Oil on bedlinen

stargazeypie

Ok, this is fairly horrible, but it can't be helped...

My boyfriend is a mechanic. Being a mechanic means working with a lot of engine oil, grease and other, really black, types of dirt.

That's all fine. Every night when he comes home, he has a shower. He looks and smells pretty clean. The trouble is, I think this stuff gets into his pores. The result is that when he sleeps, being male, he turns into a furnace. He leaves an imprint of himself on the bedsheet, like a dark shadow.

I just don't know how to get it out. Any advice? I really don't want to just have to buy a load of black bedlinen. I don't want a black bedroom!

Oh, and I should have mentioned that he has eczema, so usually spends his evenings covered in a film of heavy moisturising cream. Probably isn't helping.

All suggestions gratefully received. Thanks!

hazzie123

Have you tried rubbing the black shadow with a bit of washing up liquid?
That is pretty good for getting greasy marks out.

greenbee

Can you let us know what you've already tried? Including the brands of any washing powder etc?

I use coconut oil, which usually comes out on a 50 degree wash with washing powder and soda crystals, but sometimes I use carrot oil which takes a 90 degree wash to shift!

Borax helps with stain removal, as does laundry bleach.

I'd avoid fabric conditioner and use white vinegar instead, as then the dirt can't cling to the conditioner.

stargazeypie

I have to confess, I hadn't tried that hard, as I wanted to see if I could get some advice before throwing everything at it and risking setting the stain.

So, a normal wash at 40 degrees had made no noticeable difference.

What I've just done was put it through a 95 degree prewash cycle with some Stardrops in it, then rather a lot of Surf Small and Mighty for the rest of the very hot wash. This is a white cotton sheet.

It's better than it was, but still not perfect, so I've put it on the washing line in the sun. I might risk leaving it there for a couple of days to see if the sun bleaches it out, but because it's proper real dirt (all the filth that is under a car bonnet, rather than the standard food or juice stain that I would usually manage to anoint myself with) I don't think that will work particularly well.

The next step is to try and bleach it out. The trouble is I'm terrified of bleach because I think it's going to make holes in stuff and turn it yellow, so I never dare use enough/ leave it long enough to make a difference. Alterntively I could try white spirit, which I used to use for oil paint, but this isn't spot stain removal, this is the imprint of the torso of an over 6 foot man. So I'd have to soak it in the stuff. And it stinks! I'd probably have to wash it 3 or 4 times before the smell would go.

The thing that really worries me about anything as harsh as bleach or white spirit (or Stardrops possibly) though is bf's eczema. It's really quite bad, and I don't want to do anything that's likely to aggravate it. I've already given up using fabric softener for that reason (as well as because I realised that I couldn't tell the difference between using it and not!)

Oh well, thanks for your suggestions. If anybody has any more I'd love to hear them. In the meantime, I'll have to hope the sunshine lasts!

jackieglasgow

What about lemon juice and salt in some sort of solution and rub it in and leave it to soak before washing on a hot wash then out in the sun? Lemon has really good grease cutting properties, and I'm sure this won't aggrevate yout BF's excema?

Jackie X

stargazeypie

Thanks Jackie, that sounds like a good suggestion. It seems like there might be some rain coming in, but if it blows over then I'll give that a go tomorrow.

ktpie

I'll be interested to see the suggestions and how you get on. You're not the only one stargazeypie! My DH isn't a mechanic but he also manages to get oil on the bedsheets and on his clothes. One of our sheets has an oil stain on it that doesn't seem to want to come out. Also have a t-shirt on the side at the moment which is covered in hydrolic oil waiting for me to tackle. We've tried rubbing degreaser (the type for cleaning hands) on the stains before and with repeated treatments and washing it fades eventually.

greenbee

With bleach, you need to use an oxygen-based laundry bleach rather than a chlorine one. You can pre-soak, and also add it to the wash.

Another thing worth trying is borax, which works as a stain remover.

Have you tried adding soda crystals to the wash, as these work as a de-greaser. Adding vinegar to the final rinse may also help.

More importantly, all this dirt can't be helping your OH's skin, so it sounds as if he needs to find something that will really get him clean before covering himself with a mineral-based emollient that effectively traps it in. Switching to a vegetable-based moisturiser (sesame oil? coconut oil? shea butter?) might help, as it doesn't form a barrier in quite the same way.

It might be worth him washing thoroughly under the shower, then having a bath once clean to open up the pores, and then having a final wash & rinse under the shower to get rid of anything that has surfaced in the bath before putting on the emollient.

Alternatively, have you tried making him wear full-length PJs? You could wash these daily so that they don't have a chance for the stain to set!

stargazeypie

Just thought I'd let you know how I got on. An overnight soak in a bath containing enough water to drench it and a lot of soda crystals made the world of difference. It's still hanging out to see if the sunshine makes any more progress on it, but basically I'm not ashamed of it any more. I'ts not perfect, but I'm ready to let it alone, as the same thing's only going to happen again the next time it goes on the bed!

Could anybody help me identify a laundry bleach though?

Thanks

zzzLazyDaisy

I use Vanish Crystal White - it is in a pink tub at the supermarket, it is quite expensive but every so often it is on special offer, and it really shifts stubborn stains (I have white bedding and they are still sparkly white even though they are several years old)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Having lived with a lovely diesel fitter when I was younger, I would suggest that you try and persuade him to exfoliate before using lighter lotions and try something with urea as a barrier cream. It sounds as though the moisturiser is actually sealing the particles into his skin/body hair, to be let out as he sweats overnight. Oh, and because they work so darn hard and are practically asleep when they get in the shower, I think most mechanics would be more than happy to have their OH scrub their back for them (which guarantees that you know he is properly clean, and not just OK clean)

If Ariel or Daz can't get it out at 60 degrees, I think that it actually works out cheaper to get bedsheets from Primark or Tesco, grit your teeth and resign yourself to replacing them regularly.

But, on a slight diversion - am I the only one who actually thinks that mechanics smell rather nice? Or is it just the positive associations I have regarding the rather beautiful young man I was fortunate enough to spend the best part of my twenties with?