Hey, guys, I need to borrow your wife...!

[JGK]

Or whom ever does the wash in your household. Just some advice is all I need, actually.



I had a fueling mishap the other day and splashed a good amount of diesel all over a cotton dress shirt. I'd love to wear the shirt to the office again but we've had no success getting the diesel smell out.



Does anyone have some sure-fire (not literally!) advice on how to get the smell out without ruining the shirt (it has a pattern so any kind of bleaching issues won't be good)?



Thanks,

-Jay

 

[guldam]

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

 

[JPS]

Best product for diesel smell out of clothing I have found is ODOBAN. We buy it at Sam,s club. Google odoban[sp]. I think they have a web site. jps

 

[icman95]

You might also want to try GOOP hand cleaner. Supposed to be good for clothes, too. If all else fails, you might just want to tell people that you're trying a new, manlier cologne. Ode de Diesel. See what kind of women you can attract with it.

 

[Grizzly]

May be time for a new shirt.

 

[JGK]

Yep. We'll try finding the Orange Glo and OdoBan, but by the time a couple of these have been purchased and tried, it would have been cheaper and faster to just buy a new shirt.



Thanks all,

-Jay

 

[BDW]

Next time try windex. Works pretty good for jet fuel.

 

[rholcom2]

I just take my stuff to the cleaners... . if they cant get it; its not worth coming out.

 

[nickleinonen]

i have started using electrical spray contact cleaner as a solvent for cleaning stubborn greasy stains. . put a good amount of paper towel inside the shirt, then spray it down with the cleaner, the blot the stain. . has worked pretty good for me and has not discolored anything yet. . the cleaner i use isn't cheap at $20/can but i'm not the one paying for it

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

You sure you don't want to just take my wife?:-laf

 

[JGK]

You sure you don't want to just take my wife?:-laf

I wondered when that would be offered. Still, I'm LMAO. Great way to start my day with a good chuckle!



Windex is an interesting option!



The easiest so far is the dry cleaners.



An alternative to the electrical spray cleaner for stains is acetone. I was told by a long-time carpet guy to use that on non-water-soluble carpet stains. He said if that doesn't get it, it won't come out.



I soaked the shirt for 4 days in the purple version of Simple Green. No luck. The shirt's been hanging in the garage for the last serveral days. It still smells of diesel.



-Jay

 

[jdooner]

You can have mine. I'll even pay shipping...

 

[jacqnbill]

Try brake cleaner in spray can. It gets anything out.

 

[JGK]

We put the shirt in a bucket with a solution of Windex and water for a few days to soak, then ran it through the washer and dryer. All is good. Can't detect any diesel smell at all.



Windex actually works!



Thanks,

-Jay

 

[icman95]

Don't let my wife hear of that trick. She might be tempted to put ME in a solution of Windex and water!

 

[fest3er]

I have a heavy cotton t-shirt that got diesel spilled (drained/poured) on it. After a couple wash/dry cycles, the diesel was still in it. However, using a cup of Greased Lightning make a big difference. The problem is that not enough detergent is getting into the fibers to attach to the oil to remove it.



If you aren't too worried about color fastness or stains, fill a 2 gal. bucket with hot water, put in a cup of Greased Lightning or Simple Green or a 1/4 cup of Dawn, put the shirt in and vigorously agitate to be sure the detergent gets to the shirt. Then agitate once an hour for a day or until you see the stain has left the shirt. Really, use any detergent you know of that is good at cutting oil and grease. Dunk the shirt in gasoline or ispropyl alcohol or lacquer thinner to dissolve, thin and remove most of the diesel. Then soak in Dawn, GL or SG, or even a orange extract. But don't use Palmolive, unless you want your shirt to be 'dishwater soft' like Madge's hands. You could even try a soaking the shirt with Spray-n-Wash or other pre-wash treater and letting it set for a day, maybe sealed in a zip-log baggie to keep it moist.



The other alternative is to put the shirt on a hanger and put it in the hot sun or a hot garage or shed for a few days. #2 will evaporate, but it takes a while; heat helps. I'd washed a pair of leather working gloves in #2 to remove roofing cement. After a couple weeks in the garage, they were dry and free of tar and diesel.



My shirt has little diesel fragrance left in it now after hanging in my room for 3 weeks. I kind-of miss the scent now.

 

[ttbird]

Jdooner, Are you giving away your wife or your shirt??? Just curious.

 

[jdooner]

If you want a shirt I'll throw that in too...
Truth is I've got a pretty good ole lady.

 

[JRBurton]

I have a friend who works on diesel engines and he claims a can of coke works great.

 

[EdK]

Which coke?

I have a friend who works on diesel engines and he claims a can of coke works great.

If it's ultra-low sulfur diesel do we use Diet Coke? :-laf