Importance

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Abstract

In fabric laundry procedures, commercial and household laundry detergent compositions commonly contain an optical brightener composition. Brighteners adjust the optical properties of the fabric in such a way that the fabric appears to be white even after repeated washings. Often white fabrics can yellow during use. Fluorescent optical brighteners having an optical blue aspect, mask the yellowing of the fabric. Common laundry detergents fail to have sufficient brightening capacity to brighten heavily soiled white cotton items used in household, commercial, institutional or fast-food food surface. A process for improving the whiteness of soiled white cotton, preferably terry cloth, items involves contacting the soiled white fabric item with a presoak containing an effective proportion of a fluorescent optical brightener composition, removing the item from the presoak and separating the presoak composition from the fabric item producing an extracted item. The extracted item is then laundered in a laundry detergent composition containing a brightener. The resulting white fabric items have substantially improved whiteness when compared to similarly soiled items laundered in conventional processes.

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First Claim