How to successfully wash diesel out of clothes

G`day Christine,

If you can get the Degreaser that "soopa sheep" sell, it`s about $2 a pressure pack can red in colour, I reckon it would do the job.
I use it for heaps of different things from softening / cleaning paint brushes to removing the red outback dust/mud stains on the rubber and trims on the c/van and vehicle, as a hand cleaner, silicon remover prior to it being finally set, glue remover after undoing sticky tape , etc. etc.. etc.
I have cleaned oily rags with it prior to washing them.
Just rinse with water or maybe wash with soapy water first.

Scrubby.

Dry cleaning. Worked for me

Get yourself a nice hot camp fire then roll up all the clothes with diesel on em. Then chuck them in the fire and burn them!

Christine - Coles sell a stain remover in a white 500ml spray bottle, called "Ultra Stain Remover plus Prewash for everyday use".

They also sell an Ultra brand concentrated laundry detergent, which is perfumed to a certain degree.

I hang my diesel or petrol stained overalls on the line (my wife can smell one single drop of petrol or diesel on me from 10 metres away) - then I turn the Ultra Stain Remover spray nozzle to "spray" (there is also a "stream" position), and spray an even coating of the stain remover all over the affected areas.

Leave the clothes for a few minutes, then place in the washing machine, add a scoopful of Ultra Concentrated laundry detergent in the hottest water you can organise (even if it means pouring a couple of kettlefuls of boiling water into the washing machine) - and then wash on the Heavy Soil wash cycle.

We have a Fisher & Paykel 8kg top load washing machine, and it does a good job of getting filthy overalls clean on the Heavy Soil wash cycle using both these Coles wash products.
The Ultra stain remover spray is not expensive, it's about $2 a bottle, and the Ultra concentrated laundry detergent is about $4 a kg.

If all the above fails, I'd suggest you get some citrus oil stain remover, lay the overalls out on a concrete pad, spray the citrus oil stain remover on them, give them a water spray, then a scrub with an industrial broom - and then hit them with a hot water pressure washer.

Cheers, Ron.

After a good wash, hang them out on the line in the sun for a week or so. Even the most expensive decreasing pre-wash sprays don't do enough. But by the time you have purchased a few products that didn't do the job, you could have bought new clothes for the price. Hence Notso has the best idea :O

I were a submariner, having clothes smelling of diesel was part and parcel of the job.

Is it just me - or increased sensitisation as I get older? - but I personally believe todays diesel smells a lot worse than it did, say 40-50 yrs ago.

I never used to mind the smell of diesel in the 60's, 70's and early 80's, it was aromatic, but not altogether unpleasant. I used to hand pump and consume a hundred or two hundred of litres a day with work equipment.

However, the diesel of today seems to have a lot stronger and more disagreeable odour, than it used to have.

Perhaps it's the newer refining processes where sulphur is almost completely removed from todays diesel, and other ingredients are added to improve lubricity - but whatever it is, I reckon the stuff has got a lot smellier.

Cheers, Ron

Usually when you've tried all the other ways the diesel is set into the material.

I used to wash my work overalls in sunshine dish washing liquid.

The theory was that if it cuts grease off the kitchen stuff a pair of overalls should be push over.

Mainly it worked but for stubborn stuff mixed with black grease and lagging black ( from the mines ) wouldn't shift out would come the sugar soap and it would get a good dose of both.
So maybe try a double dose of dish washer powder / solvent as it has a high acidic content, to remove those stubborn greases and stuff ( according to the adds )


Mind you there were some that became fire starters too .

Ron

You didn't say what sort of fabric. If it's synthetic, dip in metho and throw in the washing machine. The metho relaxes the synthetic fibres so substance washes out.

Thanks everyone. Seems to be sorted. Tried a bit of everything. Leather belt still reeks though

CT 18 truck wash !! Soak offending in a bucket of water with 1/2 cup of truck wash for an hour or so , then article's and the water into the washing machine , normal wash cycle , prodigal sons work clothes alway covered in grease ,oil and diesel come up like new and no diesel smell ...

Plain old dishwashing detergent will do the job, although it may be a bit harder to get out now, after the dish washing detergent, give a wash in wool wash and there is no need to rinse the clothes after that.

Hi Christine.

We use diluted truckwash and soak it in a bucket for a while(however long you like). rinse it out thoroughly, then put it through the washing machine with your normal detergent..removes grease and all sorts of "stuff" off your work clothes..?CT18 I think.(green).
Removes in ground red dirt from canvas too. Great stuff.
Cheers
Robyn

Hi
i used good old truck wash 10mls in low level wash and with warm water on a shirt that got a dose of diesel then washed it with eucalyptus based clothes detergent separetely both times now ok
cheers