Granular, phosphate-reduced, builder-containing detergent compositions containing a combination of natural layer silicates and fatty acid condensates. The fatty acid condensates are prepared by reaction of fatty acid triglycerides and hydroxyalkyl polyamines. The detergent compositions have an excellent softening effect both at low and high washing temperatures. The compositions provide synergistic softening effects, particularly at low temperatures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a phosphate-reduced, granular, builder-containing 
detergent composition providing improved fabric softening properties 
through the use of a combination of natural layer silicates and fatty acid 
condensates obtained by reaction of triglycerides with hydroxyalkyl 
polyamines. 
2. Discussion of Related Art 
Phosphate-reduced detergents containing layer silicates as fabric softeners 
or co-builders are known. For example, European Patent Application No. 26 
529 describes a detergent which, in addition to layer silicates, contains 
anionic surfactants and cationic salts of primary, secondary or tertiary 
alkylamines or water-soluble quaternary ammonium compounds. The use of 
surfactant mixtures such as these in detergent formulations can adversely 
affect the washing result because the cationic and anionic surfactants 
react undesirably with one another. 
According to H. Schott, Journal of American Chemical Society, Vol. 45, 
1968, page 414, detergents based on nonionic surfactants and layer 
silicates do not produce the expected deposition of the layer silicate on 
cellulose fibers such as cotton for the purpose of softening. 
German Patent Application No. 23 34 899 describes granular, 
builder-containing detergent compositions containing, inter alia, layer 
silicates. It is known among experts that layer silicates only develop an 
adequate fabric-softening effect at high temperatures of from 60.degree. 
C. to 95.degree. C. At lower temperatures, for example in hand washing or 
in washing with light-duty detergents at 50.degree. C. to 60.degree. C., 
layer silicates show a distinctly reduced fabric-softening effect. 
German Patent No. 19 22 046 describes detergents and washing aids which, in 
addition to a standard surfactant base, contain as fabric softeners fatty 
acid condensates obtained by reaction of tri-glycerides of higher fatty 
acids with hydroxyalkyl polyamine. Fabric softeners such as these develop 
an adequate fabric-softening effect, particularly at low temperatures, for 
example in hand washing. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Other than in the operating examples, or where otherwise indicated, all 
numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used 
herein are to be understood as modified in all instances by the term 
"about". 
In contrast to the prior art, the object of the present invention is to 
provide granular, phosphate-reduced, builder-containing detergent 
compositions which develop an excellent fabric-softening effect both at 
low washing temperatures and at high washing temperatures. In the context 
of the invention, "phosphate-reduced" means that detergents according to 
the invention contain at most 30% by weight tripolyphosphate, but may also 
be completely phosphate-free. 
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing granular, 
phosphate-reduced, builder-containing detergent compositions containing a 
combination of natural layer silicates and fatty acid condensates. 
It has surprisingly been found that, where a combination of natural layer 
silicates and fatty acid condensates obtained by reaction of fatty acid 
triglycerides and hydroxyalkyl polyamines is used in granular, 
phosphate-reduced, builder-containing detergent compositions, the two 
constituents of the combination develop a synergistic, i.e. superadditive, 
effect. 
Accordingly, the present invention relates to granular, phosphate-reduced, 
builder-containing detergent compositions which are characterized in that 
they contain a combination of; 
(a) from 4 to 20% by weight natural layer silicates, and 
(b) from 0.3 to 10% by weight fatty acid condensates obtained by reaction 
of fatty acid triglycerides with hydroxyalkyl polyamines, based on the 
weight of the detergent compositions. 
The advantage of the combination according to the invention lies in 
particular in the fact that the fabric-softening effect is developed both 
at low temperatures, for example in hand washing, and at high 
temperatures. 
In one embodiment of the present invention, granular, phosphate-reduced, 
builder-containing detergent compositions are characterized in that they 
preferably contain from 5 to 15% by weight natural layer silicates. 
In column 4, under the heading "clay compounds", German Patent No. 23 34 
899 describes the natural layer silicates on which the combinations of the 
detergent compositions according to the invention are based. Specific 
reference is made both to this list of layer silicates and also to the 
list of bentonites (smectites) in European Patent Application No. 26 529. 
In addition, particular preference is attributed in accordance with the 
invention to natural layer silicates selected from the group consisting of 
montmorillonites, volchonskoites, neutronites, hectorites, smectites and 
sauconites. 
Where more than 6% by weight fatty acid condensates are used in the 
combinations according to the invention, the detergency of the detergent 
compositions may decrease. Accordingly, one preferred embodiment of the 
present invention is characterized in that the combination preferably 
contains from 1 to 6% by weight fatty acid condensates. A content such as 
this of fatty acid condensates is particularly suitable for the use of the 
detergent compositions according to the invention in light-duty detergents 
at temperatures of from 40.degree. C. to 60.degree. C. However, where the 
detergent compositions according to the invention are used for hand 
washing, the combination preferably contains up to 10% by weight of the 
fatty acid condensates. 
In one preferred embodiment, the granular, phosphate-reduced, 
builder-containing detergent compositions are characterized in that the 
ratio by weight of the combination of natural layer silicates of fatty 
acid condensates is adjusted to between 5:1 and 1:2. Through the 
adjustment of the ratio by weight of said components in accordance with 
the invention, an excellent fabric-softening effect of the detergent 
compositions according to the invention is obtained both at low and high 
temperatures. 
The fatty acid condensates used in the detergent composition according to 
the invention normally contain fatty acid triglycerides because the fatty 
acid condensates are prepared by reaction of fatty acid triglycerides with 
hydroxyalkyl polyamine. The fatty acid condensates are normally prepared 
by reaction of triglycerides of higher fatty acids containing from 8 to 24 
carbon atoms per at least 50% of which contain 16 to 24 carbon atoms per 
fatty acid group with hydroxyalkyl polyamines containing at least two 
hydrogen atoms attached to nitrogen, with the proviso that, for each 
primary and secondary amino group and each hydroxyl group present in the 
hydroxyalkyl polyamine, 1/3 mole of fatty acid triglyceride is reacted per 
mole of hydroxyalkyl polyamine in the reaction. The preparation of fatty 
acid condensates such as these and their contents of fatty acid 
triglyceride is disclosed in German Patent No. 19 22 046, incorporated by 
reference in the present specification. 
Granular, phosphate-reduced, builder-containing detergent compositions 
according to this invention are preferably characterized in that the fatty 
acid condensates is prepared by the reaction of 1 mole of hardened tallow 
and 1 mole of hydroxyethyl ethylene-diamine. 
Detergent compositions according to this invention preferably contain less 
than 20% by weight phosphates. Since efforts to control environmental 
pollution presuppose a substantial reduction in the phosphate content of 
detergent compositions, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is 
characterized in that the granular, phosphate-reduced, builder-containing 
detergent compositions are phosphate-free. 
The combination according to this invention of natural layer silicates and 
fatty acid condensates may be incorporated by conventional methods for the 
production of detergents, for example by hot spraying together with other 
detergent components, by granulation together with solid and/or liquid 
detergent constituents, or by subsequent application to solid detergent 
constituents (for example spray-dried powder, granulate, zeolite, layer 
silicate). In one particularly preferred variant of the preparation 
process, the combination of natural layer silicates and fatty acid 
condensates is prepared by spraying the fatty acid condensates onto the 
natural layer silicates. The combination thus prepared may then be added 
to known detergents as detergent additives. Accordingly, the present 
invention also relates to a detergent additive of (a) natural layer 
silicate and (b) fatty acid condensate in a ratio by weight of from 5:1 to 
1:2. According to the invention, the combination according to the 
invention is preferably used as a detergent additive in light-duty 
detergents and/or neutral detergents. 
In addition to the combination of natural layer silicates of fatty acid 
condensates, detergent compositions according to the invention may contain 
other builders, matrix materials, surfactants, soaps, non-surfactant foam 
inhibitors and soil carriers. 
The builder constituents which may be present in the detergents according 
to the invention are described in more detail in the following. 
Suitable organic and inorganic builder substances include salts which show 
a mildly acidic, neutral or alkaline reaction, more especially alkali 
metal salts which are capable of precipitating or complexing calcium ions. 
Among the inorganic salts, the water-soluble alkali metal metaphosphates 
and alkali metal polyphosphates, more especially pentasodium triphosphate, 
in addition to the alkali metal orthophosphates and alkali metal 
pyrophosphates are of particular importance. These phosphates may be 
completely or partly replaced by organic complexing agents for calcium 
ions. These include compounds of the aminopolycarboxylic acid type, such 
as for example, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), ethylenediamine tetra-acetic 
acid, diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid and higher homologs. Suitable 
phosphorus-containing organic complexing agents include the water-soluble 
salts of alkane polyphosphonic acids, amino- and hydroxyalkane 
polyphosphonic acids and phosphonopolycarboxylic acids, such as for 
example methanediphosphonic acid, dimethylaminomethane-1,1-diphosphonic 
acids, aminotrimethylene triphosphonic acid, 1-hydroxyethane-1, 
1-diphosphonic acid, 1-phosphonethane-1,2-dicarboxylic acid, and 
2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid. 
Among the organic matrix materials, the nitrogen- and phosphorus-free 
polycarboxylic acids which form complex salts with calcium ions, including 
carboxyl-containing polymers are of particular importance. Suitable 
polycarboxylic acids such as these include, for example, citric acid, 
tartaric acid, benzenehexacarboxylic acid and tetrahydrofuran 
tetracarboxylic acid. Also suitable are polycarboxylic acids containing 
ether groups, such as 2,2'-oxydisuccinic acid and polyhydric alcohols 
completely or partly etherified with glycolic acid or hydroxycarboxylic 
acids, for example biscarboxymethyl ethylene glycol, carboxyoxysuccinic 
acid, carboxy methyl tartronic acid and carboxymethylated or oxidized 
polysaccharides. Polymeric carboxylic acids having a molecular weight of 
from 350 to about 1,500,000 in the form of water-soluble salts are also 
suitable. Particularly preferred polymeric carboxylates have a molecular 
weight of from 500 to 175,000, and more especially from 10,000 to 100,000. 
These compounds include, for example, polyacrylic acid, polyhydroxyacrylic 
acid, polymaleic acid and copolymers of the corresponding monomeric 
carboxylic acids with one another or with ethylenically unsaturated 
compounds, such as vinyl methyl ether. The water-soluble salts of 
polyglyoxylic acid are also suitable. 
Suitable water-insoluble inorganic matrix materials include the 
finely-divided, synthetic sodium aluminosilicates containing bound water 
of the zeolite A type which are described in detail as phosphate 
substitutes for detergents and cleaning preparations in German Patent 
Application No. 24 12 837. 
The cation-exchanging sodium aluminosilicates are used in the usual 
hydrated, finely crystalline form, i.e. they contain hardly any particles 
larger than 30 .mu.m and preferably comprise a level of at least 80% of 
particles smaller than 10 .mu.m in size. Their calcium binding power, as 
determined in accordance with German Patent Application No. 24 12 837, is 
between 100 and 200 mg CaO/g. Zeolite NaA is particularly suitable, as is 
zeolite NaX and mixtures of NaA and NaX. 
Suitable inorganic, non-complexing salts include the alkali salts, also 
known as "washing alkalis", of the bicarbonates, carbonates, borates, 
sulfates and silicates. Of the alkali silicates, sodium silicates in which 
the ratio of Na.sub.2 O to SiO.sub.2 is from 1:1 to 1:3.5 are particularly 
preferred. 
Other matrix materials which, by virtue of their hydrotropic properties, 
are generally used in liquid formulations include the salts of the 
non-capillary-active C.sub.2 -C.sub.9 sulfonic acids, carboxylic acids and 
sulfocarboxylic acids, for example the alkali metal salts of alkane, 
benzene, toluene, xylene or cumene sulfonic acids, sulfobenzoic acid, 
sulfophthalic acid, sulfoacetic acid, sulfosuccinic acid and the salts of 
acetic acid or lactic acid. Acetamides and ureas are also suitable 
solubilizers. 
Surfactants which may be present as further components in the detergents 
and cleaning preparations according to the invention contain at least 1 
hydrophobic organic radical and a water-solubilizing anionic, 
zwitter-ionic or nonionic group in the molecule. The hydrophobic radical 
is generally an aliphatic hydrocarbon radical containing from 8 to 26, 
preferably from 10 to 22 and more preferably from 12 to 18 carbon atoms or 
an alkyl aromatic radical containing from 6 to 18 and preferably from 8 to 
16 aliphatic carbon atoms. 
Suitable anionic surfactants include, for example, soaps of natural or 
synthetic, preferably saturated fatty acids, optionally even of resinic or 
naphthenic acids. Suitable synthetic anionic surfactants include those of 
the sulfate, sulfonate and synthetic carboxylate type. 
Suitable surfactants of the sulfonate type include C.sub.9 -C.sub.15 alkyl 
benzenesulfonates olefin sulfonates, i.e. mixtures of alkene and 
hydroxyalkane sulfonates and also disulfonates of the type obtained for 
example from C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 monoolefins containing a terminal or 
internal double bond by sulfonation with gaseous sulfur trioxide and 
subsequent alkaline or acidic hydrolysis of the sulfonation products. 
Also suitable are the alkane sulfonates obtainable from C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 
alkanes by sulfochlorination or sulfoxidation and subsequent hydrolysis or 
neutralization or by bisulfite addition to olefins and also the esters of 
.alpha.-sulfofatty acids, for example the .alpha.-sulfonated methyl or 
ethyl esters of hydrogenated coconut oil, palm kernel oil or tallow fatty 
acids. 
Suitable surfactants of the sulfate type include the sulfuric acid 
monoesters of primary alcohols of natural and synthetic origin, i.e. of 
fatty alcohols, such as coconut oil fatty alcohol, tallow fatty alcohol, 
oleyl alcohol, lauryl, myristyl, palmityl or stearyl alcohol, or the 
C.sub.10 -C.sub.20 oxoalcohols, and those of secondary alcohols having the 
same chain length. The sulfuric acid monoesters of aliphatic primary 
alcohols ethoxylated with from 1 to 6 moles of ethylene oxide or of 
ethoxylated secondary alcohols or alkylphenols are also suitable. Sulfated 
fatty acid alcohol amides and sulfated fatty acid monoglycerides are also 
suitable. 
Other suitable anionic surfactants include the fatty acid esters and amides 
of hydroxy- or aminocarboxylic acids or sulfonic acids, such as for 
example fatty acid sarcosides, glycolates, lactates, taurides or 
isethionates. 
The anionic surfactants may be used in the form of their sodium, potassium 
and ammonium salts, and as soluble salts of organic bases, such as mono-, 
di- or triethanolamine. 
Suitable nonionic surfactants include the adducts of from 1 to 40 and 
preferably from 2 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide with 1 mole of a compound 
containing from 10 to 20 carbon atoms selected from the group consisting 
of alcohols, alkylphenols and fatty acids. Of particular importance are 
the adducts of from 8 to 20 moles of ethylene oxide with primary alcohols, 
for example with coconut oil or tallow fatty alcohols, with oleyl alcohol, 
with oxoalcohols or with secondary alcohols containing from 8 to 18 and 
preferably from 12 to 18 carbon atoms and also with mono- or 
dialkylphenols containing from 6 to 14 carbon atoms in the alkyl radicals. 
In addition to these water-soluble nonionics, however, completely or 
substantially water-insoluble polyglycol ethers containing from 2 to 7 
ethylene glycol ether groups in the molecule are of interest, particularly 
where they are used together with water-soluble nonionic or anionic 
surfactants. 
Other suitable nonionic surfactants include the water-soluble adducts 
containing from 20 to 250 ethylene glycol ether groups and from 10 to 100 
propylene glycol ether groups, of ethylene oxide with polypropylene 
glycol, alkylene diamine polypropylene glycol and with alkyl polypropylene 
glycols containing from 1 to 10 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain in which 
the polypropylene glycol chain acts as the hydrophobic radical. It is also 
possible to use nonionic surfactants of the amine oxide or sulfoxide type, 
for example the compounds N-cocosalkyl-N,N-dimethylamine oxide, 
N-hexadecyl-N,N-bis-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-amine oxide, 
N-tallowalkyl-N,n-dihydroxyethylamine oxide. N-alkoxylated fatty acid 
amides are not regarded as nonionic surfactants in the context of the 
present invention. 
The zwitter-ionic surfactants optionally used are preferably derivatives of 
aliphatic quaternary ammonium compounds in which one of the aliphatic 
radicals consists of a C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 radical while another contains an 
anionic, water-solubilizing carboxy, sulfo or sulfato group. Typical 
representatives of surface-active betaines such as these include, for 
example, the compounds 
3-(N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)-propanesulfonate; 3-(N-tallow 
alkyl-N,N-dimethylammonio)-2-hydroxypropanesulfonate; 3-(N- 
hexadecyl-N,N-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-ammonio)-2-hydroxypropylsulfate; 
3-(N-cocosalkyl-N,N-bis-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-ammonio)-propanesulfonate; 
N-tetradecyl-N,N-dimethylammonioacetate; 
N-hexadecyl-N,N-bis-(2,3-dihydroxypropyl)-ammonioacetate. 
Reduced foaming power, which is desirable where the detergent compositions 
according to the invention are used in machines, is obtained, for example, 
by the joint use of soaps. With soaps, foam inhibition increases with the 
degree of saturation and the C-chain length of the fatty acid ester. Soaps 
of saturated and unsaturated C.sub.12 -C.sub.24 fatty acids are therefore 
particularly suitable foam inhibitors. 
The non-surfactant foam inhibitors are generally water-insoluble, mainly 
aliphatic compounds containing C.sub.8 -C.sub.22 hydrocarbon radicals. 
Suitable non-surfactant foam inhibitors include, for example, the 
N-alkylaminotriazines, i.e. reaction products of 1 mole of cyanuric 
chloride with from 2 to 3 moles of a mono- or dialkylamine containing from 
8 to 18 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical. Also suitable are propoxylated 
and/or butoxylated aminotriazines, for example the reaction products of 1 
mole of melamine with 5 to 10 moles of propylene oxide and, in addition, 
10 to 50 moles of butylene oxide, and the aliphatic C.sub.18 -C.sub.40 
ketones, such as for example stearone, fatty ketones of hardened train oil 
fatty acid or tallow fatty acid and also paraffins and halogen paraffins 
melting below 100.degree. C. and silicone oil emulsions based on polymeric 
organosilicon compounds. 
The detergents according to the invention may also contain bleaches and 
bleach acivators. Among the compounds yielding H.sub.2 O.sub.2 in water 
which are used as bleaches, sodium perborate tetrahydrate 
(NaBO.sub.2.H.sub.2 O.sub.2.3 H.sub.2 O) and the monohydrate 
(NaBO.sub.2.H.sub.2 O.sub.2) are of particular importance. However, other 
H.sub.2 O.sub.2 -yielding borates may also be used, for example perborax 
Na.sub.2 B.sub.4 O.sub.7.4H.sub.2 O.sub.2. These compounds may be 
completely or partly replaced by other active oxygen carriers, more 
especially by peroxypyrophosphates, citrate perhydrates, urea/H.sub.2 
O.sub.2 or melamine/H.sub.2 O.sub.2 compounds, and by H.sub.2 O.sub.2 
-yielding peracidic salts, such as for example caroates (KHSO.sub.5), 
perbenzoates or peroxyphthalates. 
Since the detergents according to the invention are particularly suitable 
for washing at low washing temperatures, activator-containing bleach 
components are preferably incorporated therein. Certain N-acrylic and 
O-acyl compounds which form organic per-acids are used as activators for 
per compounds yielding H.sub.2 O.sub.2 in water. Suitable compounds 
include, inter alia, N-diacylated and N,N-tetra-acylated amines, such as 
for example N,N,N,N,-tetra-acetyl methylenediamine or ethylenediamine and 
tetra-acetyl glycoluril. 
The detergents and cleaning preparations may contain as a further component 
a soil carrier which suspends the soil detached from the fibers in the 
wash solution and thus prevents its redeposition. Suitable soil carriers 
include water-soluble, generally organic colloids, such as for example the 
water soluble salts or polymeric carboxylic acids, glue, gelatin, salts of 
ether carboxylic acids or ether sulfonic acids of starch or cellulose, or 
salts of acidic sulfuric acid esters of cellulose or starch. Water-soluble 
polyamides containing acidic groups are also suitable for this purpose. It 
is also possible to use soluble starch preparations and other starch 
products than those mentioned above, such as for example degraded starch, 
aldehyde starches etc. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone may also be used.

EXAMPLE I 
A mixture of the following composition, in % by weight, was prepared. In 
the following, "EO" stands for moles of ethylene oxide. 
7.0% alkyl benzenesulfonate, 
4.0% C.sub.15 -C.sub.18 fatty alcohol-5 EO/C.sub.16 -C.sub.18 fatty 
alcohol-10 EO (50 : 50), 
1.0% C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 fatty acid, Na salt, 
1.4% polycarboxylic acid, 
3.5% waterglass, ratio Na.sub.2 O: SiO.sub.2 =3.35, 
0.7% cellulose ether mixture, 
0.3% perfume, 
0.2% protease, 
16.0% tripolyphosphate, 
15.0% layer silicate (altonite), 
5.0% fatty acid condensate, and the balance, sodium sulfate, water and 
salts. 
The polycarboxylic acid used was a copolymer of acrylic acid and maleic 
acid with an average molecular weight of 70,000 (Sokalan CP 5.RTM., BASF) 
in the form of the sodium salt. 
The fatty acid condensate was prepared from hardened beef tallow and 
n-hydroxyethyl ethylenediamine in accordance with German Patent 
Application No. 19 22 046, column 17, line 67 et seq. Accordingly, the 
fatty acid condensate had the composition indicated in said application. 
Washing tests were carried out with the detergent composition described 
above. 
Test fabrics of molleton/terry or polyester fibers artificially soiled with 
dust/sebum were washed with normally soiled domestic washing at 40.degree. 
C. and 60.degree. C., and wool at 30.degree. C. in an automatic domestic 
drum-type washing machine (Miele W 433) using the "delicates" and 
"woolens" programs. Detergency was determined by measurement of the 
remission, while the softness of the washed and dried fabrics was 
feel-tested by five experienced examiners. 
EXAMPLE II 
A mixture of the following composition, in % by weight, was prepared. In 
the following, "EO" stands for moles of ethylene oxide. 
7.0% alkyl benzenesulfonate, 
4.0% C.sub.15 -C.sub.18 fatty alcohol-5 EO/C.sub.16 -C.sub.18 fatty 
alcohol-10 EO (50 : 50), 
1.0% C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 fatty acid, Na salt, 
1.4% polycarboxylic acid, 
3.5% waterglass, ratio Na.sub.2 O: SiO.sub.2 =3.35, 
0.7% cellulose ether mixture, 
0.3% perfume, 
0.2% protease, 
10.0% zeolite, 
15.0% layer silicate, 
5.0% fatty acid condensate, and the balance, sodium sulfate, water and 
salts. 
The fatty acid condensate used was the fatty acid condensate prepared in 
accordance with Example I. 
Washing tests were carried out with the detergent composition described 
above in the same way as in Example I. 
COMISON EXAMPLE I 
A mixture of the following composition, in % by weight, was prepared. In 
the following, "EO" stands for moles of ethylene oxide. 
7.0% alkyl benzenesulfonate, 
4.0% C.sub.15 -C.sub.18 fatty alcohol-5 EO/C.sub.16 -C.sub.18 fatty 
alcohol-10 EO (50 : 50), 
1.0% C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 fatty acid, Na salt, 
1.4% polycarboxylic acid, 
3.5% waterglass, ratio Na.sub.2 O: SiO.sub.2 =3.35, 
0.7% cellulose ether mixture, 
0.3% perfume, 
0.2% protease, 
16.0% tripolyphosphate, 
5.0% fatty acid condensate, and the balance, sodium sulfate, water and 
salts. 
The fatty acid condensate used was the fatty acid condensate prepared in 
accordance with Example I. 
Washing tests were carried with the detergent composition described above 
in the same way as in Example I. 
COMISON EXAMPLE II 
A mixture of the following composition, in % by weight, was prepared. In 
the following, "EO" stands for moles of ethylene oxide. 
7.0% alkyl benzenesulfonate, 
4.0% C.sub.15 -C.sub.18 fatty alcohol-5 EO/C.sub.16 -C.sub.18 fatty 
alcohol-10 EO (50 : 50), 
1.0% C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 fatty acid, Na salt, 
1.4% polycarboxylic acid, 
3.5% waterglass, ratio Na.sub.2 O: SiO.sub.2 =3.35, 
0.7% cellulose ether mixture, 
0.2% perfume, 
0.2% protease, 
16.0% tripolyphosphate, 
15.0% layer silicate, and the balance, sodium sulfate, water and salts. 
Washing tests were carried out with the detergent composition described 
above in the same way as in Example I. 
In the washing tests, it was found that neither a formulation based on 
layer silicate nor a formulation based on fatty acid condensate was 
capable of achieving the same softness level as the detergent compositions 
according to the invention. The softness levels achieved with the 
detergent compositions according to the invention are higher than the 
combined softness levels of the two Comparison Examples. 
Accordingly, the effect of the combination according to the invention could 
be demonstrated both in phosphate-reduced detergent compositions and in 
phosphate-free detergent compositions.