Patent ID: 8703689

Claim:
A method of reducing damage to metal parts of a washing machine during a laundry cycle using a hypochlorite-containing bleach, the method comprising the step of adding to said laundry cycle an aqueous liquid bleaching composition consisting essentially of: i. from about 1.0% to 10.0% by weight of alkali metal hypochlorite, ii. from about 0.05% to 5.0% by weight of alkali metal hydroxide to provide the composition with a pH in the range of from about 9 to 14; iii. from about 0.02% to 5.0% by weight of an alkali metal silicate or mixtures of alkali metal silicates; iv. from about 0.0001% to 0.1% by weight of an alkali metal periodate; v. water, and vi. optionally a fragrance wherein the fragrance either is added directly to the composition or is added as an emulsified solution wherein the emulsified solution optionally contains a surfactant that is compatible with hypochlorite, wherein the presence of said bleaching composition during said laundry cycle does not cause damage to metal parts of the washing machine with which it comes into contact.