JPH0213065B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to textile conditioning compositions, particularly non-alkaline textile conditioning compositions, intended for use in conditioning textiles during the rinsing stage of a textile laundering process. Textile conditioning compositions typically contain fabric softening substances that are cationic in nature. While such compositions are widely used, it is desirable to avoid the use of, or reduce the levels of, cationic substances for several reasons, including cost. . Although some non-cationic fabric softening substances, such as soaps, are known, the deposition of such substances on fabrics and thus their softening action is particularly important in the presence of cationic substances. It could be more efficient without it. British Patent No. GB1456913 (Procter and
Gamble) and No. GB1453093 (Colgate),
A fabric softener composition containing both a soap and a cationic material is disclosed. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The inventors have now discovered that the adhesion of non-cationic fabric softeners can be tampered with by the presence of cellulose ether derivatives. The presence of cellulose ether derivatives in alkaline textile cleaning compositions is not unknown. Thus, South African Patent No. 71/5149 (Unilever) discloses the incorporation of certain non-ionic cellulose ether polymers to reduce soil redeposition in hydrophobic fabrics. The present invention is a textile conditioning composition for treating textiles during the rinsing stage of a textile washing process, which when added to water at a concentration of 1% by weight at 25°C produces a pH of less than 8.0 (i ) 1 to 40% by weight of a non-cationic fabric softener or a mixture of a non-cationic fabric softener and a cationic fabric softener present in a smaller amount than the amount of the fabric softener; (ii) a non-ionic cellulose ether derivative; 0.1～
5% by weight. A method of conditioning a fabric comprising contacting the fabric with an aqueous liquid having a pH value of less than 8.0, the aqueous liquid containing, in addition to water, (i) a non-cationic fabric softener or a non-cationic fabric softener; 1 to 40% by weight of a mixture of a cationic fabric softener and a cationic fabric softener present in a smaller amount than the amount of the softener; (ii) 0.1 to 40% by weight of a nonionic cellulose ether derivative;
5% by weight are also within the scope of this invention. Non-cationic fabric softeners Non-cationic fabric softeners include, for example, (i) soaps and their derivatives, (ii) fatty acids, (iii) hydrocarbons, (iv) esters of polyhydric alcohols, (v) lanolin and its derivatives. (vi) nonionic and anionic fabric softeners such as alkylene oxide condensates of fatty substances such as fatty acids, amines, amides, alcohols and esters having an HLB of less than 10, preferably less than or equal to 8. You can choose from. When the fabric softener is a soap, the soap contains not only the usual alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts of fatty acids, but also complexes of fatty acids with nitrogen-containing organic substances such as amines and their derivatives. Also included are organic salts that may be formed thereby. Usually, the soaps contain salts of higher fatty acids having 8 to 24, preferably 10 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule, or mixtures of such salts. Examples of preferred soaps include sodium stearate, sodium palmitate, sodium salts of tallow, coconut oil and palm oil fatty acids, as well as ethanolamine, diethanolamine or triethanolamine, N-methylethanolamine, N-methylethanolamine,
- stearic and/or palmitic fatty acids and/or tallow and/or coconut oil and/or palm oil fatty acids with water-soluble alkanolamines such as ethylethanolamine, 2-methylethanolamine and 2,2-dimethylethanolamine; , morpholine, 2'-pyrrolidone with N-containing cyclic compounds such as their methyl derivatives. It is also possible to use mixtures of soaps. Particularly preferred are the sodium and potassium salts of mixed fatty acids obtained from coconut oil and tallow oil, ie sodium and potassium tallow and coconut oil soaps. Soap derivatives include water-insoluble eg calcium salt equivalents of the above soaps. If the fabric softener is a fatty acid, this fatty acid
It can be selected from _C8 to _C24 alkyl or alkenyl monocarboxylic acids. Preferably tallow and hardened tallow _C16 - _C18 fatty acids are used.
Mixtures of various fatty acids may also be used. If the fabric softener is a hydrocarbon, this hydrocarbon may be an acyclic hydrocarbon having at least 10, ie from 14 to 40, for example. Useful hydrocarbons include paraffins and olefins. Materials such as paraffin oil, soft paraffin wax and petroleum jelly are particularly suitable. Suitable polyhydric alcohol esters include esters formed from fatty acids having 12 to 24 carbon atoms with polyhydric alcohols having 8 or fewer carbon atoms. Particularly suitable examples include sorbitan esters such as sorbitan monostearate and sorbitan tristearate, ethylene glycol esters such as ethylene glycol monostearate, and glycerol esters such as glycerol monostearate. The non-cationic fabric softener may be lanolin or a lanolin derivative as disclosed in European Patent Publication No. 86106 (Unilever);
Suitable such materials include lanolin itself and propoxylated or acetylated lanolin. When the non-cationic fabric softener is an alkylene oxide adduct of a fatty alcohol, this adduct preferably has the general formula R ¹⁰ -O-(C _o H _2o O) _y H , where R ¹⁰ is at least an alkyl or alkenyl group having 10, most preferably 10 to 22 carbon atoms; y is most preferably a value of 4.0 or less, such as from about 0.5 to about 3.5; and n is 2 or 3. . Examples of such substances include Synperonic, a _C13 - _C15 alcohol with about 3 ethylene oxide groups per molecule.
A3 (commercially available from ICI) and lauric alcohol
3EO, Empilan KB3 (commercially available from Marchon)
is included. The alkylene oxide adducts of fatty acids useful as non-cationic fabric softeners in the present invention preferably have the general formula where R ¹⁰ , n and y are as defined above. Suitable examples include approximately
Includes ESONAL 0334 (commercially available from Diamond Shamrock), a tallow fatty acid with 2.4 ethyne oxide groups. Alkylene oxide adducts of fatty acid esters useful as non-cationic fabric softeners in the present invention include coconut or tallow oil (triglycerides) 3EO (commercially available from Stearine Dubios);
Included are mono-, di- or triester adducts of polyhydric alcohols having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The alkylene oxide adducts of fatty amines useful in the present invention preferably have the general formula , where R ¹⁰ and n are as defined above and x and z together preferably
4.0 or less, most preferably from about 0.5 to about 3.5. Examples of such substances include Ethomeen T12
(Tallowamine 2EO commercially available from AKZO), Optamine
PC5 (coconut alkylamine 5EO), and
Crodamet 1.02 (oleylamine 2EO, commercially available from Croda Chemicals). The alkylene oxide adducts of fatty acid amides useful in the present invention preferably have the general formula , where R ¹⁰ and n are as defined above and x and z together preferably
4.0 or less, for example about 0.5 to about 3.5, in which case x
and z can be zero. Examples of such materials include tallow monoethanolamide and diethanolamide and corresponding coconut and soybean compounds. Nonionic Cellulose Ether Derivatives Preferred cellulose ether derivatives useful in the present invention are below 55°C, preferably between 33°C and 55°C.
and/or less than 3.6,
Preferably, the derivative has an HLB between 3.0 and 3.6, which derivative is also substantially free of hydroxyalkyl groups having 3 or more carbon atoms. HLB is a well-known value of the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of a substance, and can be calculated from the molecular structure of the substance. JT is a suitable estimation method for emulsifiers.
By Davies, 2nd Int.Congress of Surface
Activity 1957, I, pp. 426-439. This method is used to obtain relative HLB rankings for cellulose ether polymers by summing the Davies HLB assignments to substituents located at the three available hydroxyl sites on the anhydroglucose ring of the cellulose ether polymer. Ta.
HLB assignments for substituents include hydroxyl residues 1.9 methyl 0.825 ethyl 0.350 hydroxyethyl 1.63. Cellulose ether derivatives useful in this invention are polymers. The gel point of a polymer can be determined in several ways. In the present invention,
Gel points are determined on polymer solutions. 60～
A concentration of 10 g/ml was obtained by forming a dispersion in deionized water at 70°C and then cooling to 25°C.
Prepare a polymer solution of 50 ml of the polymer solution is placed in a beaker and heated with stirring at a heating rate of approximately 5°C/min. The temperature at which the solution becomes cloudy is the gel point of the test cellulose ether, and this temperature is determined by Sybron/
Measurements are made using a Brinkmann colorimeter at 450 nm with a transmittance of 80%. If the HLB and gel point of the polymer are within the required range, the degree of substitution (DS) of the anhydroglucose ring
can be any value up to the theoretical maximum of 3, but is preferably about 1.9 to 2.9, with each anhydroglucose unit of cellulose having up to 3 hydroxyl groups. The expression 'molar substitution (MS)', also sometimes used in connection with the above polymers, refers to the number of hydroxyalkyl substituents per anhydroglucose ring; can be greater than 3 if it has . The most preferred polymers have an average number of anhydroglucose units in the cellulose polymer;
Or it has a weight average degree of polymerization (DP) of about 50 to about 1200, preferably about 70 or more. Polymers with a high DP, for example 1200, are preferred to achieve efficient deposition of the softener. Polymers with higher DP result in solutions with unacceptably high viscosities. For certain product forms, such as liquids, it is desirable to include relatively low degrees of polymerization to achieve the desired product viscosity. Cellulose ether derivatives suitable for use in the present invention include several commercially available products such as:

Table: Optional Cationic Fabric Softeners If the compositions of the invention additionally contain a cationic fabric softener, this softener is present in a smaller amount than the non-cationic softeners and quaternary ammonium compounds, imidazo It can be selected among linium derivatives, fatty amines, and mixtures thereof. The cationic fabric softening substance is preferably a substance that is insoluble in cold water, ie a substance with a solubility in water of less than 10 g/l at 20° C. and a pH value of about 6. Highly preferred water-insoluble quaternary ammonium compounds include two esters optionally substituted with functional groups such as -OH, -O-, -CONH-, -COO-, etc.
It is a compound having a _C12 to _C24 alkyl or alkenyl chain. A well-known species of quaternary ammonium compounds that are substantially water-insoluble are those with the formula wherein R ₁ and R ₂ are hydrocarbyl groups having from about 12 to about 24 carbon atoms, and R ₃ and R ₄ are hydrocarbyl groups having from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms;
X is preferably an anion selected among halide, methylsulfate and ethylsulfate radicals. Representative examples of such quaternary ammonium softeners include ditallow dimethylammonium chloride; ditallow dimethylammonium methyl sulfate; dihexadecyldimethylammonium chloride; di(hydrogenated tallow alkyl)dimethylammonium chloride; dioctadecyl dimethyl These include ammonium chloride; dieicosyldimethylammonium chloride; didocosyldimethylammonium chloride; di(hydrogenated tallow)dimethylammonium methyl sulfate; dihexadecyldiethylammonium chloride; di(coconutyl)dimethylammonium chloride. Ditallow dimethylammonium chloride, di(hydrogenated tallow alkyl)dimethylammonium chloride, di(cocoalkyl)dimethylammonium chloride and di(cocoalkyl)dimethylammonium methosulfate are preferred. Another group of preferred water-insoluble and cationic substances has the formula It is an alkylimidazolinium salt thought to have the following formula, where R ₆ has 1 to 4 carbon atoms,
Preferably it is an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group having one or two, and R ₇ is 8 to 25
R ₈ is an alkyl or alkenyl group having 8 to 25 carbon atoms, and R ₉ is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl or alkenyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. and A ^- is an anion, preferably halide, methosulfate or ethosulfate. Preferred imidazolinium salts include 1-methyl-1-(tallowylamido-)ethyl-2-tallowyl-4,5-dihydroimidazolinium methosulfate, and 1-methyl-1
-(palmitoylamido)ethyl-2-octadecyl-4,5-dihydro-imidazolinium chloride. Other useful imidazolinium materials include 2-heptadecyl-1-methyl-1-(2-stearylamido)-ethyl-imidazolinium chloride and 2-lauryl-1-hydroxyethyl-1-oleyl-imidazo Examples include linium chloride. The imidazolinium fabric softening component of US Pat. No. 4,127,489, incorporated herein by reference, is also suitable in the present invention. As used herein, the term "fabric softener" refers to a water solubility at a temperature of 20°C and a pH of approximately 6.
Does not contain more than g/g of cationic detersive active. Other preferred fabric softeners include the general formula wherein R ₁ is a C ₁₀ -C ₂₆ alkyl or alkenyl group and R ₂ is the same as R ₁ or R ₁ is
If it is a _C20 - _C26 alkyl or alkenyl group, it can be a _C1 - _C7 alkyl group, and _R3 has the formula -
_CH2 -Y, where Y is H, _C1 - _C6 alkyl, phenyl, _-CH2OH , -CH= _CH2 , -
_{CH2CH2OH ,}

[Formula] or −CH ₂ − CN,

【formula】

[Formula] A Ruiha

[Formula], where R ₄ is a C ₁ -C ₄ alkyl group, each R ₅ is independently H or a C ₁ -C ₂₀ alkyl, and each R ₆ is independently H or a C ₁ -C ₂₀ alkyl . Preferably, R ₁ and R ₂ are each independently a C ₁₂ -C ₂₂ alkyl group, which is preferably linear, and R ₃ is methyl or ethyl. Suitable amines include didecylmethylamine; dilaurylmethylamine; dimyristylmethylamine;
Dicetylmethylamine; distearylmethylamine; diarachidylmethylamine; dibehenylmethylamine; arachidylbehenylmethylamine or di(mixed arachidyl/behenyl)methylamine; di(tallowyl)methylamine; arachidyl/
Included are behenyldimethylamine and the corresponding ethylamines, propylamines and butylamines. Particularly preferred is ditallowylmethylamine. This substance is manufactured by AKZO NV
As Armeen M2HT, FARBWERKE
Also by HOECHST as Genamin SH301
Commercially available as Noram M2SH by CECA COMPANY. Y is

[Formula] −CH=CH ₂ , −CH ₂ OH,

[Formula] or -CH ₂ -CN, suitable amines include didecylbenzylamine; dilaurylbenzylamine; dimyristylbenzylamine; dicetylbenzylamine; distearylbenzylamine; dioleylbenzylamine; diarachidylbenzylamine; dibehenylbenzylamine; di(arachidyl/behenyl)benzylamine; ditallowylbenzylamine, and the corresponding allylamines, hydroxyethylamine, hydroxypropylamine and 2-cyanoethylamine. Particularly preferred are ditallowylbenzylamine and ditallowylallylamine. Mixtures of any of the above amines may also be used. Compositions The compositions of the present invention can take any physical form, such as powders or liquids. When in powder form, the specified components of the composition may be mixed with a carrier material, particularly a water-soluble inert carrier material such as sodium sulfate. However, it is particularly preferred that the compositions of the invention are in liquid form. In liquid compositions, the specified ingredients are suspended or dissolved in an aqueous base. In such product forms, the concentration of fabric softeners, including both non-cationic fabric softeners and any cationic fabric softeners present, ranges from 1.0 to 40% by weight, preferably from 3 to 20% by weight. It should be % by weight. The ratio of non-cationic fabric softener to cationic fabric softener is at least 2.0:1. The level of cellulose ether derivative in such product form is between 0.1 and 5% by weight, preferably 0.2
~2% by weight. A suitable weight ratio of one or more fabric softeners to cellulose ether derivatives is
50:1 to 2:1, ideally 20:1 to 5:
It is 1. When the product is liquid, it is preferred that a dispersion aid is present to improve the physical stability of the product. The dispersion aid should be a water-soluble non-anionic surfactant with an HLB greater than 10, ideally greater than 12. Substances that meet the above definition of cationic fabric softeners are excluded. The term "water-soluble" herein means having a solubility in water of PH 2.5 and temperature of 20°C of greater than 1.0 g/l. Preferred examples include water-soluble quaternary ammonium salts (e.g. Arquad 16),
Ethoxylated quaternary ammonium salts (e.g.
Ethoquad0/12), quaternary diamines and ethoxylated diamine salts (e.g. Duoquad T), ethoxylated amines and diamines (e.g. Ethoduomeen
T/25 and EthomeenT/15) and their acid salts, ethoxylated fatty acid esters of polyhydric alcohols (e.g. sorbitan monolaurate 20 EO), ethoxylated fatty alcohols (e.g. Dobanol 45 11 EO)
-C14/15 alcohols 11 EO), as well as ethoxylated fatty acids (e.g. Myrj 49 - stearic acid 20
EO) included. Testing whether a particular material is a suitable dispersion aid is useful if a relatively low product viscosity is obtained. Dispersion aids may be present at a level of at least 0.1%, preferably at least 0.2% by weight of the final product. There is usually no need to use more than 2.5% by weight of dispersing aid, preferably more than 1.0% by weight. Other optional ingredients The compositions of the present invention include electrolytes such as alkali metal and alkaline earth metal salts, non-aqueous solvents such as C1 _{- C4} alkanols and polyhydric alcohols, such as phosphoric acid, benzoic acid or citric acid. pH buffering agents such as weak acids (PH of the composition of the present invention is preferably less than 6.0), anti-gelling agents, fragrances, fragrance carriers, fluorescent agents, colorants, hydrotropes, antifoaming agents,
Other acid adhesion inhibitors, enzymes, optical brighteners, opacifiers, stabilizers such as guar gum and polyethylene glycol, preshrink agents, anti-broiling agents, fabric crisping agents, stain removers, soil release agents, disinfectants, It may also contain one or more optional ingredients selected from fungicides, antioxidants, rust inhibitors, preservatives, dyes, bleaches and bleach precursors, corrugating agents, and antistatic agents. The compositions of the present invention can be prepared by any suitable method known to those skilled in the art for preparing rinse conditioner products. The invention is illustrated by the following non-limiting examples. Examples 1-13 Compositions (Example 1 in the following table) were prepared by dissolving the dispersion aid in deionized water at 60°C. A sodium hydroxide tablet was added to the solution followed by the tallow fatty acid (at 55-60°C) and dissolved to form a soap dispersion. The cationic softener and cellulose ether derivative were melted together and the liquid melt was added to the soap dispersion (at 50-55°C) with vigorous stirring. The preparation was then cooled to room temperature without vigorous stirring to facilitate dissolution of the cellulose ether derivative without excessive foaming. Examples 2 and 3 were prepared in the same manner as Example 1. By adding a molten premix of cationic softener and petroleum jelly to water at 80°C under vigorous stirring to form a dispersion, and then adding the powdered cellulose ether derivative after cooling to 60°C. Compositions of Examples 4-13 were prepared.

【table】

【table】

TABLE The compositions of Examples 1-13 were tested as follows. After washing a batch of fabric consisting of a monitor of terry toweling in a commercial fabric cleaning product,
The compositions to be tested were added to the final rinse at a concentration of 2 g/min, with the exception of Examples 12 and 13 at a loading level of 1 g/min. Thereafter, the batch of fabric was line dried.
After drying, the terry cloth monitors were subjectively evaluated for their flexibility by an expert judge, who compared two monitors at a time and created a score indicating superiority or inferiority. The flexibility was evaluated accordingly. The above scores were adjusted so that the control score was zero. A positive number of scores indicates greater flexibility than the control. The results are shown in the table below. Example relative flexibility score 1 +0.94 2 ^* 0 3 +0.79 Example relative flexibility score 4 ^* 0 5 ^* -0.34 6 +0.63 7 +0.55 Example relative flexibility score 8 ^* 0 9 +0. 69 10 ^* 0 11 +0.70 12 ^* 0 13 +1.28 From the comparison of Examples 1, 2 and 3, the presence of the cellulose ether derivative in Examples 1 and 3 improves the softening effect. This will be instructed. A comparison of Examples 4, 5, 6 and 7 indicates the negative effect of the presence of the dispersion aid in Example 5, which in Example 6 was significantly reduced by the presence of the cellulose ether derivative. It has been overcome in minutes. Comparison of Examples 8 and 9, and Examples 10, 11,
A comparison of 12 and 13 shows that the presence of cellulose ether derivatives (Examples 9, 11 and 13) results in improved softening action when the non-cationic softener is tallow monoethanolamide or glycerol monostearate. . Examples 14-19 Examples 14-19 demonstrate the advantages of cellulose ether derivatives in the compositions, even when the compositions do not contain cationic softeners. The non-cationic softener used was a calcium salt of tallow fatty acid, and the composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1.
However, after the fatty acid was dissolved, a calcium chloride solution containing a small amount of a dispersion aid was added to form a dispersion system of the calcium fatty acid salt, and then the cationic softener and cellulose ether derivative were added. Therefore, the composition contained a significant amount of sodium chloride generated in situ. The compositions tested and the results obtained are shown in the table below. The operations performed were as in Examples 1 to 13.
It was the same as in the case of

【table】

【table】

[Table] Example 19 uses Dobanol 45 11 EO.
It is shown that the advantages of cellulose ether derivatives can be exhibited even if they are replaced by other dispersion aids such as Ethoduomeen HT/25. Example 20 4% calcium salt of tallow fatty acid, Arquad
1% 2HT, 0.5% Dobanol 45 11 EO, 0.5% cellulose ether derivative, and 100% water.
A composition was prepared containing the following amounts.
Several different commercially available cellulose ether derivatives were used. The test procedure was the same as in Examples 1 to 13, except that the addition level was 1 g/l and the monitor was a pre-softened standard with rating steps from 2 (soft) to 14 (hard). The evaluation was made in comparison with other products. The cellulose ether derivatives used and the results obtained are shown in the following table.

TABLE The results shown in this table indicate that cellulose ether derivatives with a gel point below 55° C. and an HLB below 3.6 are preferred. Example 21 The following compositions were prepared and tested using the preparation steps and testing methods described above with respect to Examples 1-13.

【table】

[Table] *: Comparative example The results were as follows. Example Relative Softening Score 21 +1.64 2 ^* 0 3 +0.79 These results indicate that the present invention is particularly effective when the non-cationic softener is a fatty acid. Similarly, advantageous results are obtained by replacing Dobanol 45 11 EO as a dispersing aid with an ethoxylated tallow fatty acid amide having about 11 ethylene oxide groups per molecule. Also, a composition containing 10% tallow fatty acids, 2.5% dispersing aids (selected from those mentioned above) and 0.5% cellulose ether derivatives, i.e. without cationic softeners, again gave favorable results. bring about. Examples 22-27 Examples 22-27 demonstrate the benefits of cellulose ether derivatives in compositions containing soap blends as non-cationic fabric softeners. A composition having the composition shown in the following table was prepared as follows. Potassium hydroxide and sodium pellets are dissolved in a small amount of water and triethanolamine,
Dobanol45 11 EO was added optionally. The solution thus produced was heated and maintained at 60°C. Ethanol was added optionally. (Ethanol is an example.
26 and 27, ie present only in compositions containing 20% soap. ) The oleate/coconut fatty acid mixture was heated to 80°C to melt and added to the above solution under stirring. Water at a temperature of 70°C was then added. Finally, add the cellulose ether derivative while stirring vigorously (60
℃) was added. The composition was cooled to room temperature with gentle stirring to facilitate dissolution of the cellulose ether derivative without excessive foaming.

TABLE The above compositions were tested according to the same procedure as carried out in Examples 1-13. The following results were obtained. Example relative softening score 22 ^* 0 23 +0.27 24 ^* -1.23 25 +0.37 Example relative softening score 26 +0.96 27 ^* 0 By comparing Examples 22, 23, 24 and 25, variance It is clear that although the presence of auxiliary agents has a negative effect on the softening effect (Example 24), such influence is more than overcome by the presence of cellulose ether derivatives (Example 25). A comparison of Examples 26 and 27 reveals that the inclusion of cellulose ether derivatives is advantageous even when the level of non-cationic fabric softener is as high as 20%.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A textile conditioning composition for treating textiles in the rinsing stage of a textile washing process, comprising: 25
When added to water at a concentration of 1% by weight at
(i) 1 to 40% by weight of a non-cationic fabric softener or a mixture of a non-cationic fabric softener and a cationic fabric softener present in less than the amount of the softener; (ii) ) Nonionic cellulose ether derivative 0.1~
5% by weight of the textile conditioning composition. 2. Non-cationic fabric softeners contain (i) soaps and their derivatives, (ii) fatty acids, (iii) hydrocarbons, (iv) esters of polyhydric alcohols, (v) lanolin and its derivatives, and (vi) fatty substances. A composition according to claim 1, characterized in that the composition is selected from among alkylene oxide condensates. 3 HLB (as defined herein) in which the substituted nonionic cellulose ether derivative is less than 3.6
and a gel point below 55°C (as defined herein)
and a DP (as defined herein) of from 50 to 1200. 4. The composition according to claim 1, in liquid form, characterized in that it further comprises a water-soluble non-anionic surfactant with an HLB (as defined herein) greater than 10 as a dispersing aid. thing. 5. A method for conditioning a fabric comprising contacting the fabric with an aqueous liquid having a pH value of less than 8.0, the aqueous liquid containing, in addition to water, (i) a non-cationic fabric softener or a non-containing fabric softener; 1 to 40% by weight of a mixture of a cationic fabric softener and a cationic fabric softener present in a smaller amount than the amount of the fabric softener; (ii) 0.1 to 40% by weight of a nonionic cellulose ether derivative;
5% by weight.