A process of removing soil and/or stains from fabrics by immersing the fabrics in a peroxygen bleach bath containing as a peroxygen activator an heterocyclic sulfonate ester wherein the heterocyclic moiety includes a 5 to 6 membered heterocyclic ring containing 1 to 3 hetero atoms selected from the class consisting of -N-, -0- and -S- and the sulfonic acid is selected from the class consisting of an alkanesulfonic acid of 1 to 18 carbon atoms and an arenesulfonic acid of the benzene and naphthalene series.
Also described are dry blend compositions containing the activator and peroxygen.