Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

Can you clean diesel fuel from leather and mesh shoes?

John from Quartzsite, AZ

Answers:

Orange Glo

Thanks for the Orange Glo tip. My son got diesel on his new jeans. I figured I'd have to throw them away until I came to this website. I went to Dollar General and bought an All Purpose Orange Cleaner. Took it home, poured about 3/4 of the bottle in the washer with the jeans in hot water. Let soak for about 2 hours. Ran through the wash cycle with Gain and the water they had soaked in. I then added the remainder of the orange cleaner and let soak overnight. I washed them again using the same cycle as before. NO DIESEL SMELL!Thanks so much! (11/07/2007)

By Cheree

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

Can someone please help me out? I spilled Diesel all over my work clothes, and cannot get rid of the smell at all. Can anyone tell me a product or method for getting rid of the Diesel smell, that is available in the UK? Because I'm not sure if the products listed before can be purchased here in the UK. (12/15/2007)

By Joe

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

I'm a mobile grease monkey/fuel guy who regularly gets sprayed with a variety of oils and fuels including diesel, hydraulic/transmission/engine oil, and grease. I've tried borax, ammonia, bleach, dandruff shampoo and detergent to no avail at all. I guess I'll try orange glo next. (01/19/2008)

By Gordo migraned86 AT hotmail.com

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

I have a brand new wool Tibetan sweater I bought about 3 weeks ago. The other day, as I was fueling my school bus, the nozzle and the hose at the fueling station fell apart spraying diesel fuel all over my hair, face, sweater, bus, as well as the ground. Being wool, I cannot wash my sweater in hot or even warm water.

I washed it normally once as soon as I could. I have soaked it and washed it once with the Orange Glo stuff, but can still smell the diesel. Guess I will try a few of the other ideas here. Perhaps a combination of them will finally do the trick. I am really glad that I found these ideas though, at least I have a few different things to try. (02/09/2008)

By Lisa

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

My husband had diesel spilled all over his suitcase, all his clothes smell really bad. Thanks for the ideas, I was lost. Now I'm going shopping. (02/13/2008)

By cindy

ORANGE GLO

Can you buy orange glo in the UK? Trying to get smell of diesel out of husband's trousers! (02/21/2008)

By Sarah

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

Hi all. I'm a foolish male in the UK, so you Yanks don't have the monopoly, after all. ;) Whilst squirting diesel into my Merc., I decided I couldn't feel it pumping, so I drew the nozzle out, and generously splashed my Rohan trousers.

I stuck them in the washing machine, on a normal wash, and, what's more, I put other clothes in too. Told you I was a foolish male. After polluting the machine and all the other clothes, I THEN started reading.

Using a couple of dishwasher tablets on the hottest (empty) cycle was successful with giving the washing machine a detox. For the clothes, and particularly the trousers, I tried and failed with all the usual ones, vinegar, soda, etc. Things didn't even go better with Coke, so that's another Marketing lie. I couldn't find the "Orange" product in the UK, or an equivalent. I did consider chucking orange-juice concentrate in with the load. I didn't in the end, but I do still suspect it might work.

Finally, I remembered what my Mum always swore by : an overnight soak in Ariel washing powder. A 6am visit to Tesco led to the discovery that they do one "with Febreeze effect", so that's the one I used. Put about half a pint of powder in a bucket, add boiling water (ie: from a kettle), and stir in the clothes with a wooden spoon. Put the most polluted items in first, and stir ...as viciously as you like, but without splashing any nosy, but otherwise innocent, observer (although inebriated adult males are fair game).

If the water is largely absorbed before the last garments are in, please DON'T stick your hands in to maneuver the clothes, add cold water until it's over the clothes, stirring with the spoon. Unless you're another foolish male, in which case, I'll probably see you in A&E. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I actually soaked for 24 hours, so I don't know if overnight would be sufficient or not. Anyway, once drained and wrung, they came out smelling "grubby" but otherwise neutral, but most specifically NOT of diesel, so I then put them through a normal 40deg cycle with conditioner, and the job is done.
Hope this helps someone :) (02/28/2008)

By david AT eswales.org

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

I could not find orange glo, but used pine sol all purpose orange cleaner. It worked great. Thanks for the tip! (03/28/2008)

By nutsmama

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

Liquid fabric softener worked! I tried everything (simple green, clorox for colors, vinegar) then last resort I soaked the shirt in liquid fabric softener for about 2 hours. No more Diesel Fuel Smell. (03/29/2008)

By Deb

Removing Diesel Fuel Smell from Clothing

If you're in the UK, I can confirm that using Ariel with Febreeze (pale turquoise box of liquid sachets), using just one sachet, worked like a dream on really badly contaminated jeans and also a wool rug. Many thanks for the tip! (10/15/2008)

By J Fox (UK)