US 11,668,038 B2
Method of laundering fabric
Anju Deepali Massey Brooker, Newcastle upon Tyne (GB); Carlos Amador Zamarreno, Newcastle upon Tyne (GB); Laura Bueno Romo, Newcastle upon Tyne (GB); and Philip Frank Souter, Morpeth (GB)
Assigned to The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed by The Procter & Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed on Mar. 29, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/214,995.
Claims priority of application No. 20168011 (EP), filed on Apr. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0310171 A1, Oct. 7, 2021
Int. Cl. D06F 33/36 (2020.01); D06F 33/46 (2020.01); D06F 105/10 (2020.01); D06F 103/04 (2020.01); D06F 103/06 (2020.01); D06F 34/18 (2020.01); D06F 105/02 (2020.01)
CPC D06F 33/36 (2020.02) [D06F 33/46 (2020.02); D06F 34/18 (2020.02); D06F 2103/04 (2020.02); D06F 2103/06 (2020.02); D06F 2105/02 (2020.02); D06F 2105/10 (2020.02)] 14 Claims
 
1. A method of laundering fabrics comprising:
(a) calculating a final amount of water to be added to a final wash bath;
(b) calculating the amount of energy needed to heat this final amount of water to a desired final temperature;
(c) contacting an amount of water that is less than the final amount of water with fabric to form an intermediate wash bath, wherein a detergent composition is contacted to the fabric during the formation of the intermediate wash bath, or prior to the formation of the intermediate wash bath;
(d) heating the water that contacts the fabric during (c) with the amount of energy calculated in (b) such that the intermediate wash bath has a temperature above the desired final temperature;
(e) washing the fabric in the intermediate wash bath for at least about 3 minutes;
(f) contacting an additional amount of water to the intermediate wash bath to form the final wash bath having the final amount of water and the desired final temperature;
(g) washing the fabric in the final wash bath for at least about 5 minutes; and
(h) rinsing the fabric.