07.01.21
US Patent No. 10,995,305 B2 (Russell Shawn Berman, Max Donald Harper, Joel Monroe Madenwald, Carl Henry Mattson); Ecolab USA Inc. patented a method of cleaning textile articles. It entails placing a plurality of textile articles into a washer with a washing sector, a bleaching sector and a peroxycarboxylic acid sector. The textiles move through the washer in a first direction and any fluid in the washer moves counter to the movement of the textiles such that the peroxycarboxylic acid sector is in fluid communication with the bleaching sector and the bleaching sector is in fluid communication with the washing sector; washing the textile articles in the washing sector with an alkaline detergent; adding to the bleaching sector a first composition comprising a bleaching agent that is free of peroxycarboxylic acid and treating the textile articles in the bleaching sector with the first composition at a temperature of 130°F to 160°F, wherein the bleaching sector has a pH of 9.5 to 11.5; adding to the peroxycarboxylic acid sector a second composition comprising less than 100 ppm of peroxycarboxylic acid and treating the textile articles with the second composition at an acidic pH. The textile articles are not rinsed in between treating with the first composition and treating with the second composition.