# Removing kerosene (heating oil) from clothes and washing machine



## Carnmore (18 Feb 2020)

Can anyone suggest an effective way too do this, preferably without the use of chemicals? So far I've done a 60c soak wash with detergent, baking soda and white vinegar then a 40c wash with the same additives but the smell is still there.


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## Alkers86 (18 Feb 2020)

IS the kerosene in the washing machine also or just on the clothes?


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## josh8267 (18 Feb 2020)

Leave door of wasting machine open if you are not using it foe a while , hang clothes out side if possible in this weather should get rid of of the smell of kerosene, then hand wash,


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## Carnmore (18 Feb 2020)

Alkers86 said:


> IS the kerosene in the washing machine also or just on the clothes?


Now both


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## Carnmore (18 Feb 2020)

josh8267 said:


> Leave door of wasting machine open if you are not using it foe a while , hang clothes out side if possible in this weather should get rid of of the smell of kerosene, then hand wash,


They got splattered so hand washing isn't an option.
Perhaps the smell will fade and it's not as bad as I think ..


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## josh8267 (18 Feb 2020)

Carnmore said:


> They got splattered so hand washing isn't an option.
> Perhaps the smell will fade and it's not as bad as I think ..


Hand wash the splattered hang out to dry should fade if aired outside,I used washing up liquid in the past on splatters seamed to work for me,works well to remove oil,


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## noproblem (18 Feb 2020)

There was a lot of publicity lately about people putting a dishwasher tablet into the washing machine for a good clean out. Supposedly put in a dish washer tablet, nothing else, set to high temp wash and let the cycle run its course. I haven't tried it yet but will at some stage. You've nothing to lose and let us know how you get on.


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## Zenith63 (18 Feb 2020)

noproblem said:


> There was a lot of publicity lately about people putting a dishwasher tablet into the washing machine for a good clean out. Supposedly put in a dish washer tablet, nothing else, set to high temp wash and let the cycle run its course. I haven't tried it yet but will at some stage. You've nothing to lose and let us know how you get on.


I'd imagine that might work quite well here as well.  You really want a degreaser to break down the likes of kerosene, and cleanling dishes is all about degreasing!


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## Thirsty (19 Feb 2020)

re washing machine, don't know why everyone is getting excited about dishwasher tablets - some bleach and a boil wash in an empty machine will do exactly the same job.  

As far as your clothing is concerned, I think I'd write it off.


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## Zenith63 (19 Feb 2020)

Thirsty said:


> re washing machine, don't know why everyone is getting excited about dishwasher tablets - some bleach and a boil wash in an empty machine will do exactly the same job.


To be fair bleach is not a degreaser, which may not matter when you're cleaning around the house, but for particularly difficult cleanups applying the correct tool for the job is much more effective.  A good example is removing limescale from a shower; you can scrub and scrub and eventually get it off with soap/bleach, but spray some limescale remover on there and it will just wash off minutes later.  Same applies to greases/oils, soap/bleach can be OK but a proper degreaser can allow you just wipe it away...


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## noproblem (19 Feb 2020)

Do not put bleach into a washing machine. It will crack the rubber lining, will put stains on the drum and plenty more nasty things as well.


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## gianni (19 Feb 2020)

noproblem said:


> There was a lot of publicity lately about people putting a dishwasher tablet into the washing machine for a good clean out. Supposedly put in a dish washer tablet, nothing else, set to high temp wash and let the cycle run its course. I haven't tried it yet but will at some stage. You've nothing to lose and let us know how you get on.



I tried this. Didn't see the spectacular results that others raved about.


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## noproblem (19 Feb 2020)

gianni said:


> I tried this. Didn't see the spectacular results that others raved about.


What did you do and what are the results that were not great? I've just started a cycle now myself


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## Thirsty (19 Feb 2020)

noproblem said:


> It will crack the rubber lining, will put stains on the drum and plenty more nasty things as well


Has never happened to me.  Your mileage may vary.


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## noproblem (19 Feb 2020)

Have done a hot water full wash cycle in the washing machine with a dish water tablet and let it empty out into the sink so I could see the water and was pleasantly surprised to watch the smelly brown looking water empty itself. I must say I was pleased with the result and there's no smell from the machine now, the inside of the rubber ring is spotless, also emptied and cleaned the filter, Yuk. Yes, I'll do this every now and again from now on but have no idea if it does the job for the person with the kerosene smell. Will also add a cup of baking soda to every wash as I had a couple of the neighbours in for a visit and told them what I was doing. One told me about the bread soda trick and if I remember correctly my mother always used  baking soda for an awful lot of house cleaning jobs.

Ok Thirsty, I understand what you're saying and good for you, but bleach is deadly stuff and you've been very lucky. Anyone with a septic tank? using bleach will kill the bacteria that cleans up and breaks everything up in the tank. It's an awful product and should, if used, be done so sparingly because when it gets into water sources it kills everything.


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## Carnmore (20 Feb 2020)

noproblem said:


> Have done a hot water full wash cycle in the washing machine with a dish water tablet and let it empty out into the sink so I could see the water and was pleasantly surprised to watch the smelly brown looking water empty itself. I must say I was pleased with the result and there's no smell from the machine now, the inside of the rubber ring is spotless, also emptied and cleaned the filter, Yuk. Yes, I'll do this every now and again from now on but have no idea if it does the job for the person with the kerosene smell. Will also add a cup of baking soda to every wash as I had a couple of the neighbours in for a visit and told them what I was doing. One told me about the bread soda trick and if I remember correctly my mother always used  baking soda for an awful lot of house cleaning jobs.



A cup of baking soda with every regular wash or when doing a service wash?



noproblem said:


> Ok Thirsty, I understand what you're saying and good for you, but bleach is deadly stuff and you've been very lucky. Anyone with a septic tank? using bleach will kill the bacteria that cleans up and breaks everything up in the tank. It's an awful product and should, if used, be done so sparingly because when it gets into water sources it kills everything.



I agree. I've never used bleach and can't see a need for it.


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## Carnmore (20 Feb 2020)

Update: the smell has gone from the clothes and machine after what I did initially without any further treatment


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## noproblem (20 Feb 2020)

Carnmore said:


> A cup of baking soda with every regular wash or when doing a service wash?
> 
> With every wash. You can get it in most shops, was told by my neighbour that she uses the Tesco brand. Think it's called soda crystals, almost identical to the baking soda I'm told.


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## mathepac (20 Feb 2020)

Baking soda and soda crystals are completely different. Baking soda or *sodium bicarbonate,* a mixture of sodium and hydrogen carbonate and its primary use is as a raising agent in baking. Because of its innocuous and non-toxic nature, it is useful in a water solution for washing out the insides of fridges and deep-freezes.

Soda crystals, *sodium carbonate*, is an old-fashioned laundry product and water softener. As I live in a hard-water area, I always mix a scoop of this (dessert-spoon size or a little more) with whatever laundry product I'm using. For tea-towels, dish-cloths, oven gloves and so on, I use it on its own in a hot wash.

Unless you're a big fan of the chemical smells of conditioners and fabric softeners, try using environmentally friendly white vinegar in the conditioner-dispenser in your machine.


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