diesel

help, i had a customer call round to my house today (sunday) with a slight problem, he was transporting diesel in the back of his car when it split over into the boot, under the back seats and into the footwell carpets. any ideas on how to remove diesel and get rid of the smell? many thanks in advance.

I would guess you would have to replace it...

It would be best to remove all the carpet and seats from the vehicle.



Dawn or Tide would be best for getting the oil out. Dawn especially.



Get a hose and wash it down. Might want to use an extractor if you have one.



Expect to spend some time because it sounds like he definitely made a mess.

Gasoline will cut diesel. :chuckle:



Sorry, I couldn`t resist. This is really a tough one. After stripping the interior. Acetone will remove from all the metal work. Cleaning the upholstery is an entirely different proposition. Steam clean may be worth a shot but I would think that unless this person is willing to let it air out to some degree on its own they`re looking at replacing some of it. One of the problems here is that even though you thoroughly break the interior down, the fumes end up in the head liner, front seats, etc. Diesel and 90 weight gear lube are to of the toughest odors to remove that I`ve ever come across.