This invention relates to compositions and processes for preparing liquid suspensions containing specific stabilized gelatinized vegetable starch and surface-active agents. The compositions of this invention can be used for simultaneously providing fabric care benefits and a solvent removal action for fabrics exposed to washing media containing water-insoluble solvents.
The copending commonly assigned patent application of Rodney M. Wise and Sharon J. Mitchell entitled DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS FOR EFFECTIVE OILY SOIL REMOVAL (U.S. Ser. No. 839,221, filed Oct. 3, 1977) discloses compositions and methods for removing oily soils from fabrics involving treatment with specific mixtures of solvents and solvent soluble emulsifiers in aqueous washing media followed by treatment with surface-active agents to remove retained solvent and emulsifier from the fabrics.
The present invention provides fabric care compositions comprising a specific stabilized gelatinized vegetable starch and a surface-active detergent. The compositions are useful in fabric care applications requiring a combination of a sizing effect and detergency. As hereinafter described, aqueous liquid gelatinized starch dispersions are stabilized by exposure to a pH in the range of from about 10 to about 13 or gelatinized and stabilized simultaneously by heating to above the starch's gelatinization temperature while exposing the starch to the required pH. Any excess alkali is then neutralized to a pH of from about 4 to about 9. The compositions contain from about 5% to about 50% of a surface-active detergent selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic, zwitterionic and amphoteric surface-active detergents and mixtures thereof and have a pH of from about 4 to about 11.