Patent Publication Number: US-10781409-B2

Title: Heavy-duty laundry detergent wipe with washing active substrate

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is the National Stage entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/DE2015/000416 filed on Aug. 20, 2015, published on Mar. 3, 2016 under Publication Number WO 2016/029894, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of German Patent Application Number 10 2014 012 380.4 filed Aug. 25, 2014. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to heavy-duty laundry detergent wipes for cleaning textiles and, in particular, to heavy-duty laundry detergent wipes, wherein the substrate comprises homogeneously distributed washing active components, and to a method for manufacturing same. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART 
     The pursuit of hygiene exists from the beginning of mankind. Hygiene eventually is an important aspect of everyday life. The hygienic approach primarily consists in maintaining the health. In addition to the general cleaning effects scent and improved cleaning power of the raw material compositions have also come under scrutiny due to extended possibilities. Cleaning power optimization is particularly characterized by the ability to extend a hygienically clean state and an improvement of the degree of cleaning. 
     Nowadays hygiene can be divided into the fields of body, surface and textile hygiene. The latter is divided into applications depending on textile material and color. At least since the Nineties of the 20 th  century the consumer&#39;s awareness has been raised of ecological cleaning. In this regard, it is desirable to maintain the advantages of conventional washing detergents, on the one hand, and to find further innovative and ecologically feasible product solutions, on the other hand. 
     With the beginning of industrial production, laundry detergents have been realized as powders. This very day, a powder laundry detergent consists of a mixture of different washing active substances. 
     With the progress during the development of laundry detergents enzymes and other new surfactant compounds entered this market segment. In addition to the substances necessary for cleaning large amounts of filler material are added nowadays. Accordingly, no change of the consumer&#39;s dosing behavior was necessary. First attempts to omit filler material resulted in an overdosing of the surfactants due to the application the users were used to. 
     Then liquid washing detergents were introduced which could be dosed residue-free and, thus, offered a physical alternative to the mixture of solids of laundry detergents. However, up to now liquid washing detergents do not accomplish the cleaning level of a heavy-duty laundry detergent (i.e., a mixture of solids). This is due to the fact that a liquid washing detergent is limited to liquid components or components which are well soluble in water. The essential substances missing in a liquid washing detergent are the zeolites. The latter support dirt adsorption and brightening/color fastness during the application. 
     A current product trend is the simplified way of portioning the washing detergent. This can be achieved, on the one hand, by packing a liquid washing detergent in small polymer pouches. Another physical modification of the washing detergent consists in mixing a washing detergent with a fatty alcohol in order to achieve desired forms. DE 10 2010 060 126 A1 discloses a two-phase product in the form of a laundry detergent wipe, characterized by the combination of a hydrophilic carrier material and an impregnating liquid. 
     In contrast thereto, DE 10 2013 014 015 discloses a three-phase product, wherein a dispersion is applied to a substrate which is solid at ambient temperature. Due to the use of a dispersion for the first time, a cleaning power with the features of a powdered washing detergent (zeolites, phyllosilicates) could be achieved. Primarily hydrophobic carrier substrates have been used because the laundry detergent dispersion also has hydrophilic characteristics due to the higher amount of washing active substances as compared to the two-phase system. DE 10 2014 004 915 discloses a further improved three-phase product with a more homogeneous distribution of the washing active substances and a method for manufacturing same. 
     Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a laundry detergent wipe with a homogeneous distribution of the washing active substances and the solid components of the dispersion, resp., on the substrate in order to achieve a further improved distribution of the active substances and, thus, a better performance of the laundry detergent wipe. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-phase laundry detergent wipe which shows a more even, in particular, homogeneous, distribution of the washing active substances and the solid components of the dispersion, resp., on the substrate. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing same. 
     This object has been achieved by a method for manufacturing a homogeneous three-phase laundry detergent wipe, which is characterized by the following steps: (a) incorporating washing active substances which are water insoluble and solid at ambient temperature into a substrate which is solid at ambient temperature such that the substances are homogeneously distributed over the substrate after incorporation, (b) impregnating the substrate so functionalized with an impregnating liquid. 
     This object has also been achieved by a three-phase laundry detergent wipe, comprising a substrate which is solid at ambient temperature and impregnated with an impregnating liquid, characterized in that washing active substances which are water insoluble and solid at ambient temperature have been incorporated into the substrate such that the substances are homogeneously distributed over the substrate. 
     Advantageous embodiments of the inventive three-phase laundry detergent wipe and its manufacturing method are disclosed in the dependent claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Generally, the distribution of the washing active substances and the solid components of the dispersion, resp., on a substrate is not homogeneous. The inventive three-phase laundry detergent wipe with homogeneous distribution of the washing active substances and the solid components, resp., could be realized by incorporating the secondary builders (zeolite and/or phyllosilicates and/or optical brighteners), which so far have been components of the dispersion applied to the substrate, in the substrate which is solid at ambient temperature during its manufacturing process—i.e., before applying an impregnating liquid. The solid water insoluble additives can be added by means of a water bath before solidification of the substrate. Alternatively, the zeolite and/or the phyllosilicates can be sprayed onto the substrate during its manufacturing via a suspended dispersion (e.g., additive/water). 
     Incorporating solid water insoluble and washing active substances (here: zeolite and/or phyllosilicates and/or optical brighteners) results in an activation of the substrate with components which provide the three-phase final product with the features of a heavy duty laundry detergent. After incorporating the solids the substrate so functionalized is impregnated with an impregnating liquid which is a liquid washing detergent. Impregnation of the functionalized substrate can be obtained by immersion in an immersion bath, spraying the liquid washing detergent onto the activated substrate or moistening the substrate with the liquid washing detergent using one or more moistening rods. 
     The method of incorporating water insoluble solids into the substrate before applying the impregnating liquid has the following advantages:
         a) applicability of larger particles   b) distribution of the washing active and water insoluble solids across the entire substrate depth (homogeneous distribution)   c) depot function of the functional solids incorporated into the substrate resulting in a longer lasting diffusion of the particles during the washing process such that they are available over a longer period of time.       

     Non-wovens from filament fibers (continuous filaments), in particular, from the following materials are suitable for the substrate:
         polypropylene   polyethylene   viscose   polyester   polyamide   and mixtures of these raw materials       

     The above mentioned raw materials for the substrate can be fiber mixtures (of one or more filament fibers) as well as joint fibers (jacket-core or side by side). The components described above are hydrophobic and thus have the advantageous feature to adsorb hydrophobic textile colors in the hydrophilic washing water. 
     The present invention can be used in all categories of laundry detergents. For example, the following laundry detergent solutions were used: 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Heavy duty laundry detergent wipe (universal): 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 anionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 nonionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 phosphonates/complex builders 
               
               
                   
                 C10-C18 fatty acid salts 
               
               
                   
                 optical brighteners 
               
               
                   
                 enzymes 
               
               
                   
                 stabilizers (propylene glycol, glycerine, borax, inulin) 
               
               
                   
                 scents 
               
               
                   
                 preservatives 
               
               
                   
                 soil-release polymer 
               
               
                   
                 pH regulators 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Color laundry detergent wipe (color): 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 anionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 nonionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 phosphonates/complex builders 
               
               
                   
                 C10-C18 fatty acid salts 
               
               
                   
                 colorants 
               
               
                   
                 color transfer protectors 
               
               
                   
                 hydrotropes (sodium cumenesulfonate) 
               
               
                   
                 enzymes 
               
               
                   
                 stabilizers (propylene glycol, glycerine, borax, inulin) 
               
               
                   
                 scents 
               
               
                   
                 preservatives 
               
               
                   
                 soil-release polymer 
               
               
                   
                 pH regulators 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Black laundry detergent wipe (black): 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 anionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 nonionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 phosphonates/complex builders 
               
               
                   
                 C10-C18 fatty acid salts 
               
               
                   
                 colorants 
               
               
                   
                 color transfer protectors 
               
               
                   
                 enzymes 
               
               
                   
                 stabilizers (propylene glycol, glycerine, borax, inulin) 
               
               
                   
                 opacifiers 
               
               
                   
                 scents 
               
               
                   
                 preservatives 
               
               
                   
                 pH regulators 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 White laundry detergent wipe (white): 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 anionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 nonionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 C10-C18 fatty acid salts 
               
               
                   
                 optical brighteners 
               
               
                   
                 soil-release polymer 
               
               
                   
                 color transfer protectors 
               
               
                   
                 enzymes 
               
               
                   
                 stabilizers (propylene glycol, glycerine, borax, inulin) 
               
               
                   
                 colorants 
               
               
                   
                 opacifiers 
               
               
                   
                 scents 
               
               
                   
                 preservatives 
               
               
                   
                 pH regulators 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Fine laundry detergent wipe: 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 anionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 nonionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 C10-C18 fatty acid salts 
               
               
                   
                 phosphonates/complex builders 
               
               
                   
                 color transfer protectors 
               
               
                   
                 enzymes 
               
               
                   
                 stabilizers (propylene glycol, glycerine, borax, inulin) 
               
               
                   
                 scents 
               
               
                   
                 defoamers 
               
               
                   
                 preservatives 
               
               
                   
                 pH regulators 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Wool laundry detergent wipe: 
               
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   
                 anionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 nonionic tensides 
               
               
                   
                 amphoteric tensides 
               
               
                   
                 C10-C18 fatty acid salts 
               
               
                   
                 phosphonates/complex builders 
               
               
                   
                 color transfer protectors 
               
               
                   
                 scents 
               
               
                   
                 preservatives 
               
               
                   
                 opacifiers 
               
               
                   
                 conditioners 
               
               
                   
                 pH regulators 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     The liquid washing detergent of the impregnating liquid can have a viscosity greater than 500 mPas. Furthermore, all known components of a heavy-duty laundry detergent can be included.