CA1137260A - Pretreatment composition for stain removal - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A method and compositions for pre-laundering treat-ment of fabrics for stain removal are disclosed. The compo-sitions comprise 25-100% of an ester of a short chain alcohol and a fatty acid and 0-75% of a surfactant.

Description

' This invention applies to the field of composi-tions for the pretreatment of heavily soiled areas of tex-tiles prior to regular ~ashing. Many textile articles are not uniormly soiled; examples are tablecloths, pants' knees and collars and cufs on men's shirts. I a sultable pre-treatment is applied to the badly stained areas, better re-. .
sults can be obtained for the wash in general with less useof the detergent product. Especially difficult is finding a suitable pretreatment for the removal of greasy stains from fabrics such as polyesters.

Hydrophilic fibers, such as cotton, have a prefer-ential affinity for water over oil. During laundering, water displaces oily soil from the surface of the fabric, causing the soil to "roll-up"; the soil is then more readily removed by mechanical action. Polyester fibers, such as those made ~rom the copolymer of ethylene glycol and tereph'thalic acid, do not have this preferential affinity for water,'but rather, ' ~ are hydrophobic. Blends of polyester and cotton also ex-hibit hydrophobic tendencies. 'Due to this lack of affinity bet~een fiber and ~later, ordinary laundering o~ten does not satisfactorily remove oily soils from polyester-con~ainlng '' ~~
fibers. -.

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" ' -1 The use oE certain types of materials for pre-treàtment is known to the art. U.S. Patent 3,431,060 discloses a composition with a synthetic detergent and an optical brightener dispensed in aerosol form using a 5 suitable propellant. The active is broadly disclosed as being a nonionic, anionic or cationic surfactant.
U.S. Patent 3,417,023 discloses a pretreatment stick containing a gel-forming soap, a synthetic deter- !
gent and an optical brightener. The detergent is again broadly disclosedO
U.S. Patent 3,915,633 discloses a pre-wash com-posltion containing an organic complexing acid and a non-ionic or anionic surfactant. Among the sample nonionics mentioned are the esters polyglycerol monolaurate and gly-col dioleate. No example is given using either ester.
Certain organic es*ers are known to be cleaning aids. U.S. Patent 2,251,691 discloses partial esters of polyglycerol and fatty acids as being useful in dry clean-ing. U.S. Patent 2,251,694 discloses an ester of a hydroxy-carboxylic acid and a fatty acid as being useful in dry cleaning. The alkyl esters of fatty acids are disclosed by U.S~ Patent 1,875,530 as being useful ingredients of cosme--tics. Polyethylene glycol esters of fatty acids are dis- ¦
closed as having surfactant properties by U.S. Patent

2,528,13~.
U.S. Patent 2,462,758 discloses a detergent com-position consisting essentially of sulfate or sulfonated anionic surfactant and an monohydric ~lcohol or glycol ester. The ester is added to the composition in order to improve foaming characteristics.

1~L37~60 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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It is an object of the present invention to pro-vide a laundry pretreatment composition wllich will provide effective stain removal on polyester contain:ing fibers.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a laundry pretreatment composition which will effectively remove greasy-oily soils.
Still other objects and advantages of the present i~vention will become apparenk from the instant specifica-tion. --It has now been found that the above ohjects may be accomplished by the use of a pretreating composition comprising as an active system, about 25%~100% of an ester of a short chain alcohol and a fatty acid, about 0-75~ of l~ a nonionic surfactant and about 0-50% of an anionic surfac-. ... . .
tant. In a preferred embodiment the composition is non-aqueous and contains 50-90% ester and 10-50% of a surfac-tant.
:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

2~ The instant invention provides for a method of -treating stained fabric prior to laundering hy contacting said~ fabric with a composition which comprises about 25%
to about 100~ of an ester of a short chain alcohol and a fatty acid, 0 to about 75~ of a nonionic surfactant, and 2~ o to about 50~ of an anionic surfactant.
The esters encompassed by this invention are well known to the art. They are formed of alcohols con-taining 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and having one or more hydroxyl groups and fatty acids containing ahout 8 to about 22 ` ~37%6(~ 1 .
C~
carbon atoms, saturated or unsaturated, branched or straight chain. Fatty acid di-esters of t~le polyalkylene glycols, such as polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol, may also be used. These are nonionic in nature but have no surface active properties. Among the esters contemplated are:

S (1) Esters of monohydric alcohols of the formula R-OH, wherein R is an alkyl radical; such as isopropyl myristate, isopropyl palmitate, but~l stearate, butyl oleate, ethyl stearate!, isopropyl isostearate and methyl laurate (2) Glycerol esters such as glycerol monolaurate, glycerol mono- and di-oleate, and glycerol monostearake; also the corresponding esters of polyglycerol;

(3) Glycol esters such as ethylene glycol mono- ~' 15 ~ and di-stèaràte, diethylene glycol di-stearate, and mixtures thereof;

(4) Polyethylene glycol esters such as PEG di- ¦
- ~ stearate.
Mixtures of the above estexs may also be used, including esters produced by the reaction of alcohols with fatty acid groups, such as coconut oil or tallow fatty acids~
The amount and type of surfactant to be used in conjunction with the ester for maximum stain removal will 2~ depend on the type of stain and the type of fabric. In some applications, 100~ ester is desirable; in cthers a 50/50 mixture gives optimal results. Active compositions compris~
ing about 25~ to about 90~ ester, along with 0 to about 60 anionic surfactant and~0 to about 75~ nonionic surfactant ' .

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are preferred for use where the range of fabrics treated will be broad, encompassing synthetics and synthetic/cot-ton blends.
The nonionic surface-active agents useful in this invention include those normally used in detergent compositions. Among these are:
(1) Polyoxyethylene condensates of alkyl phenols containing 6-12 carbon atoms in a straight or branched chain, and 2-25 E.O. units per molecule. Commercial surfactants of this 1-~!~ type are the Igepals and Tritons.
(2) Condensation products of aliphatic alcohols containing 8-22 carbon atoms in a straight or branched chain with ethylene oxide, 3-15 lS ~.O. units per molecule. Examples are the - ~ Tergitols and Neodols. -- (3) Condensation products of ethylene oxide with the reaction products of propylene oxide and diamine. Examples are the Tetronics.
20- (4) Condensation produc~s of ethylene oxide with the xeaction product of propylene oxide and propylene glycol. Examples are the Pluronics~

(5) Amine oxide surfactants having the formula RlR2R3 N ~ O wherein Rl and R2 are Cl-C3 alkyl groups and R3 is a C8-C22 alkyl with 0-2 hydroxyl groups.

(6) Phosphine oxide surfactants of the formula RlR2R3 P ~ O wherein Rl, R2 and R3 arP as defined above.

(7~ Sulfoxide surfactants of the formula .~ t~e l~rks --5~

37Z61~ 1 o R3~- S R2, whexein R3 and R2 a.re as de-fined above.
The anionic surface-active agents which may be used are those commonly found in detergent products. In-cluded are:
(1) The "soaps", alkali metal, ammonium and alkyl ammonium salts of C8-C22 fatty .¦
acids; ` .¦.
t2) alkali metal and ammonium salts of organic sulfuric reactions products containing an alkyl radical having 8 to 22 carbon atoms.
Examples are the alkyl sulfates, the alkyl ¦ :
sulfonates, and the alkyl benzene sulfon- 1, :
1~ ates; \
- - (3) the olefin sulfonates having 8-22 carbon -atoms;
: (4) the alkyl glyceryl ether sulfonates ha~ing 8-22 carbon atoms;
(5) alkali met.al salts of fatty acid monogly- -ceride sulfates and sulfonates; - .
(6) alkali metal salts of alkylphenol ethylene oxide ether sulfates, containing 1 12 E.O.
units per molecule and 8-22 carbon atoms ~ - in the`alkyl chain;
- (7) the.fa~ty acid isethionates;
(8) the alkyl ether sulfates having 1-30 E.O.
units per molecule and an alkyl or al.kenyl unit of 8-22 carbon atoms;
3~ (9) salts of.a fatty acid amide of a methyl tauride.

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Nonionic surfactants are preferred for the compo-sitions of this invention and may be used at levels up to about 75%~ Anionic surfactants are less effective in these compositions, but can still be used at levels up to about 60%.
In addition, the combinations of anionics and esters showed a tendency to separate in many cases, and were therefore less suitable for commercial application.
Mixtures of the various surfactants herein described may also be used. I
In addition to the surfactant/ester system, the pretreatment composition may contain other adjuvants known to the detergent art such as builders, bleaches, and opti- i cal brighteners. Other materials to ease dispensing may also be added. If the product is to be used in stick form, ~irming agents such as clays may be used; if it is to be dispensed as an aerosol, a propellant may be added.
In its most preferred form, the composition com-prises about 50-90% ester, 0 to about 50~ nonionic surface-active agent and 0 to about 50~ anionic surface-active agent, the total surfactant being a~out 10% to about 50~. The pre-ferred compositions contain little or no water, since added water can hasten hydrolysis of the ester, or separation of th~ surfactant and ester.
The preferred esters for use in the compositions are esters formed of alcohols of the formula R-OH wherein R is an alkyl radical, with fatty acids; isopropyl myristate and butyl stearate particularly preferred. The preferred sur-factants are nonionics with ethylene oxide condensates of primary and secondary alcohols having 11-15 carbon atoms 30- and 3-5 ~.O. units per molecule particularly preferred.

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. . , The following examples serve to illustrate the invention. All proportions are by weight.
In the following e~amples, the procedure for determining stain removal is as follows:
, ~ 65/35 Dacron/cotton (D/C) and single knit poLy-ester swatches are s~ained with 3 and 5 drops of dirty mo~or oil, xespectively/ and the oil is allowed to be - absorbed into the,cloth for one hour. The result of the staining procedure is swatches with stains of approximately equal si~e. The reflectance of each swatch is then mea- ', sured with a Gardner Reflectance Spectrophotometer, Model No. XL-lO, CDM.' The stained swatches are treated by drop-ping a specified amount of a pretreatment composition on ', each stain, and adding two swatches to a pot containing l L5 , literof a standard detergent solution. The detergents, de-scribed belo~, and made up with 180 ppm (unless otherwise specified) hardness water (Ca~+:Mg+~ = 2:l~. The swatches are agitated in this detergent solution at 120F for 10 ' minutes, rinsed or one minute'in fresh 180 ppm, 120F 1 water, and dried in a commercial clothes dryer. A final reflectance value is then measured. Detergency is calcu-lated by subtracting the initial average reflectance of the soiled cloth before pretreatment from the reflectance of the cloth after'treating and drying. The ~ detergency 'is determined by dividing this detergency number by a num-ber representing the average difference in reflectance between a soiled cloth and a clean cloth. Thus, Ref (after washing) -_Re~ (after soiling) x lO0 , ~ detergency Ref ~-fore soiling) - Ref (after soillng) A difference in % detergency between two samples run together of about 5 percentage points should be considered a signifi-- 'cant difference~
- Two laundry detergents were used to wash the cloths.
Their compositions were as follows: ~
e m~rk ~ ~ -~L37260 J
- . Detergent A - _ -... , . - , -~lei~ht %
Sodium Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (C14-C18 7.4 Sodium Plcohol Sulfate (Cl~-C18 chaln) 5.2 Sodium Fatty Alcohol E.O. Sulfate (C12-C1~ 4.2 chain, 4.7 E.O. Avera~e) Polyethylene Glycol (M.W. = 6000-7500) 1.6 Sodium Sulfate 36.6 Sodium Phosphates 23.2 Sodium Silicate (SiO2:Na2O = 2.4) . 10.4 Sodium Carbonate . 3.9 Water -- 6.8 Miscellaneous to 100 ' Detergent B
Weight oxylated Primary Alcohol - C14-ls Chain . Length,13 E.O. Average , . 8.9 , Sodium Soap . 1.0 : 20 Sodium Tripolyphosphate - 30,0 dium Silicate (SiO2:Na2O = 2.4) 4.5 Sodium Perborate 2.5 Sodium Sulfate 43.Q
Water 9 3 25 Miscellaneous to 100 - ~3~6~) 1 Test formulations were made up as follcws:
~ster - isopropyl myristate urEactant - C~ 5 secondary alcohol, 3 E.O. (sold by Union Carbide as Tergitol 15-S-3).

EsterNonionic Surfactant 1 - 100%
2 25% 75~ i 3 50% 50~ ,i ' 4 '75% 25%
100~
The detergent solution used in the testing was made from Detergent A. 0.5 grams pretreatment witli a~ove , mixture per swatch was used.
5 ~ .,. .. ~. Q Detergency ' Det. A conc. , Sample ~ /C Polyester .. - . ~ _ Control (no pretreatment) ' 2.0 16.2 4.2 1 - 1.4 28.9 2~.~
~0 2 ' - ' 1.4 35~8 39.2 3 1.4 39.2 40.8 4 ' 1.4 37.7 33.9 ' 1, ~ 40.8 21.6 I , The data show that it is more difficult to remove the stain from polyester than from blends with cotton,,prob-ably due to the aforementioned hydrophobic nature of poly-ester. On polyester, mixtures of nonionic and ester clearly ' show the greatest detergency. On Dacron~cotton, the ester alon~ is comparable to the mixtures.

~L~3726~) -... .~ .~ . , E~AMPLES 6-10 Test formulations were made up as follows:

Iso~ro~yl myristate Cll-15 sec- alcohol 5 E.O.
(Tergitol 15-S-5) 6 - 100%

7 25% 75%

8 50% 50%

9 75~ 25%
'100~ -The detergent solution was Detergent A. Pre-treat~ent = 0.5 g/swatch.

~ Deterqenc~
Det. A
Sample q/l D/C Polyester ~Control (no pretreatment) 2.0 28.4 , 1.5 6 1.4 20.3 13.8 7 1.4 37.3 32.3 - 8 - 1.4 55.4 46.1 - 9 1.~ 49.2 46.5 ~ 10 1.4 51.3 31.
, With this formulation peak detergency on poly-ester cloths appears to be somewhere in the range of 50-75~ ester; on Dacron/cotton comparable detergency was - found in the 50-100% ester range.

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EX~MPLES 11-15 Test formulations:

Isopropyl m~ristate C11-15 sec- alcohol 7 E.O, (Tergitol 15-S-7) 11 - 100%
12 25% 75%
13 50% 50 14 75~ 25%
1~ 100%

Detergent solution: Detergent A. Pretrea-t-ment: 0.5 g/swatch.

~ Detergency Det. A
~ q~lD/C Pol!yester \
Control (no pretreatment) 2.0 28.5 3.4 ~`
' ~ .
11 1.4 15.9 8.1 12 1.~ 21.1 12.7 13 1.4 31.0 32.2 lg 1.4 36.8 33.1 2~ 15 1.4 49.4 43.0 This surfactant gives poorer detergency than - those with less E.O. per molecule. Improvements are ~ound with greater ester concentrations.

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- ~37;~6C~ 1 The following formulations were made with primary alcohol ethoxylates and isopropyl m~ristate.

Isopropyl m~ristate Nonionic -- !
: 5 16 - 100% C12_15, 3 E-O-17 25~ 75~ C12-15' 3 E.O.
18 75% 25~o cl2-l5~ 3 E-O-19 100%
. 100% C12_1s~ 9 E-O- ;
21 25% -75% C12-15' 9 E.O. .
22 50% 50~ C12-15~
23 75~ 25% C12-15' 9 24 100~ - C12 15~ 9 E.O. .

The C12 15~ 3 E.O. surfactant is sold by Shell as Neodol .
C12 15, 9 E.O, surfactant is Neodol 25-9 ~
The detergent solution is Detergent A.

% Deter~enc~ _ Pretreatment Det. A . .
Sampleg/swatch ~ D/C Polyester 16 ~75 1~36 32~0 . 37~9 .
17 ~50 1~36 34~2 36~3 18 ~50 1~36 39~9 49~2 19 ~75 1.36 50~5 35.2 _ . . . _ .
Control (no pretreatment~ 2~0 22~8 3~4 - 20 ~50 1~4 10~1 16~7 21 50 104 18~2 14~2 22 ~ 50 1.4 32.4 42.2 23 .50 1.~ 48~9 S0~5 24 O50 1~4 46~1 37~

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The higher E.O. material again provides poorer detergency, with less ester. ~t higher ester concentra-tion, the differences between surfactants are small.

The following formulations were made with vari-ous esters as indicated, and Cll 15 secondary alcohol with : 5 EØ

ster Type Ester_% Nonionic Isopropyl myristate/ - 100% i palmitate blend 26 " 25% 75%
27 " 50% 50 - 28 " ; 75~ 25%
29 " . 100~ , -Butyl Stearate - 100~
31 . " 25~ 75% .
32 " 50% ~ 50%
33 " 75% 25 34 " 100~ -Detergent solution: Detergent A. Pretreatment:
0.5.g/swatch.

.

% Detergency Det. A
_g/l D/C Polyester Control (no pretreat- 2.0 29.9 4.5 ment) 1.~ 20.~ 17.3 26 . 1.4 30.8 33.5 27 1.4 60.2 52.0 28 1.4 53.4 55.9 29 1.4 49.3 40~5 Control (no pretreat- 2.0 31.0 4.9 ment) 1.4 19.9 16.4 31 1.4 34.5 29.0 32 1.~ S8.5 ~9.9 33 1.~ 41.9 36~3 34 1.4 ~6.0 22.1 1.
Both esters provide good results and,.for a variety of abrics are best used in proportions of 50-75% with 25-50~ noni.onic.

- Pretreatment was done using butyl stearate as ,' the ester and as surfactant, a condensate of ethylene -oxide with hydrophobic bases formed by condensing propy-lene oxide with pxopylene glycol, and having an aver.age molecular weight of about 2000 was used. This surfac-tant is known commercially as BASF-Wyandotte Pluronic L-61t and contains about 10~ ethylene oxide.

~ tra~ k - - 113 oJZ60 ~, ... . ~ . .
Sample EsterSurfactant - 100%
.` 36 25~ 75%
37 75~d 25%
. 38 100%

Detergent solution: Detergent A, 1.36 g/l.

. % Detergency Pretreatment Sample g/swatch D/C Polyester ~ 35 .75 12.1 1.8 . 36 .50 ~ 2~.0 18.3 37 .50 36.0 35~3 .
3~ .75 48.9 42.7 ` I
'`' . .
. EXAMPLES 39-42 \
,., , .., . _ ,, , Pretreatment wàs done with combinatio,ns of poly- ~
ethylene glycol (M.W. = 400) dioleate and dimethyl dihydro-gena~ed tallow amine oxide.

, Sam~le Ester Nonionic ~ ,_ 39 - 100%
.40 25% 75%
` 20 ~1 75% ` 25%
42 100% - .

oetergent solution: Detergent ~, 1.36 g/l.

-16~

~9~37~60 - - - . . ?
~ Deteraencv Pretreatment ~~
Sample g/swatch D/C Polyester 39 .75 13.3 6.5 .50 19.6 g.8 541 .50 35.3 31.1 42 .75 31.3 31.5 .
E~AMPL,ES 43-52 A series of dirty motor oil stains were pre- i treated with compositions consisting of 25% nonionic, 75%
isopropyl myristate, with washes in Detergent A, 120 ppm water. Pretreatment: 0.5 g~swatch. Results were as fol-.
lows:
.
~ Detergencv Det. A
lSSample Nonionic g/l D/CPolyester __ .
Control no pretreatment 2~033.0 2~3 43 Tergitol 15-S-3 1.4 53.646.3 44 Tergitol 15-S-5 1.4 57.852~8 Tergitol 15-S-7 1.4 40.631.1 20 46 Tergitol 15-S-9 1.4 43.848.4 47 ~eodol 25-9 1.4 46.748.0 Another series o dirty motor oil stalns were pretreated with compositions consisting of 75% nonionic and Z5% isopropyl myristate, with washes in Detergent A, 120 ppm water. Pretreatment: 0.5 g/swatch. Results are as follo~s:

-.

L3~
~ ~0 Dete~ency .
Sample Nonionic ~/1D/C Polyester Control no pretreatment 2.0 26.6 6.0 48 Tergitol 15-S-3 1.4 4~.2 46.0 49 Tergitol 15~S-5 1.4 35.1 36.3 Tergitol 15-S-7 1.4 20.6 15.3 Sl Tergitol 15-S-9 1.4 22.1 15.2 52 Neodol 25-9 1.4 25.7 21.1 With compositions high in nonionic, peak stain removal is obtained with Tergitol 15-S-3, with 15-S-5 also acceptable. With the low-nonionic compositions, Tergi-tol 15-S-5 is the best performer, although the others were ~3 acceptable. Overall stain removal is better with the low-nonionic composition.
, - \ I

, Test formulations were made up as follows:
.
Isopropyl -Sam~le Myristate Anionic - 53 25% 75% sodium C14-C16 alpha olefin sulfonate 54 75% 25% sodium secondary alkane sulfonate 25~ 75% sodium secondary alkane sulfonate 56 75~ 25% sodium lauryl hydroxy ether sulfonate 57 75% 25~ sodium C10 linear alcohol sulfate , Det~rgent solution: Detergent B, 1.99 g/l.
2~ Pretreatment = 0.5 g/swatch.

.
, 1137261~ ~
., ., ~ . . . .
.
% Detergency Sample D/CPolyester Control (no pretreatment) 35.3 7.4 53 27,69~9 54 50.630.7 29.38.7 56 51.427.4 57 53.026.6 Sample 55 was a translucent-opaque gel-like vis-

- 10 cous paste. ~11 other samples showed some separation, but were readily dispersed upon shaking.
~.- ., , . , Test formulations were made up as follows: ) Isopro ~ Myrlstate Surfactant 58 ~ 50% 50% Na C10 Alcohol Sulfate 59 25% 50% Na C10 Linear Alcohol Sulfate 3 - 25% Cll-cl5 Sec AlcO
5 E.O.

20Detergent solution: Detergent B, 1.99 g/l.
Pretreatment: 0.5 g/swatch.

% Detergency D/C Polyester Control lno pretreatment) 36.4 2.6 S8 - 51.6 24.5 ~9 42.2 23.2 Compositions containing 75% anionic and 25~ ester were generally ineffective. Compositions with 50% anionic were accepta~le.

Claims (16)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROEPRTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. An active composition for the pre-laundering treatment of stains on fabrics consisting essentially of (a) about 25% to about 90% of at least one ester formed of a fatty acid of about eight to about twenty-two carbon atoms chain length, and (1) an alcohol of one to about four carbon atoms chain length; or (2) a polyalkylene glycol which is a poly-ethylene or polypropylene glycol; and wherein said ester is a di-ester;
(b) 0 to about 75% of at least one nonionic sur-face-active agent;
(c) 0 to about 60% of at least one anionic sur-face-active agent;

the total of (b) and (c) being about 10% to about 75%.

2. The composition of claim 1 wherein said ester is formed of said fatty acid and an alcohol of the formula R-OH wherein R is an alkyl radical of one to about four carbon atoms chain length.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein said ester is a di-ester formed of polyethylene glycol and a fatty acid.

4. The composition of claim 1 comprising about 25% to about 90% of said ester and about 10% to about 75%
of said nonionic surface-active agent.

5. The composition of claim 1 comprising:
(a) about 50% to about 90% of said ester;
(b) 0 to about 50% of said nonionic surface-active agent; and (c) 0 to about 50% of said anionic surface-active agent;
the total of (b) and (c) being about 10% to about 50%.

6. The composition of claim 2 wherein said ester is isopropyl myristate.

7. The composition of claim 2 wherein said ester is butyl stearate.

8. The composition of claim 3 wherein said ester is polyethylene glycol dioleate, wherein the polyethylene moiety has a molecular weight of about 400.

9. The composition of claim 4 wherein said ester is isopropyl myristate and said nonionic surfactant is a C11-C15 secondary alcohol with 3-5 ethylene oxide units per molecule.

10. The composition of claim 5 wherein said non-ionic surface-active agent is present at a level of about 10% to about 50%.

11. The composition of claim 5 wherein said ester is isopropyl myristate present at a level of about 50% and said nonionic surface-active agent is a C11-C15 secondary alcohol with about 3-5 ethylene oxide units per molecule present at a level of about 50%.

12. The composition of claim 5 wherein said ester is iso-propyl myristate present at a level of about 25%, said non-ionic surface-active agent is a C11-C15 secondary alcohol with about 5 ethylene oxide units per molecule present at a level of about 25%, and said anionic surface-active agent is sodium C10 linear alcohol sulfate present at a level of about 50%.

13. A method for the pre-laundering treatment of stained fabrics comprising contacting said stained fabric with an active composition comprising:
(a) about 25% to about 90% of at least one ester formed of a fatty acid of about eight to about twenty-two carbon atoms chain length, and (1) an alcohol of one to about four carbon atoms chain length or (2) a polyalkylene glycol which is a poly-ethylene or polypropylene glycol; and wherein said ester is a di-ester;
(b) 0 to about 75% of at least one nonionic sur-face-active agent; and (e) 0 to about 60% of at least one anionic sur-face-active agent.

14. A method for the pre-laundering treatment of stained fabrics comprising contacting said fabrics with an active composition comprising at least one ester formed of a fatty acid of about 8 to 22 carbon atoms chain length, and (i) an alcohol of one to about four carbon atoms chain length or (ii) a polyalkylene glycol which is a polyethylene or polypropylene glycol and wherein said ester is a diester.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said ester is an ester of a fatty acid and an alcohol of the formula R-OH wherein R is an alkyl radical of one to about four carbon atoms chain length.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said ester is isopropyl myristate or butyl stearate.