Abstract: An encapsulated active substance for a manual detergent for hard surfaces comprises an essentially anhydrous active substance with at least one surfactant and at least one liquid polymer carrier encapsulated in a water-soluble or water-dispersible capsule, the active substance containing: less than 25 wt. % of carrier; at least one unbranched or branched, acryclic or cyclic, saturated or unsaturated alcohol with 1 to 10 carbon atoms and one or two primary, secondary or tertiary hydroxy groups and a carbon chain optionally having one or more —O— groups; or being free of glycerol. The encapsulated active substance can be used as a manual detergent for hard surfaces.

Abstract: Surfactant combinations containing C12-18 alkyl sulfates wherein less than 10% by weight of the C12-18 alkyl sulfates, based on the C12-18 alkyl sulfates, have carbon chains with fewer than 14 carbon atoms and C9-13 alkyl benzenesulfonates in a weight ratio of 1:10 to 10:1. The combinations are useful in powder and granular as well as liquid washing and cleaning detergents.

Abstract: A pourable, storage-stable manual dishwashing detergent is provided. The detergent contains at least 45 percent sodium bicarbonate with a mean particle diameter of at least 150 micrometers. The sodium bicarbonate is combined with an anionic surfactant, an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant, a zwitterionic surfactant an electrolyte and optionally a solvent, to form the detergent. The detergent of the invention has good pouring properties and excellent cleaning performance against dried-on and burnt-on soil.

Abstract: Fatty alcohol (ether) sulfates which are obtained by co-sulfating mixtures of (a) C.sub.8-22 fatty alcohols and (b) C.sub.8-22 fatty alcohol ethoxylates containing an average of 1.9 to 3.9 ethylene oxide units in a ratio by weight of 20:80 to 80:20, and then neutralizing the mixtures thus co-sulfated with aqueous bases. The substances have distinctly improved low-temperature behavior in relation to ether sulfates with comparable degrees of ethoxylation, and are useful as components of surface-active compositions.