Methods and compositions for treating laundry items

1. A method for operating a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation, the cycle of operation comprising:

a pre-wetting phase comprising:

rotating the laundry in the treating chamber;

prior to any wetting of the laundry in the treating chamber, misting the laundry by spraying into the treating chamber a predetermined amount of a pre-wetting liquid, sufficient to wet a first exposed surface of the laundry, in the form of droplets having a diameter and at a rate that the droplets will be temporarily suspended in air;

a pre-wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wetting phase, comprising:

rotating the laundry in the treating chamber;

supplying a pre-wash liquid comprising at least one treating chemistry to the laundry wet by the pre-wetting liquid;

a wash phase, subsequent to the pre-wash phase, comprising:

supplying a wash liquid comprising water and a detergent to the laundry; and

applying mechanical energy to the laundry;

wherein misting the laundry with the pre-wetting liquid prior to supplying the pre-wash liquid to the laundry provides a more uniform distribution of the at least one treating chemistry on the laundry.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-orienting the laundry prior to the pre-wash phase to expose a previously unexposed portion of the laundry to define a second exposed surface of the laundry and misting the second exposed surface of the laundry with the pre-wetting liquid.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-wetting liquid comprises water or a mixture of water and at least one treating chemistry.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one treating chemistry comprises an emulsion.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pre-wetting liquid is uniformly supplied onto the first exposed surface of the laundry.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein uniformly supplying the pre-wetting liquid comprises rotating the laundry during the pre-wetting phase at a rate within a range of 20 to 60 rpm.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the laundry is rotated at the same rate during the pre-wetting phase and the pre-wash phase.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein rotating the laundry during at least one of the pre-wetting or pre-wash phases comprises rotating a drum defining the treating chamber or actuating an impeller located within the treating chamber.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the misting the laundry comprises supplying droplets of liquid suspended in air and configured to settle on the first exposed surface of the laundry without running off the laundry.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the mist comprises liquid droplets having a diameter in the range of 10 to 100 micrometers.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the misting comprises supplying the pre-wetting liquid at a rate of less than 500 mL/min.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising re-orienting the laundry to expose a previously unexposed portion of the laundry and repeating the pre-wetting phase and the pre-wash phase.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one treating chemistry comprises a dye fixative to inhibit a release of dye from the laundry during the wash phase.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one treating chemistry comprises at least one of a surfactant, detergent, enzyme, fragrance, stiffness/sizing agent, wrinkle releaser/reducer, softener, antistatic or electrostatic agent, stain repellant, water repellant, energy reduction/extraction aid, antibacterial agent, medicinal agent, vitamin, moisturizer, shrinkage inhibitor, dye absorber, bleach and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount of a pre-wetting liquid is an amount which does not run off the laundry.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount of a pre-wetting liquid is based on a predetermined remaining moisture content (RMC) for the laundry.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the predetermined RMC is within a range of 5-40%.

18. A method of applying a treating chemistry to laundry in a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber in which laundry is received for treatment according to an automatic cycle of operation and a dispensing system comprising at least one sprayer for supplying the treating chemistry to the laundry, the method comprising:

rotating the laundry relative to the at least one sprayer;

prior to wetting of the laundry in the treating chamber, supplying a pre-wetting liquid to the laundry through the at least one sprayer as a pre-wetting mist comprising liquid droplets of a diameter and at a rate that the droplets will be temporarily suspended in air to wet a first exposed surface of the laundry;

controlling at least one of the rotating the laundry or the supplying a pre-wetting liquid such that the pre-wetting mist settles on an exposed surface of the laundry;

supplying a at least one treating chemistry to the laundry wet by the pre-wetting mist; and

subsequent to the supplying the at least one treating chemistry, supplying a wash liquid comprising water and a detergent to the laundry;

wherein supplying the at least one treating chemistry to the laundry already wet by the pre-wetting mist provides a more uniform distribution of the at least one treating chemistry on the laundry.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein rotating the laundry relative to the at least one sprayer comprises at least one of rotating the laundry with respect to the at least one sprayer, rotating the at least one sprayer with respect to the laundry, or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein rotating the laundry relative to the at least one sprayer comprises one of rotating a drum defining the treating chamber or actuating an impeller located within the treating chamber or both.

21. The method of claim 18 , further comprising re-orienting the laundry prior to supplying the at least one treating chemistry to expose a previously unexposed portion of the laundry to define a second exposed surface of the laundry and supplying the pre-wetting mist to the second exposed surface of the laundry.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the pre-wetting mist comprises water or a mixture of water and at least one treating chemistry.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the pre-wetting mist is uniformly supplied onto the first exposed surface of the laundry.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the uniformly supplying the pre-wetting mist comprises rotating the laundry relative to the at least one sprayer at a rate within a range of 20 to 60 rpm.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the controlling comprises the at least one sprayer supplying droplets of the pre-wetting liquid having a diameter in the range of 10 to 100 micrometers to form the pre-wetting mist.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein the controlling comprises the at least one sprayer supplying droplets of the pre-wetting liquid at a rate of less than 500 mL/min. to form the pre-wetting mist.

27. The method of claim 18 , further comprising re-orienting the laundry to expose a previously unexposed portion of the laundry and repeating the supplying a pre-wetting liquid and the supplying at least one treating chemistry prior to supplying the wash liquid.

28. The method of claim 18 wherein the laundry is rotated relative to the at least one sprayer during at least one of the supplying a pre-wetting liquid or supplying at least one treating chemistry.

29. The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one treating chemistry comprises a dye fixative to inhibit a release of dye from the laundry during a wash phase.

30. The method of claim 18 wherein the at least one treating chemistry comprises at least one of a surfactant, detergent, enzyme, fragrance, stiffness/sizing agent, wrinkle releaser/reducer, softener, antistatic or electrostatic agent, stain repellant, water repellant, energy reduction/extraction aid, antibacterial agent, medicinal agent, vitamin, moisturizer, shrinkage inhibitor, dye absorber, bleach and combinations thereof.

31. The method of claim 18 wherein a predetermined amount of a pre-wetting liquid is an amount which is held by the laundry.

32. The method of claim 18 wherein a predetermined amount of a pre-wetting liquid is based on a predetermined remaining moisture content (RMC) for the laundry.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the predetermined RMC is within a range of 5-40%.