Method of laundry washing

• US 7,476,258 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Henkel IP & Holding GmbH (Henkel AG & Co KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Unilever Home & Personal Care USA (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Van Kralingen, Cornelis Gerhard, Birker, Paul Johan, Van Der Hoeven, Philippus Comelis, Van Der Weg, Pieter Broer
• Primary Examiner(s): Douyon; Lorna M
• Application Number:
  US11/008,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20050148482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 813/7
• US Class Current: 8/137
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 35/006 for washing or rinsing only

Abstract

The invention provides a method of washing a laundry fabric in a wash liquor in a washing machine, wherein during a single wash cycle no more than 10% by weight of the wash liquor is drained from the washing machine, wherein the method comprises the step of varying the ionic strength of the wash liquor over at least 10% of the duration of the wash cycle by addition of one or more ionic ingredients to the wash liquor, and wherein the lowest ionic strength of the wash liquor is from 0.001 to 0.06 M and the highest ionic strength of the wash liquor is from 0.01 to 0.5 M.

Claims

1. A method of washing a laundry fabric in a wash liquor in a washing machine, said wash liquor containing surfactant material, wherein during a single wash cycle no more than 10% by weight of the wash liquor is drained from the washing machine, wherein said method comprises the step of varying the ionic strength of the wash liquor over at least 10% of the duration of the wash cycle by addition of one or more ionic ingredients to the wash liquor, and wherein the lowest ionic strength of the wash liquor is from 0.001 to 0.06 M and the highest ionic strength of the wash liquor is from 0.01 to 0.5 M;

wherein said one or more ionic ingredients added to vary ionic strength consists of sodium, potassium, ammonium or magnesium salts of sulphate, natural soaps or mixtures thereof.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the variation of the ionic strength occurs over at least 50% of the duration of the wash cycle.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the lowest ionic strength of the wash liquor is from 0.002 to 0.04 M and the highest ionic strength of the wash liquor is from 0.02 to 0.3 M.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the wash cycle has a duration of from 2 to 120 minutes.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein during at least 50% of the time of variation of the ionic strength, the wash liquor has a temperature of from 5°

C. to 60°

C.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more ionic ingredients are added by means of a delayed release formulation dosed at or before the beginning of the single wash cycle.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the surfactant material in the wash liquor is substantially constant during the wash cycle.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein during at least part of the wash cycle, the wash liquor comprises dissolved sodium and/or magnesium ions.