Detergent component for preventing precipitation of water hardness and providing soil removal properties

1. A method of removing soils from a textile surface and preventing calcium precipitation from the textile surface, the method comprising:

(a) forming a use solution having a pH of between 10 and 12 consisting of an alkyl vinyl ether-maleic acid copolymer, water, and at least one component selected from the group consisting of: sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide, phosphates, phosphonates, phosphites and aminocarboxylates, wherein the use solution has less than about 100 parts per million phosphates, phosphonates, phosphites and aminocarboxylates;

(b) applying the use solution onto the textile surface for an amount of time sufficient to remove soils from the textile surface and to prevent calcium precipitation onto the textile surface;

(c) washing the textile surface in the use solution; and

(d) rinsing the use solution from the textile surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use solution has less than about 10 parts per million of the phosphates, phosphonates, phosphites, and aminocarboxylates.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use solution has less than about 1 parts per million of the phosphates, phosphonates, phosphites, and aminocarboxylates.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use solution has between 5 parts per million and 200 parts per million of the alkyl vinyl ether-maleic acid copolymer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use solution has between 10 parts per million and 50 parts per million of the alkyl vinyl ether-maleic acid copolymer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copolymer is methyl vinyl ether-maleic acid copolymer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use solution has a pH of between 10.5 and 12.