The use of comb polymers obtained by condensation of a) a polycarboxylic acid or a polyalcohol b) one or more optionally sulfo-substituted polyalcohols having 2 to 4 OH groups or polyglycols of the formula HO—(XO)a—H, in which X is C2H4 and/or C3H7 and a is a number from 2 to 35, preferably from 2 to 5, c) one or more optionally sulfonated C2-C10-dicarboxylic acids and d) one or more compounds of the formulae NH2R, NHR2, ROH, R1COOH, HO(XO)b—H and HO(CH2CH2)dSO3K, in which R is C1-C22-alkyl or C6-C10-aryl, R1 is C1-C22-alkyl, C1-C22-sulfoalkyl, C6-C10-aryl or C6-C10-sulfoaryl, X is C2H4 and/or C3H7, b is a number from 3 to 40, preferably 3 to 20, d is a number from 1 to 10, preferably 1 to 4, and K is a cation, as soil release polymers.