Getting rid of fuel oil smell in clothes, your tip?

RayWohlfarth

I have never liked the aroma of fuel oil. Sorry to you oil techs. I love working on them and the look of the flame but the smell really gets to me. It causes my sinuses to go haywire. In any event, how do you remove the smell of fuel oil from your clothes. I asked one tech and he said. "I love the smell of oil. Smells like money to me."

I tried washing the clothes I used for an oil service call in a washing machine and the smell spread to the other clothes. Thanks for you input

Sincerely

Smelly in Pittsburgh

Jamie Hall

I'd try Simple Green as the laundry detergent for them — and wash them all by themselves

leonz

Rub DL hand cleaner on the oil spots until you see them darken and then leave the clothes for at least one full day before washing by themselves.

mattmia2

i'd try soaking in tsp or automatic dishwasher detergent.
and hot water.

if you read the warning on the dryer you're not supposed to put them in the dryer

EBEBRATT-Ed

Some say "Lestoil"=less oil.

I don't think I found anything that really worked.

I sometimes resorted to a pair if coveralls and just let them get smelly and wash occasionally.

HVACNUT

What's going on that you're getting oil on your clothes? You're not supposed to play in it.

EBEBRATT-Ed

If you work on oil how do you avoid getting fuel on your clothes? I never could.

Illinoisfarmer

I get a decent amount of diesel fuel, grease, hydraulic and gear oil on my clothing. Not much way around it, it just happens. And I really don't like to wash that stuff in the house washing machine. Plus, I don't think the high efficiency (low water use) washer is as good at getting heavy soil out. I found an old standard fill laundry pair at an estate sale and put them in the shop for washing oily clothes (and everything I wear when spraying chemicals). For oil, fuel, etc., I like Simple Green or a citrus degreaser and a decent amount of laundry detergent in HOT water. If the smell is still there, hanging them in the sunshine and a nice breeze for a day then a rewash usually helps.

An added thing that I've learned - it's a great idea to keep a change of clothes in the shop for these situations. That walk of shame to the house in boxers and boots is the type of thing that can end up on the internet if a guy isn't careful.

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1811171#Comment_1811171

I know people that keep a wringer washer around for this.

Big Ed_4

My Mom use to add ammonia to the wash…

RayWohlfarth

The first time at this job, my son and I rode back with the oil smell for the 4 1/2 hour trip. The installer had loose connections everywhere that leaked. The second trip, we brought a change of clothes and put the oily ones in a contractor bag thanks everyone

offdutytech

Try a product called citro squeeze. We use it to wash turnoutgear after fires. It works to get that fuel oil smell out of your work clothes as well.

https://www.scproductsgroup.com/productlines

BrassFinger

I worked at a quick lube back in college. It was a long time ago (c. 1990) so I'm sure things have changed. However, we occasionally (and literally) took a bath in used motor oil, nasty burnt transmission fluid, grease, gear oil, etc. We had company uniforms that we would wear and get laundered by a service and returned. I don't know how they did it, but no matter how much gak and schmag we would get all over them, they would come back clean with almost zero trace of ever being dirty and with no residual smell, either. I would love to know what chemicals and wash process was used because when I get even something simple like clean hydraulic fluid or some food grease on my pants I can barely get it out using straight Zep purple as a pretreat and a hot water wash!

SuperTech

I just use a little extra detergent and wash my uniforms separately from everything else. Never had any problems.

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1812489#Comment_1812489

Commercial laundries can use phosphate detergent and and use much hotter water than a home washer.

Intplm.

Tide!

EdTheHeaterMan

My mother added Pine Jelly, My wife added Pine-sol, to the laundry detergent and used hot water for the wash cycle.

I guess the Irish Gal's like the smell of Pine!