Fabric softeners, liquid

Liquid Fabric Softeners. The principal functions of fabric softeners are to minimize the problem of static electricity and to keep fabrics soft (see Antistatic agents). In these laundry additives, the fragrance must reinforce the sense of softness that is the desired result of their use. Most fabric softeners have a pH of about 3.5, which limits the materials that can be used in the fragrances. For example, acetals cannot be used because they break down and cause malodor problems in addition, there is the likelihood of discoloration from Schiff bases, oakmoss extracts, and some specialty chemicals. Testing of fragrance materials in product bases should take place under accelerated aging conditions (eg, 40°C in plastic bottles) to check for odor stabiUty and discoloration. 

Jacques A, Schramm CJ (1997) Fabric softeners. In Lai K-Y (ed) Liquid Detergents. Marcel Dekker, New York... 

Softeners and Anti-stats. A recent formulation trend is to incorporate fabric care benefits, such as softening and anti-static properties, into textile cleaning products in both powder and liquid fomi. The most common ingredient used is ditallnw dimethyl ammonium chloride, the same material used in many liquid fabric-softener products ... 

The only disadvantage of this method is that the obtained product (BA) has a lower bulk density. Such a puffed product, with large quantities of liquids and gas, can be loaded onto the expanded borax. For example, organic such as trichloroethylene, cyclohexanone and pentachlorophenol can be loaded at very high percentages onto the puffed borax, as can non-ionic and anionic surfactants, with the product retaining its free-flowing characteristics. This renders the puffed borax very useful in such diverse compositions as dairy cleaners, fabric softeners and bath additives [8]. 

Many quaternary ammonium compounds are known to possess bactericidal properties, a factor taken into account in the marketing of quaternary ammonium fabric softeners. However, in the spirit of the European REACH initiative (See Chapter 5), many of the ionic liquids in common use are being scrutinized for toxicity potential. For instance, in the aquatic world there are indications that exposure to as little as 10 mg/liter causes skin and gill hyperplasia in zebrafish, leading to respiratory... 

Liquid products are approximately 50 to 60 percent water, with the remainder being a combination of surfactants, builders, foam regulators, enzymes and enzyme stabilizers, hydrotropes, antiredeposition polymers, optical brighteners, corrosion inhibitors, dye, and perfume. Two-in-one formulations also contain antistatic and fabric softening ingredients. Liquid systems require careful selection and blending of raw materials to achieve a stable product. Special attention is necessary for the following items. 

Used in detergent and fabric softener systems compatible with non-ionics to form clear liquid detergent/softener blends. Typical use levels 5-10%. 

New solid fabric softener available in powder form for formulating powdered softeners or flaked form for liquid softeners. Very substantive, good hand and antistatic properties. Typical use levels 5-30%. 

Exhibits unique surfactant and lubricant properties resulting from the liquid, long-chain, saturated fatty acid from which it is made. It can be used as a component in fiber lubricants, textile fiber processing aids and concentrated liquid fabric softeners. 

Fabric softener for preparation of clear liquid concentrates... 

VARISOFT 222LM-(90%) is a more fluid and cold water dispersible version of VARISOFT 222-90%. It is designed to be used in the formulation of regular rinse, concentrated rinse, and high solids aqueous dispersions. Water at temperatures as low as 55F can be used to formulate these liquid rinse cycle fabric softeners. Its versatility simplifies inventory control of the base, yet offers much formulation flexibility. 

The two largest end uses, which are household products and industrial processing aids, together account for 86 percent of the total production of surfactants [4, 22], Household products include heavy-duty powder and liquid detergents, light-duty liquids, and fabric softeners. 

Formaldehyde is found in small amounts in many consumer products including antiseptics, medicines, dish-washing liquids, fabric softeners, shoe-care agents, carpet cleaners, glues, adhesives, and lacquers. If you or a member of your family uses these products, providing fresh outdoor air when you use them, this will reduce your exposure to formaldehyde. Some cosmetics, such as nail hardeners, have very high levels of formaldehyde. If you do not use these products in a small room, or if you have plenty of ventilation when you use them, you will reduce your exposure to formaldehyde. If your children are not in the room when you use these products, you will also reduce their exposure to formaldehyde. 

In the home, fonnaldehyde sources include household chemicals, pressed wood products (especially when new) (EPA 1996), combustion sources (NRC 1986), and some new fabrics (Schorr et al. 1974) and garments. A number of common household products may release formaldehyde to indoor air, including antiseptics, medicines, dish-washing liquids, fabric softeners, shoe-care agents, carpet cleaners, glues, adhesives, and lacquers (Kelly et al. 1996). If children use or play with some of these products, or are present when they are used, additional exposure to formaldehyde may occur. Many cosmetic products contain formaldehyde and some, such as nail polish and nail hardeners, contain high levels (Kelly et al. 1996). If children place these products in their mouth or on their skin, or sniff them, they will be exposed to elevated levels of formaldehyde. 

The situation is different for products designed for light duty, such as for hand dishwashing and softening fabrics. These liquids are generally superior in performance to their powder counterparts to the extent that these existed in the first place. This is also true of shampoo formulations, for which there is no common solid equivalent. 

Although the incorporation of enzymes and fabric softeners strengthened the market position of heavy-duty liquids, it did not solve the basic problem of limited general detergency performance in normal washing. As noted earlier, heavy-duty liquids came close to the performance of the first nonphosphate laundry powders. With time, however, the performance of nonphosphate laundry powders improved... 

In contrast to most other liquid detergents, fabric softeners are not true solutions. The long-chain quaternary salts do not dissolve to form an isotropic solution. 

As additives to improve ease of ironing and to reduce the wrinkling tendencies of a treated textile, silicone derivatives, such as polydimethyl siloxanes, have been incorporated into liquid fabric softener compositions [5],... 

U.S. commercial products were selected for rheological characterization, demonstrating the breadth of rheology exhibited by current household and personal care products. Products include fabric softeners, dishwashing liquids, laundry detergents, shampoos, and dentifrices. 

Liquid fabric softeners are generally non-Newtonian and examples of the shear stress-shear rate relationship for two commercial products (A and B) is shown in Figure 4.25, determined at 22.5°C. In the shear rate range 0 to 250 sec-1, we note non-Newtonian pseudoplastic behavior. 

Both liquid fabric softeners exhibit time-dependent shear effects as shown in step shear rate measurements at room temperature. Figure 4.27 summarizes the steady shear viscosity as a function of time at shear rates of 0.1,0.5,1, and 5 sec-1. Each shear rate is held for a period of 30 sec. 

This section briefly describes the anionic and nonionic surfactants commonly used in commercial HDLD formulations. Cationic surfactants, although used on a large scale, are found predominantly in rinse-added fabric softener products. LAS, alcohol ethoxylates, and alkyl ether sulfates are three of the most widely used surfactants in liquid laundry detergents [44], Recently, various external considerations, such as environmental pressures, have prompted manufacturers to change their surfactant mix to include newer natural-based surfactants [45-47], including alkyl polyglucosides (Henkel) [48],... 

One concept that appears to be of interest is the formulation of two-in-one or softergent liquids. This idea has seen its popularity rise and fall over the past two decades. The prospect of delivering fabric softening in a liquid detergent has often met with consumer pessimism. Most liquid detergent/fabric softener... 

U.S. 6696405 02/2004 Mooney/Unilever Improved crease recovery of fabrics utilizing C20-C40 saturated or unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. For use in fabric conditioning formulations used in the dryer cycle (sheets, liquids for rinse-added fabric softeners)... 

Because of the static electricity imparted to synthetic fabrics by tumble drying, and the increasing proportion of synthetic fabrics in the U.S., the sales of dryer-sheet fabric softener rose much more in the U.S. than in the rest of the world. By 1983, these products accounted for 40% of all household fabric softener sales. Today, tumble dryer sheets and liquid softener sales are of the same order of magnitude [5,6,16], In contrast, rinse-added softeners had a much larger impact in Europe, where 100% cotton items have always been dominant and line drying is still standard practice hence, the softener effect is more noticeable to consumers. 

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