Coated clothes in hydraulic oil - what to do?

Charlesaf3 · Oct 11, 2011

Never followed up on this. So they came back from the dry cleaner totally cleaned, though dry cleaner wasn't happy about it... Still wearing them. A little expensive for more than the occasional oil bath though.

I did switch to dawn for dishes after this!

Soundguy · Oct 13, 2011

when mind got drenched.. I ended up tossing them into the rag bin. even after a 5g bucket soak/washing for a couple days they were pretty well saturated...

amazing what a blown 1/2 hyd line will put out with a loader up in the air and pump going full tilt..

soundguy

DJ54 · Oct 14, 2011

I've found a product like Oxyclean to be a new friend. I fill the washer with hot water, put in an extra half cap full of laundry detergent, and a scoop of Oxyclean. Drop the lid, and let it agitate for a few seconds to get it all mixed well.
The trick is to then put the clothes in, and let them soak for a good hour or more. Then let it run the longest possible wash cycle. Seems to work pretty well..!!

Years ago, we kept an old Maytag wringer washer around to wash the working clothes in, and the good clothes only went in the automatic...

I still have one of them to wash horse blankets in, and I think there is a spare yet in the basement at the home place.

Ken45101 · Oct 14, 2011

Some years ago, a truck dumped a load of grease on I-74 in Cincinnati. Quite a mess. Ultimately they used Dawn (by the barrel) to clean it up. Cincinnati is corporate hq for P&G.

Ken

dieselmechanic · Oct 19, 2011

The main thing is if you wash oil soaked clothes in you washing machine never AND I mean never let you wife know it never fails a load of whites go in behind the oil soaked ones and if there is any oil left behind well you'll hear about it for years to come lol

Soundguy · Oct 19, 2011

I sometimes do a dummy load after an oil or grease load..

still.. I have a 5g wash bucket in the shop and if I get a heavilly soiled set of clothes.. especially diesel, they go in the bucket with simple green and lotsa detergent and get agitated for a while, then and extended soak.. only then are they 'clen enough' for real washer time..

the worst ones just get cut up as rags. or, sometimes I make arm protection out of pants legs when working inside an assembly I have to reach into like a tractor casting.. etc.

soundguy