How to Get the Diesel Smell Out of Clothes? 8 Home Remedies

Listerine, Coca-Cola, and other home remedies can all be used to get the diesel smell out of clothes.

Your entire day has been taken up with changing diesel filters. However, you unintentionally spilled diesel on your clothing, which is difficult to clean and has a strong odor. You must therefore understand the proper methods for eliminating the diesel odor from clothing.

Here’s how to remove the smell of diesel from clothing: wash with baking soda and vinegar, the detergent that cuts through grease, Listerine, or ammonia. You can use toothpaste, white vinegar, lemon juice, mechanics hand cleaner, salt, and soap to get rid of the diesel odor on your hands.

Learn how to use common household items to make your clothes smell spotless by reading on!

Table of Contents

How to Get the Diesel Smell Out of Clothes?

The five simple methods listed below can be used to clean up fuel stains on your clothing.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

How It Works: Baking soda and vinegar act as a natural neutralizer to remove the diesel odor from clothing. It’s best to limit the use of this technique to mild aromas. Strong odors will likely need stronger chemicals.

The best method for getting rid of stains and potent odors is vinegar and baking soda because they are both natural deodorizers.

How to Do It:

Your clothes should first be treated by adding a mixture of 1/3 cup vinegar and 1/3 cup baking soda.
Wash after adding detergent.

Baking soda and vinegar combine to create a chemical reaction that aids in the breakdown of oils. If you want to get rid of the smell, you might want to rinse your clothes several times.

Rubbing Alcohol & Baking Soda

How It Works: Furthermore, baking soda and rubbing alcohol are effective. Sadly, the reaction between these two ingredients and the first one is not as exciting.

Baking soda, however, works wonders for absorbing oil and removing odor. In order to lift and remove the fuel from your fabric, rubbing alcohol further breaks up the diesel compounds. The alcohol also evaporates, so there is one less residue to worry about removing.

How to Do It: Lay out your clothes and liberally sprinkle them with baking soda. Allow the baking soda to absorb any diesel that seeped into your clothing for about 15 minutes.

And finally, scrub after adding the rubbing alcohol. Put your clothes in the washer once you think the diesel odor is completely gone.

Cola & Baking Soda

How It Works: Although soda isn’t particularly healthy for us, at least it works well to remove the smell of diesel from clothing. We’ve already talked about how deodorizing and absorbent baking soda is, but what about cola? Cola is a natural degreaser that works wonders on clothing to get rid of grease stains.

Mouthwash

How It Works: Although mouthwash might not seem like the first thing you would use to clean your clothes after diesel fuel, it does. The smoke smell is removed from firefighters’ uniforms using mouthwash. Your fabrics’ powerful oils are removed by the strong antiseptic and the flavor of fresh mint.

How to Do It: If you have particularly soiled clothing, pre-soak it in Listerine mouthwash for 30 minutes before washing. After your washer is full, try adding a cup of Listerine to the water to further eliminate the smell of diesel fuel from the clothes.

Fast Orange Hand Cleaner

How It Works: If you’re not familiar with Fast Orange, it’s a hand cleaner in the lotion style that’s preferred by mechanics and construction workers for removing grease from the skin. Strong grease can be removed with this product, which has been on the market for some time. This remedy applies to more than just hands. On fabrics, it also functions.

How to Do It: Before washing, apply some Fast Orange directly to a diesel stain if you have one. Add a tablespoon of Fast Orange to the fill water in your washing machine to mask the smell of diesel fuel. If the first round doesn’t completely get rid of the smell, try a second one while adding a half cup of baking soda to the water.

Ammonia

How It Works: One of the best solutions to get rid of the smell of diesel is ammonia. Ammonia is an alkaline compound that neutralizes acids in diesel fuel to prevent corrosion.

Additionally, it has powerful cleaning properties and can help remove any traces of diesel from your clothing.

How to Do It:

Start by mixing about 1/4 cup of ammonia with warm water in a bucket.
Stir the solution until all of the ammonia has dissolved.
After that, add your clothing and soak them for at least 20 minutes before washing.

With ammonia, you must exercise caution. It presents a serious risk when used improperly (when combined with other chemicals).

Heavy Duty Detergent

How It Works: We advise using a strong detergent to get the smell out of your clothes. Invest in a product that is designed specifically to remove and repel grease and oil stains, like Fast Orange Mechanic’s Laundry Detergent. This can be used for both pretreatment and regular washing of your clothing.

How to Do It: Apply the detergent to the troubled areas after soaking your clothes in cold water to pretreat. After cleaning it in, let it sit for at least two hours. In place of your regular detergent, wash your clothes using heavy-duty detergent.

Solvent-Based Stain Remover

How It Works: The chemical components of grease and diesel can be disassembled by solvent-based stain removers, which can also remove them from your fabrics. To remove the smell of diesel from your clothing, try this method.

How to Do It: Beginning with the stained fabric, apply the stain remover. To help the solvent break up the grease, let it sit for a few hours before washing your clothes with a strong detergent.

Pretreat Your Clothes for Best Results

As you have probably noticed from each cleaning technique, you must pretreat and soak your clothes before putting them through a wash cycle. It increases the likelihood that the stain and odor will be broken up by the cleaning agent.

Do not think that you can defeat diesel by completing a standard 30-minute wash cycle. In order to successfully remove odors or stains caused by diesel, patience is recommended.

How to Get a Diesel Smell Out of Your Hands?

Make sure to completely remove all smells of diesel from your hands because they could be harmful to your health.

Water And Lemon Juice Solution: Lemon juice and water are combined to create a solution that can be used to scrub your hands. After at least two minutes of scrubbing, rinse your hands with water. Once that’s done, you can wash your hands once more with regular hand soap.
Make Use Of A Hand Sanitizer: Hand sanitizer will work as an initial remedy if the diesel smell is not too strong and you only have that. Your hands should be generously covered in hand sanitizer, and you should rub it in for at least 2 minutes. You can wash your hands with soap and warm water once you find a bathroom or a powder room.
Make Use Of Vinegar: Home remedies frequently involve the use of vinegar. By applying vinegar to the affected area and rubbing it there for two minutes, followed by rinsing your hands with soap and warm water, you can also use vinegar to get rid of the smell of diesel.
Salt And Dish Detergent Solution: Mix at least three spoonfuls of salt, water, and dish detergent to create a solution. The salt’s coarse texture will both exfoliate and remove the strong diesel odor from your hand as you scrub it with the prepared solution.
Make Use Of Toothpaste: Toothpaste is another suggested DIY method for getting rid of the unpleasant diesel odor from your hands. Like the other methods mentioned above, the procedure is quite similar. Avoid touching your face, especially your mouth and eyes, if you have held or spilled diesel fuel on your hands.

Conclusion: Get the Diesel Smell Out of Clothes

Diesel stains can be very dangerous if they are not properly dealt with, regardless of the type of fabric involved. It becomes flammable due to the stains, increasing the risk of a fire. In order to prevent any major issues, it is imperative that you understand how to effectively remove the smell of diesel from clothing.

The best methods for eliminating the smell of diesel from clothing are now at your disposal. Make sure to treat your clothing on a regular basis, and think about treating it first with something like vinegar before washing it. You should be able to control that repulsive diesel smell if you do the same for your hands.

FAQs

Does Diesel Stick to Clothes More Than Gasoline?

Some might argue that diesel adheres to clothing more so than gasoline. The oil base in diesel adheres to the fabric of your clothing. Oil stains adhere to the fabric, and you have to work hard to remove the smell from your clothes. Diesel has a distinct and offensive smell because it contains sulfur and nitrogen.

Why Regular Detergent Doesn’t Work on Diesel?

Regular detergents cannot remove grease or oil. Diesel is hard to get rid of using standard methods because of its oil base. Use a degreaser-containing product or a strong solvent-based stain remover if you want to safely remove diesel fuel stains from clothing.

Why is the Smell of Diesel So Hard to Get Rid Of?

Diesel’s petroleum-based origins are the main justification. Diesel also contains sulfur and nitrogen, which gives it a pungent smell. Compared to gasoline, it evaporates more slowly, which allows it to penetrate your clothing further. Diesel can easily seep through fabric, stain clothing, and stay there even after a thorough wash.

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