Help! DH put an oily rag in the washing machine

npsmama

...domestic oil...the kind for central heating.

I've tried saving the clothes in the same laod by doing a 90C wash with detergent but they smell even more of oil.

My worry is the washing machine itself....how can I get the smell out?

Debt_Free_Chick

Hot wash, with the machine empty, but with some powder in it. You could also try running a hot wash with white vinegar.

You might need to run it a few times, but it ought to come clean eventually.

All my OH's clothes are oily - fencing and agricultural engineer, so he's for ever covered in diesel and engine oil :wall:

npsmama

Still hasn't solved the problem despite numerous washes at 90 with soda crystals...is my machine ruined??

jobbingmusician

DH says do a 90 deg wash with 2 very large double handfuls of washing soda (as much as you can hold with 2 hands cupped together - twice) plus lots of rag - but make sure the rag doesn't have any loose threads or you could scupper the bearings. You may have to do this 5 or 6 times. It does take ages, but you should be able to get rid of the smell eventually.

Edit: it does sound as if this is what you've been doing already, but his reassurance that you may have to do it lots might help a bit??

npsmama

Thank you.
I'll persist