Method for conditioning textiles
Fatty branched polyalkoxylates, particularly of the formula: R 1 O(AO) m R 2 (I) where R 1 is C 8 to C 30 aliphatic hydrocarbyl or acyl; AO is predominantly branched alkyleneoxy, particularly propyleneoxy; m is from 2 to 50; and R 2 is H or a is C 1 to C 4 aliphatic hydrocarbyl or acyl, are used as fabric conditioners in CO 2 based dry cleaning systems. The cleaning medium may include detergent surfactant and/or non surfactant cleaning additive or may be free from such additives in which case the treatment can be provided in a rinse cycle in a cleaning process.
1. A method of dry cleaning a textile material, comprising:
i. cleaning the textile material by contacting the textile material with a dry cleaning medium based on liquid CO 2 which includes at least one detergent surfactant and/or non-surfactant cleaning additive;
ii. separating the cleaned textile material from the dry cleaning medium; and
iii. conditioning the cleaned textile material by contacting the cleaned textile material with a treatment medium based on liquid CO 2 which includes from 0.001 to 2.5% by weight of a conditioning agent, relative to the total weight of the conditioning treatment medium, wherein the conditioning agent comprises at least one fatty alcohol branched polyalkyloxylate or fatty acid branched polyalkyloxylate.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fatty alcohol branched polyalkyloxylate is of the formula (I):
R 1 O(AO) m R 2 (I)
where
R 1 is a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic acyl group;
AO is an alkyleneoxy group having a molar portion of branched alkyleneoxy residues of at least 50%;
m is from 2 to 30; and
R 2 is H or is a C 1 to C 4 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a C 1 to C 4 aliphatic acyl group.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the group R 1 is a C 8 to C 22 alkyl group or a C 8 to C 22 alkenyl group.
4. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the groups AO are propyleneoxy and/or butyleneoxy groups.
5. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the group R 2 is H, a methyl or ethyl group, or an acetyl group.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein R 1 is a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the conditioning agent fatty alcohol branched polyalkyloxylate in the cleaning medium is 0.01 to 1% by weight of the cleaning medium.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the textile material is contacted with a dry cleaning treatment medium further including at least one detergent surfactant and/or non-surfactant cleaning additive.
9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the non-surfactant cleaning additive is a multi-esters of the formula (II):
R 11 (XR 12 ) n (II)
where
X is —C(O)O— or —OC(O)—; such that
where X is —C(O)O—,
R 11 is a direct bond or the residue of a C 1 to C 10 hydrocarbyl group from which n hydrogen atoms have been removed; and
R 12 is a C 1 to C 10 hydrocarbyl group; and
where X is —OC(O)—,
R 11 is or the residue of a C 2 to C 10 hydrocarbyl group from which n hydrogen atoms have been removed; and
R 12 is H or a C 1 to C 10 hydrocarbyl group; and
n is from 2 to 5;
the compound having a molecular weight of not more than 750.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the textile material is contacted with the conditioning treatment medium, which does not include any cleaning additives, in a rinse cycle.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment medium does not contain a cleaning additive.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fatty alcohol branched polyalkyloxylate is of the formula (I):
R 1 O(AO) m R 2 (I)
where
R 1 is a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic acyl group;
AO is an alkyleneoxy group having a molar proportion of branched alkyleneoxy residues of at least 50%;
m is from 2 to 30; and
R 2 is H or is a C 1 to C 4 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or C 1 to C 4 aliphatic acyl group.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein R 1 is a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-surfactant cleaning additive is a multi-ester cleaning additive having a molecular weight of not more than 750.
15. A method of rinsing a dry cleaned textile material, comprising:
contacting a textile material that has been dry cleaned with a conditioning treatment medium based on liquid CO 2 which includes a conditioning agent that comprises at least one fatty alcohol branched polyalkyloxylate or fatty acid branched polyalkyloxylate.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the conditioning treatment medium does not contain a cleaning additive.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the conditioning treatment medium comprises from 0.001 to 2.5% by weight of the conditioning agent, relative to the total weight of the conditioning treatment medium.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the fatty alcohol branched polyalkyloxylate is of the formula (I):
R 1 O(AO) m R 2 (I)
where
R 1 is a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic acyl group;
AO is an alkyleneoxy group having a molar proportion of branched alkyleneoxy residues of at least 50%;
m is from 2 to 30; and
R 2 is H or is a C 1 to C 4 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group or C 1 to C 4 aliphatic acyl group.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein R 1 is a C 8 to C 30 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group.