. A stable structured liquid laundry detergent composition which is particularly effective for removing oily soils from fabrics comprising, by weight:
(a) from about 10% to about 20% of a linear alkyl benzene sulfonate anionic surfactant;
(b) from about 1% to about 10% of an alkyl ether sulfate anionic surfactant;
(c) from about 5% to about 30% of an alkali metal phosphorous-containing builder;
(d) from about 2% to about 15% of sodium carbonate; the total amount of components (c) plus (d) in the detergent composition being at least about 10%;
(e) from about 0.1% to about 5% of an ethoxylated amine quaternary cationic surfactant having the following structural formula: ##STR3## wherein R1 represents a linear branched or substituted C8 -C18 alkyl, alkaryl, aryl, alkenyl or ether moiety; R2 represents an alkyl group containing from 1 to 3 carbon atoms or a benzyl group; each of x and y are integers which can vary independently from 1 to 8 and the sum of x plus y is greater than 2 and less than 9; and X represents a water-soluble anion; and
(f) balance water, said structured liquid detergent composition being free of a nonionic surfactant, and wherein the respective amounts of each of the components (a) through (e) is selected to provide a stable structured liquid composition.
2. A stable structured liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said phosphorous-containing builder is sodium tripolyphosphate.
3. A stable structured liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said ethoxylated amine quaternary cationic surfactant is isodecyloxypropyl poly(5) oxyethylene methyl chloride quat (Iso C10 oxypropyl).
4. A stable structured liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said ethoxylated amine quaternary cationic surfactant is isotridecyloxypropyl poly(5) oxyethylene methyl chloride quat (Iso C13 oxypropyl).
5. A stable structured liquid detergent composition in accordance with claim 1 wherein said ethoxylated amine quaternary cationic surfactant is present in an amount from about 0.5% to about 3.0%, by weight.
6. A method for laundering soiled and/or stained fabrics comprising (a) forming an aqueous wash solution or wash bath containing a cleaning effective amount of the structured liquid laundry detergent composition defined in claim 1; and (b) subjecting the fabrics to be laundered to a washing action in said wash solution or wash bath.
7. A method for laundering in accordance with claim 6 wherein said structured liquid detergent composition is present in said wash solution or wash bath in an amount of from about 1 gram/liter to about 2.5 gram/liter.
8. A method for laundering in accordance with claim 6 wherein the cationic surfactant in said liquid detergent composition is isodecyloxypropyl poly(5) oxyethylene methyl chloride quat (Iso C10 oxypropyl).
9. A method for laundering in accordance with claim 6 wherein the cationic surfactant in said structured liquid detergent is ethoxylated amine quaternary cationic surfactant is isotridecyloxypropyl poly(5) oxyethylene methyl chloride quat (Iso C13 oxypropyl).
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to structured liquid laundry detergent compositions which are particularly effective for removing oily soils and stains from fabrics. More particularly, the present invention relates to the formulation and use of structured liquid laundry detergent compositions containing a synergistic mixture of an anionic surfactant and an ethoxylated amine quaternary cationic surfactant as herein defined.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heavy duty liquid laundry detergents have achieved increasing consumer acceptance in recent years as convenient alternatives to conventional powder laundry detergent compositions. Liquid detergent products generally provide the consumer with a more concentrated and compact commercial detergent product relative to powder products and also allow for ease of operation with respect to targeting the removal of specific stains on fabrics, such as by a pre-spotting or pre-soak step prior to laundering the soiled fabrics in a home washing machine.
In order to achieve efficient laundering of fabrics, laundry detergent compositions are generally formulated to contain a variety of active ingredients, typically one or more anionic surfactants, often in combination with a nonionic surfactant, detergent builder materials such as alkali metal carbonates and zeolites, electrolytes and adjuvants such as brighteners, perfumes and colorants, all of which in the case of a liquid composition must be dispersed or dissolved in an aqueous medium. Because of the relatively limited solubility of this combination of ingredients in water, and the resultant tendency to form a thick, difficult to pour liquid often characterized by phase separation, the principal problems to be overcome in formulating a commercially desirable liquid detergent product are primarily stability and pourability, particularly for liquid products containing high levels of surfactants and builders.
Structured liquid detergent products have received much attention in the laundry detergent art as a means of providing liquid detergent compositions which are capable of suspending undissolved particles while remaining pourable and otherwise having acceptable rheological properties such as phase stability upon storage at ambient and at elevated temperatures. These structured liquids typically contain between 10% and 20%, by weight, of surfactants and from 10% to 25%, by weight, of detergent builder. The challenge in formulating this type of structured liquid is to prevent separation of the liquid into two or more layers while maintaining the viscosity at a pourable level which is commercially acceptable based on the preferences and requirements of the consumer.
The dispersed structuring phase in a structured liquid composition is believed to consist of an onion-like configuration wherein water or the aqueous phase is trapped between concentric layers of detergent active materials. These configurations are often referred to as lamellar droplets or micelles, and it is believed that it is the presence of such lamellar droplets dispersed in the aqueous phase which renders the liquid capable of suspending particulate solid materials, notably insoluble detergent builders, in the liquid product. The invention which is herein described refers to structured liquid detergent compositions which are exemplified by configurations of this type.
Cationic surfactants are extensively described in the patent literature as useful components of heavy duty liquid detergent compositions. But in practice, most commercial non-softening laundry products intended for home-use do not contain this type of surfactant, and instead, are predominantly comprised of a conventional sulfated or sulfonated anionic surfactant and/or a conventional ethoxylated nonionic surfactant primarily because of economic considerations. Moreover, there exists a general notion that anionic and cationic surfactants can not be used in the same composition without suffering a loss of efficacy due to the interaction of the positively charged cationic with the negatively charged anionic in the wash bath. Consequently, anionic and nonionic surfactants remain the "workhorse" surfactants in the majority of commercial liquid laundry detergent cleaning products.
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