Method for washing coloured clothes in a domestic washing machine

Abstract

A method for washing coloured clothes in a domestic washing machine comprises a preliminary phase in which water and an additive containing a colour protector compound are added to the tub, a tumbling phase in order to allow wetting of clothes and a spinning phase for removing at least a portion of water and additive from clothes before starting a washing program, the temperature of water and additive being preferably comprised between 5° C. and 30° C.

1 - 8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . A method of washing coloured clothes in a domestic washing machine having a tub and a rotatable drum located within the tub, the method comprising:
 a washing phase where a detergent solution is added to the tub and the drum is rotated within the detergent solution; and   a pre-washing phase, preceding the washing phase, comprising:
 water and an additive containing a colour protector compound are added to the tub to form a pre-treatment solution; 
 rotating the drum to tumble clothes in the drum in the pretreating solution to wet the clothes within the drum with the pretreating solution; and 
 spinning the drum to extract at least a portion of the pre-treatment solution from clothes. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the pre-treatment solution is between 5° C. and 30° C. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein the pre-treatment solution is heated. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the pre-washing phase comprises, after the spinning the drum, rinsing the clothes in the drum with water. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the rotating the drum to tumble clothes occurs for a predetermined time. 
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 13 , wherein the predetermined time comprises 5 to 20 seconds. 
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the pre-washing phase comprises draining the extracted portion of the pre-treatment solution. 
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the draining occurs prior to the spinning the drum to extract. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the colour protector compound is a quaternary ammonium compound. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the additive is a commercial rinse conditioner. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the concentration of rinse conditioner in water is between 1 ml/l and 10 ml/l. 
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein, after the washing phase, a rinsing phase where fresh water is added to the tub and the drum is rotated. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein, after the washing phase and prior to the rinsing phase, an extraction phase where the drum is spun to remove the detergent solution from the clothes. 
     
     
         22 . A method of washing coloured clothes in a domestic washing machine having a tub and a rotatable drum located within the tub, the method comprising:
 a washing phase wherein a detergent solution is provided onto clothes within the drum;   a pre-washing phase, preceding the washing phase, comprising providing a pre-treatment solution comprising water and an additive containing a colour protector compound onto clothes in the drum, followed by an extracting of at least a portion of the pre-treatment solution from the clothes; and   a rinsing phase, after the washing phase, where the detergent phase is rinsed from the clothes.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the pre-washing phase comprises tumbling the clothes in the pretreating solution to wet the clothes. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the pre-washing phase comprises draining the extracted portion of the pre-treatment solution. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the pre-washing phase comprises, after the extracting, rinsing the clothes in the drum with water. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the colour protector compound is a quaternary ammonium compound. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the additive is a commercial rinse conditioner. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the concentration of rinse conditioner in water is between 1 ml/l and 10 ml/l.