Patent ID: 6159926
Filing Date: 2000-12-12
Classification: C11D

Abstract:
A biodegradable fabric softening composition or article for application to laundry so that a fabric softening portion thereof is deposited on the laundry and softens it, which fabric softening composition or article consists of:(a) from about 75% to 99%, by weight, of a clay carrier;(b) From about 0.1% to about 25%, by weight, of a polyphosphonate compound characterized by containing at least two moieties having the structure --CH.sub.2 --PO(OX).sub.2 wherein X is Na or K, at least a portion of said polyphosphonate compound being electrostatically bound to the surface of said clay carrier; and(c) from about 1% to about 25%, by weight, of a PEC which is a fabric softening compound selected from the group consisting of a higher aliphatic C.sub.12 -C.sub.22 ester of pentaerythritol, an oligomer of pentaerythritol, a C.sub.2 -C.sub.3 alkylene oxide derivative of pentaerythritol or a C.sub.2 -C.sub.3 alkylene oxide derivative of an oligomer of pentacrythritol, and mixtures thereof, at least a portion of said PEC being adsorbed on the surface of said clay carrier, said polyphosphonate compound and said PEC being added sequentially to said clay carrier such that component (b) contacts said clay carrier prior to the addition of component (c), whereby the interaction of said PEC with components (a) and (b) forms a fabric softening composition capable of providing a significantly enhanced softning benefit as compared to the softening benefit provided by an otherwise identical softening composition or article containing said PEC in combination with the clay carrier but in the absence of said polyphosphonate compound.