Help, everything smells of turps!

melg1973

I had a bit of a pregnancy brain mush moment on saturday and stuck a dishcloth in with my normal wash - something I quite often do but this one had had some turps on it from doing up an old mirror with paint around it. It wasn't even that much turps but now all the other things in the wash, despite being washed another 2 times since stink of turps. Any ideas to get rid of the smell? Also am petrified about using the washing machine again in case it makes another load smell of turps - should i maybe put it through a few cycles with nothing in?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Mel

squeaky

I think that the best option for the clothes is to hang them outside to air. Once odour free you can give them a quick wash.

As for the machine - a single high temperature empty wash (with powder in) should do the trick.

jackieb

I also did this last year. Except it was a jug of turps that got spilled over my daughter's school clothes. Every wash came out stinking. I can vouch that hanging them out gets rid of the smell. My OH put a load in the dryer! I was scared it would catch fire but they were fine too - the smell also went. The machine smelt for a good while too - more than a week if I remember right - despite having had a few empty cycles with detergent and on at 90C!

squeaky

A week! Blimey.

I couldn't find anything on line other than an empty cycle.

Maybe someone knows a better way.

Edit: And yes turps is flammable and it is not recommended to put these clothes in the tumble drier.

lolarentt

If it was just one item in the wash with turps on it it shouldn't give you any repercussions from the machine with later washes (jackieb was a jug on a lot of clothes). As regards the clothes in your contaminated load the odour will go with further washing/airing

zaksmum

I had my washing on the kitchen floor ready to go in the machine, waiting for the previous wash to finish, while O/H was painting a door.

Put the wash on and it reeked of turps when it was done.

Unknown to me, O/H had dropped a turps soaked rag in the wash pile and everything's stinking of it now.

I've done a second wash on it, but no joy.

PLEASE does anyone know how to get the smell of turps out of my wash - or do I just have to chuck everything out?

WeegieWumman

Look up the laundry section of the MSE 'Old Style Collection'
Personally, I'd add vinegar to both the wash and the rinse.

squeaky

Hiya

This thread may help: Help, everything smells of turps!

Peartree

DON'T wash again. Turps is volatile and will evaporate - unless you keep rewetting it. Just hang everything out on the line until the turps has evaporated and smell has gone then you can wash it. I found this out the hard way because the white spirit was in a similar container to white vinegar which I use for fabric conditioner. Honestly, it works.

zaksmum

Thanks peartree, squeaky and weegie wumman. I'll try putting the clothes on the line tomorrow. Whole house stinks of the stuff now!

Shadowgirl

hi mel, just wanted to say that i know the feeling, my son used turps to get a spot of paint off a jumper, but instead of washing it, he put it in the dryer...the smell is awful

if anyone has any tips on getting rid of the smell of turps from a dryer, i would be ever so grateful