Patent ID: 11884899
Assignee: AMTEX INNOVATIONS LLC
Field: Basic materials chemistry (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  D | IPC C  D

Claim 0:
1. A method of laundering soiled textile items, the method comprising the steps of:
a) optionally flushing the soiled textile items with an alkali water solution for a time sufficient to loosen particulate soil on the fabric of the soiled textile items;
b) washing in a first phase of a wash cycle the soiled textile items in a first aqueous wash solution formed from a first wash composition, the first wash composition comprising a surfactant, a builder, an alkalinity source, and a soil release polymer, the first aqueous wash solution having a first alkaline pH, and a first wash temperature;
c) adding to the first wash composition a second alkalinity source, to form a second aqueous wash solution having a second alkaline pH higher than the first alkaline pH;
d) washing in a second phase of the wash cycle the first-phase washed textile items in the second aqueous wash solution at a second wash temperature;
e) optionally washing in a bleaching cycle the two-phase washed textile items in an aqueous bleach solution formed from a bleaching composition, the bleaching composition comprising one or more bleach compound, the bleach compound selected from the group consisting of a halogen-based bleach, an oxygen-based bleach, and a combination thereof, the bleach solution having a bleaching temperature; and
f) treating in a post-wash treatment cycle the two-phase washed textile items, or the optional bleached textile items, in a treatment solution formed from a post-wash treatment composition, the post-wash treatment composition comprising a soil release polymer agent, at an active level of about 0.03% to 3.0% by weight of the dry textile items, and at a treatment solution temperature between about 125 and 200 degrees F.