A method for washing dishes containing colored soil is presented involving contacting the dish surface with a dishwashing detergent containing a peroxygen compound and an activator compound of the formula R.sup.1 R.sup.2 R.sup.3 N.sup.+ CH.sub.2 CN X.sup.- where R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 independently of one another represent an alkyl, alkenyl or aryl group containing 1 to 18 carbon atoms, and wherein R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 may be part of a heterocycle including the N atom, and X is an anion, to...

Agents for cleaning hard surfaces, such as crockery, containing a .beta.-glucanase and compatible cleaning constituents, and having good cleaning effect on polysaccharide stains.

Machine dishwashing agents containing a) 1 to 99.9% by weight of builder(s), and b) 0.1 to 70% by weight of copolymers of i) unsaturated carboxylic acids ii) monomers containing sulfonic acid groups, and iii) optionally further ionic or nonionogenic monomers, wherein the copolymer containing sulfonic acid groups is in particulate form, as well as methods of preparing the dishwashing agents.

A process for improving the soil release properties of dishwashing machine rinse aid compositions used to rinse dishware and remove starch-containing soils therefrom by adding to the compositions a cationic polymer containing monomer units corresponding to formula I: ##STR1## in which R.sup.1 is hydrogen or a methyl group, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are the same or different and represent hydrogen or a C.sub.1-8 alk(en)yl group, R.sup.8 is a linear, cyclic or branched alkylene group containing...

Rinse aids for dishwashing machines comprising (1) an alkyl polyglycoside, (2) an alkyl polyglycol ether, and (3) an organic carboxylic acid wherein the rinse aid is substantially free from foam inhibitors and thickeners.

Complexes of the transition metals cobalt, iron, copper, and ruthenium having at least one and preferably at least five ammonia ligands are used to activate peroxygen compounds in aqueous cleaning solutions for hard surfaces. Compositions preferably contain 0.0025% to 0.25 by weight of the activating complex.

Detergents for dishwashing contain 1% up to 98.8% by weight of builders, 0.1% to 70% by weight of copolymers of unsaturated carboxylic acids and monomers containing sulfonic acid groups, and one or both of 5% to 30% by weight of nonionic surfactants and 0.1% to 30% by weight of homo- or copolymeric polycarboxylic acids or salts thereof.

Portioned liquid detergents having a liquid phase having one or more solid particles dispersed therein, the detergent being contained in a water-soluble or water-dispersible container, wherein the solid particles have a size above 600 .mu.m.

A process and surfactant-containing composition for reducing incrustation on washed laundry. The composition contains finely-divided, water-insoluble builder components and an at least partly water-soluble co-builder which is the oxidation product of polyglucosans wherein, on average, at least 15 mole percent thereof consists of oxidized anhydroglucose units corresponding to formula I ##STR1## and which have an average molecular weight of up to 15,000.

The invention relates to a laundry/dishwasher detergent portion, more particularly for use in a washing/dishwashing machine for a program taking place in an aqueous phase, containing (a) a first measured quantity of a washing preparation which passes into the aqueous phase at a temperature below or equal to a first temperature; (b) a second measured quantity of a washing preparation which passes into the aqueous phase at a temperature below or equal to a second temperature which is above the fir...