How do I clean diesel from a backpack?

June 6, 2007 12:40 AM

My backpack was dropped in a pool of diesel and sat there for 10 minutes. Is there any way of getting the fuel/smell out fast? I'm at a remote camp with limited resources, and I have to use my pack for at least another month.

By limited resources, I mean accessible by helicopter. There's no chance of getting another pack, or fancy cleaning supplies. We do have a washer and dryer. The best suggestion I've had so far is to leave it outside my tent for a few days. Right now, I can't put anything inside without making it smell like diesel too. Help!

posted by piper4 to travel & transportation (22 comments total)

Google turns up some relatively common options: vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and coffee grounds. The ever-helpful About.com has some baking soda wizardry, too. Copious amounts of vinegar and alcohol sound like they'll work - you've got those around, no?

In my days as a Scout, we would have called that pack a "smellable;" that being any unusual smell which might attract wildlife. Definitely keep the pack near the food (and away from tents/people) for the rest of the month, even if the smell seems to be gone - bears might disagree.
posted by coolhappysteve at 1:44 AM on June 6, 2007

Got any of these available?:
1. dish soap (Dawn)
2. Orange goop
3. vinegar
4. cola

One of the first two will get it out. I've heard that the cola will do a lot of cleaning type things. White gas is probably available but you'd have to be pretty desparate to try that (Don't Try That).
There must be soaps/toothpaste available, make a paste out of that and let it set in overnight, then wash/brush it out.
posted by artdrectr at 1:44 AM on June 6, 2007

As small spills of diesel are expected to evaporate fairly quickly, I would try leaving it out in the air for a while and hoping the majority evaporates.
posted by handee at 1:46 AM on June 6, 2007

After a quick google, and excluding commercial cleaning products, the most common suggestions are cleaning with baking soda and/or white vinegar, sometimes cola.

What if you were to apply gentle heat to the bag? It might evaporate (slightly) faster.
posted by robcorr at 2:10 AM on June 6, 2007

(By which I mean, leave it near the campfire or whatever. Open air, near a heat source.)
posted by robcorr at 2:11 AM on June 6, 2007

Detergents and evaporation are probably going to be the only things you have access to where you are.
posted by Rhomboid at 2:49 AM on June 6, 2007

One potential problem is that any detergents strong enough to remove the diesel might also remove any waterproofing on the pack. Time and air might really be your best options.
posted by TedW at 3:01 AM on June 6, 2007

Fuel smell is one of the hardest to remove. If you can get on line, I would just order a new pack and have it sent to the camp.
posted by boomchicka at 4:14 AM on June 6, 2007

(By which I mean, leave it near the campfire or whatever. Open air, near a heat source.)

Maybe not too close to a fire . . .

I'd evaporate, get it nice and muddy to absorb/diffuse remaining smells, hand-wash, machine wash. Machine wash only once it smells reasonable as you don't want the machine to scent everything with diesel for the rest of your trip.
posted by bluenausea at 4:49 AM on June 6, 2007

I'd try baby powder or baking soda until better, fresh air until you get it home. You don't want to wash it in that machine, I think at all. They tell you not to do that with any flammable liquid, you could blow up the washer. (It says that on the lid of mine.) No matter how nice you think it smells, it's still going to have traces, and if the washer doesn't blow up (unlikely I agree) everyone's socks will smell like diesel forever and they will hate you. You are likely to over-estimate the degree of recovery out of desperation and olfactory acclimation, and toss it in the washer too soon. Short term, line it with a garbage bag so the contents don't touch the ick.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 5:05 AM on June 6, 2007

Can you soak it in hot soapy water?
posted by orange swan at 5:41 AM on June 6, 2007

Random effort: Soak it in conditioner (stuff you put in your hair that's not shampoo). After it's soaked in nicely, scrub it out.
posted by anaelith at 6:17 AM on June 6, 2007

We do have a washer and dryer.

Have you tried using them? That's the first thing I would do.

I'm also curious about this "remote camp" that has laundry facilities and an Internet connection.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 6:28 AM on June 6, 2007

just an FYI....

don't put your pack in a dryer unless ALL the diesel is out. (it's the standard safety warning... no oils, gas, vegetable oil, etc.... fire hazard.)
posted by FauxScot at 6:43 AM on June 6, 2007

Diesel isn't flammable, nor will it evaporate easily and it stinks to high heaven. I wouldnt worry about putting it in the dryer or the washing machine, but it might stink up those too.
posted by electroboy at 7:46 AM on June 6, 2007

Diesel is really tough to get out of things. I've been splashed many times, and have given up on most things that get soaked unless I can get a bucket of what they call rigwash to soak it in. Rigwash appears to be 409. So if you can find a bottle of that, maybe. Otherwise, hang the pack outside and see how it smells in a year.
posted by atchafalaya at 8:30 AM on June 6, 2007

Most backpacks are made of nylon 6. According to this page, nylon 6 is resistant to diesel oil up to 100C, which means it's probably not strongly absorbed into the fibers, so there is at least reason to hope to get it out, eventually.
posted by jamjam at 9:38 AM on June 6, 2007

On a friend's recommendation, I solved a similar dilemma (involving normal gasoline) with a bag of kitty litter. The stuff is designed to absorb moisture and smells, and it works.

Not that everyone has the foresight to bring kitty litter on their camping trip.
posted by churl at 9:51 AM on June 6, 2007

Churl's suggestion sounds good. Kitty litter is what many car repair shops use to clean up oil spills.

You could also try baby powder. I have removed large grease stains from shirts by simply pouring baby powder over them and leaving them undisturbed for 24 hours. In one case, the shirt had already been laundered once or twice, and the stain seemed hopeless.

The powder I used contained a mixture of talcum and corn starch. But the intertubes suggest that pure talcum powder, pure corn starch, and baking soda will all work pretty much equally well.

Be sure to use lots of powder, cover the affected area completely, and leave the item undisturbed for a long time (48 hours would be even better than 24).
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 10:27 AM on June 6, 2007

Kirth Gersen: I've been in such places. Logging camp in northern British Columbia. Very nice comfortably facility with a big generator for power, but very remote (either a 12 hour drive on dirt roads from the nearest pavement, or by you had to take a float plane). Small amount of brief Internet access through a satellite phone (e.g. enough to post as ask.me question one day and check for answers the next day, but not enough to go googling around the web).
posted by Emanuel at 11:06 AM on June 6, 2007

I recently started working on a vw bus ;)

Gas fumed clothing. 6+ wash cycles later... smell free.

Stick the pack in a moving stream for a day.
posted by mmdei at 11:11 AM on June 6, 2007

kitty litter = clay, in many cases. If you have dry clay available, it might work.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:38 PM on June 6, 2007