO AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS AT CONVENTONAL LAUNDERING CONCENTTATIONS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE WATER-SOLUBLE DETERGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF NONIONIC ORGANIC SYNTHETIC DETERGENTS PLUS AN ALKALINE-REACTING DETERGENT BUILDER, ALKALI-METAL SALTS OF HIGHER FATTY ACIDS AND ALKALI-METAL SALTS OF ORGANIC SYNTHETIC ANIONIC NON-SOAP DETERGENTS IN COMBINATION WITH AT LEAST ABOUT 0.0014% BY WEIGHT, BUT LESS THAN ABOUT 0.04% BY WEIGHT BASED ON THE WATERSOLUBLE DETERGENT, OF A BLUING AGENT WHICH IS A WATERSOLUBLE ALKALI-METAL SALT OF