Methods and compositions for treating laundry items

Abstract

A method of treating a load of fabric items in a fabric treating appliance according to cycle of operation, the fabric items having a surface with at least a first charge, the fabric treating appliance including a tub defining a fabric treating chamber for receiving the fabric items for treatment according to the cycle of operation includes introducing into the treating chamber a dye fixative, a surface charge modifying agent, and a treating liquid including at least one treating agent configured to remove soils.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 793,369, filed Mar. 15, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 822,750, filed May 13, 2013, which are both incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]Fabric items such as clothing, towels, bedding, etc. can be colored using a variety of different dyes and dyeing processes. In a residential setting, caring for these dyed fabric items may present consumers with several challenges. Some dyed fabric items may have excess or loose dye that can wash off during a normal wash cycle in a clothes washer and redeposit on other items in the laundry load or bleed onto differently dyed areas of the same item, for example. Excess or loose dyes may also rub off onto the consumer or other surfaces during wear or use. Sorting the laundry items before washing into loads of “like color” or washing items separately may address some dye trans...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes a method for treating fabric items in a fabric treating appliance. The method involves introducing a dye fixative, a surface charge modifying agent, and a treating liquid carrying a remove soils agent into the treatment chamber. The dye fixative prevents the dye molecules from releasing from the fabric items, while the surface charge modifying agent neutralizes the negative charge on the fabric items and removes the soils from them, preventing them from being re-deposited onto the fabric surface. The technical effect of this method is that it helps to create quality and durable fabric items that have a fresh and clean appearance.

Problems solved by technology

In a residential setting, caring for these dyed fabric items may present consumers with several challenges.

Excess or loose dyes may also rub off onto the consumer or other surfaces during wear or use.

Sorting the laundry items before washing into loads of “like color” or washing items separately may address some dye transfer concerns, but can by time consuming and inefficient for the user.

In addition, mistakes in sorting loads can lead to dye transfer which cannot be easily removed, potentially ruining the item.

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