I had a long sleeved t shirt that i used when changing my gear oil.

Being careless, i threw it into the washing machine along with some other clothes..

now everything smells like gear oil... it's really stinky...


i haven't tried washing again, but i don't think it will help much. any suggestions?

 

Dump a 12-20 oz bottle or can of Coke in with it. Or, if you have Oxi-Clean put a scoop of that in.

 

Put about a 1/4 cup of liquid dishwasher detergent in with the regular soap. Liquid dishwasher detergent is one of the most powerful cleaners you have in your house. And just think you can eat off the shirt on your back when your done. My wife used to put it in with my softball stuff.

 

Go to a marine supply store and buy some bilge cleaner, soak you clothes for a day or so in this stuff then wash as normal. Used it for years on coverall while working on oil tankers did the trick every time.

 

If your not careful the oil residue, after it leaves your shirt, will stick to the inner workings of your washing machine and then everytime you run a load (sheets, undies, towels, etc.) there is a chance of some of the old oil getting on these household clothes. I would hand wash the work shirt in a degreaser (let it soak) and then rinse off on the driveway. Let it drip dry.

I ruined a brand new Kenmore washing machine and new bed comforter when I put in clothes that had gear oil/lube and it never came out of the washer. FYI....my wife was and then

 

I've never had any luck w/Oxi-Clean. Coke does work. Use Sprite if you're worried about the Coke discoloring anything. Sprite's acid content isn't as high, but it still works. Both are great for soaking parts in. Use diet versions if you don't want to attract so many bees and ants. To clean out the machine, throw in a couple of old towels and some dishwasher soap (not the stuff you use for washing dishes by hand, it foams too much).
And one last thing - it's best to take your really dirty stuff to a coin-op laundry.

 

All of the above! Then buy some paper throw away overalls!

 

For the shirt.....Burn it. It will always smell, no matter what you do. Half of my dirt shirts smell like gear lube.

The washer......Run a cycle by itself in hot water. Throw it all the dishsoap, laurdry soap, and dishwashing soap you can find. Heck even throw in the shampoo soap. Then it might be tolerable. If that don't work.......Burn it.

 

Guys,

So lemme get this straight: if you have a shirt that has oil or gear lube stains on it, put it in the wash w/ regular detergent and pour a can of Coke in it? And it'll take away the stains?

Now I know the feeling when I tell people that peanut butter is great for removing wax off fender flares!

Seriously, will this work on shirts that have oil stains on them for several wash cycles? Or does this only work for a fresh oil/gear lube stain?

Bob

 

Don't know about the Coke, but Dawn dishwashing liquid and a toothbrush is really good on oily stains. Even old ones. If it's really bad, mix some Castrol or one of the other purple cleaners with it...

 

Dawn, been saving wildlife for over 20 years. I like that commercial...switched from palmolive to them because of it. If it will clean a duck caught in an oil spill, Id think it'd clean some shirts.

 

]
reminds me of a funny story!

while me and jjdeneen were living in our condo, JEFF's girlfriend thought she'd do the dishes in the dishwasher (jeff and i never used the dishwasher). Since we've never used it before... we had not dishwasher detergent.... so she went off and used the liquid dish soap!

OMG ... there were BUBBLES-A-FLOWING that night! LOL
it was pretty funni!

 

whats wrong with smelling like gear lube