Method of cleaning laundry, wherein said method comprises the steps of: pre-treating the laundry with a liquid pre-treatment composition; and washing the thus-pre-treated laundry in a wash liquor comprising a main wash detergent formulation, preferably a main wash detergent powder, wherein the liquid pre-treatment composition comprises: (a) 0.005 to 20 wt% hydroxamic acid or its corresponding hydroxamate of the structure wherein R 1 is a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or an alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, or a substituted alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, and the types of substitution include one or more of -NH 2, -OH, -S-, -O-, -COOH, and and R 2 is selected from hydrogen and a moiety that forms part of a cyclic structure with a branched R 1 group, b) 3 to 80 wt% of detersive surfactant system comprising anionic nonionic, cationic zwitterionic surfactant or a combination thereof, and wherein the weight ratio a) to b) lies in the range 6: 1 to 1:16000, preferably 1:10 to 1:400, and c) optionally, other ingredients to 100 wt% provided that zeolite, phosphate and carbonate builders are present at less than 5 wt% and ethanol is present at a level of less than 5 wt%. pre-treating the laundry with a liquid pre-treatment composition; and washing the thus-pre-treated laundry in a wash liquor comprising a main wash detergent formulation, preferably a main wash detergent powder, wherein the liquid pre-treatment composition comprises: (a) 0.005 to 20 wt% hydroxamic acid or its corresponding hydroxamate of the structure wherein R 1 is a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or an alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, or a substituted alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, and the types of substitution include one or more of -NH 2, -OH, -S-, -O-, -COOH, and and R 2 is selected from hydrogen and a moiety that forms part of a cyclic structure with a branched R 1 group, b) 3 to 80 wt% of detersive surfactant system comprising anionic nonionic, cationic zwitterionic surfactant or a combination thereof, and wherein the weight ratio a) to b) lies in the range 6: 1 to 1:16000, preferably 1:10 to 1:400, and c) optionally, other ingredients to 100 wt% provided that zeolite, phosphate and carbonate builders are present at less than 5 wt% and ethanol is present at a level of less than 5 wt%. (a) 0.005 to 20 wt% hydroxamic acid or its corresponding hydroxamate of the structure wherein R 1 is a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or an alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, or a substituted alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, and the types of substitution include one or more of -NH 2, -OH, -S-, -O-, -COOH, and and R 2 is selected from hydrogen and a moiety that forms part of a cyclic structure with a branched R 1 group, wherein R 1 is a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkyl, or a straight or branched C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or a straight or branched substituted C 4 -C 20 alkenyl, or an alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, or a substituted alkyl ether group CH 3 (CH 2) n m wherein n is from 2 to 20 and m is from 1 to 12, and the types of substitution include one or more of -NH 2, -OH, -S-, -O-, -COOH, and and R 2 is selected from hydrogen and a moiety that forms part of a cyclic structure with a branched R 1 group, b) 3 to 80 wt% of detersive surfactant system comprising anionic nonionic, cationic zwitterionic surfactant or a combination thereof, and wherein the weight ratio a) to b) lies in the range 6: 1 to 1:16000, preferably 1:10 to 1:400, and c) optionally, other ingredients to 100 wt% provided that zeolite, phosphate and carbonate builders are present at less than 5 wt% and ethanol is present at a level of less than 5 wt%.