Let’s say you have a husband who gets everything on his work overalls. EVERYTHING. Including the day he soaked himself in diesel not once, but twice, when the tractor decided to stop working midday due to a clogged filter, when the tractor was at an angle. He had to siphon it off twice, and the great moment was when it went all over him later – and all over the concrete in the shop when something wasn’t in quite right. It was raining and I had to hold a jacket over the tractor, and that jacket also got stunk up.
I had no idea what to do, he smelled so bad. I aired out his overalls, then washed them. Multiple times. The smell got better, but it was never gone. I really am repulsed by the smell of fuel, and most smells don’t bother me, but I cannot get past that smell. I banished that pair of overalls from our bedroom, even when “clean”.
I was trying to think of what could get rid of the odor, since it was soaked deep into the duck fabric of the Carhartts. I started thinking about how borax strips the smell of poo out of diapers and wondered if it was strong enough.
All I can say is boron (Sodium Borate or Sodium Tetraborate) is the only thing I have found that works on diesel. ½ cup of borax added to the wash, and when they came out of the washer there was no smell. None. I dried them and it was gone.
I was seriously shocked how well it worked.
Borax hides in the laundry cleaner section of grocery stores/hardware stores, though many places don’t carry it (although the rise of slime recipes has made it easier to find) Amazon carries it for a good price in 4 packs. That is a supply for a year or two!
All I can say is he is allowed to have his overalls back in the bedroom once again. Borax is a miracle worker.
~Sarah