Cleaning question: How do you remove a rancid oil smell?

[revvinkevin]

I got a massage last weekend and I did not immediately launder the clothes I was wearing after massage. Instead I waited and washed them on my normal washday. The problem is, there was the smell of rancid oil before laundering and unfortunately after laundering the smell is still present.

Does anyone (Laundress?) have any suggestions for how to wash these items to remove the rancid oil smell?

One item is made of cotton the other polyester.

Thank you in advance!
Kevin[this post was last edited: 1/27/2013-22:50]

 

[lotsosudz]

Crisco?

If you would have used Crisco oil, all but a tablespoon would have come back! Sorry my bad. I have used simple green with great success, and then washed the item again as you would have normally. Hope that helps.
David

 

[aamassther]

I'm a massage therapist. The oil smell can be difficult to remove. Try using a liberal amount of ammonia in the wash water, about a cup. It's been a staple in my families laundry room for decades. That usually does the trick. It's best to use the hottest water possible. I wash my sheets in 150 f water, with extra detergent and oxy bleach. Never a rancid oil smell. I've had the best luck with powder detergent, like tide he or shaklee, at removing oil stains. I reckon that it's the washing soda in their formulation, of course, you could try that too.

 

[arbilab]

What kind of oil do massagers use that goes noticeably rancid?

What I call rancid is the smell of a restaurant grease trap. A roommate's relative once sat in my chair "fresh" from his job cleaning one. The reek was horrendous. I put the cushions in the sun for several afternoons and the smell became imperceptible. It was not practical to launder them.

Rancidification is a process of breakdown. Exposure to ultraviolet accelerates the process to where there is nothing left to break down and the smell stops.

 

[whirlcool]

What I call rancid is the smell of a restaurant grease trap

And you are not kidding, the odor emitted from this type of grease is simply beyond description. For some people it can cause instant vomiting. If any of that ever got on my clothes, I'd throw the garment away. I wouldn't risk transferring that kind of smell to my washer.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Dawn dish soap will do it.

A soak in a strong solution of Dawn and hot water( less than 60C for the poly) followed by laundering with an extra rinse should do it. After 18 years in foodservice I have washed many gresy loads. Otherwise for the cotton articles a boilwash would be the answer.
WK78

 

[vacbear58]

What I call rancid is the smell of a restaurant grease trap

And you get full agreement from this side of the pond on that one too. We had one come back temporarily from a client and it was just DREADFUL. It stunk out our, normally very draughty, warehouse for days.

Al

 

[bosch2460]

You definitely need hot water to shift the oil from the fabrics. The cotton can take up to boiling. The poly I would not take above 140. I work in a kitchen, with tons of grease and oil. I find that a 140 degree wash, with plenty of Tide with Bleach will take out oil stains on even dark colored dress shirts. Borax is a good grease cutter too. A heavy squirt of Dawn into the wash never hurt anything, either.

 

[westie2]

Kevin use hot water and Foca to soak the items in then drain and use more Foca in the washer.  Then just a touch of blue Suavatel for the rinse.  That gets the smell our.  I had a son that worked at Long John Silvers in highschool and that too out the smell. 

 

[yogitunes]

There's WAY too many questions to ask here about this one....

but at least one has to be asked...and only by me....what kind of massage were you going for EXACTLY?....

usually they towel dry/blot off any excess before you get dressed......how did you get it all over your clothes?.....

you may have to resort to a degreaser of sorts, Formula409, SprayNine, PurpleCleaner, Dawn....even Lestoil....and the highest temp the fabric will allow.....once removed you may want to rinse again, or rewash......

you may even want to contact the place where you got your massage, they may have suggestions as to what they use to remove it from the sheets used on the tables and towels....

once you solve this...we want to hear more about this "MASSAGE"!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Shout or Spray & Wash products will help, too.

 

[revvinkevin]

What kind of oil do massagers use that goes noticeably ranci

 

 

Sorry, I didn't realize I deleted it when I revised the "first draft".   He said uses grapeseed oil.

 

Thanks you so much David, Todd, Nick, Joel, Charles, Martin and Tom for your suggestions.   I'll let you know what worked.

 

How well does color stay in polyester?   This shirt is red and I'm concerned about the color fading if I wash it in too high a temp.   I usually wash it in cold, but did wash it in warm this time.

 

~ Charles, what is "Blue Suavatel"?   I'm not familier.

 

~ Martin,  What kind of massage?  

**ROLLS EYES**  Geeze, yeah only YOU would ask that.  LOL

Most massages I'd had do not "towel you off" when the massage is complete.    #1.  I am not drenched in oil so there's not a lot to wipe off.   #2. If they were to "wipe me down with a towel" that would detract from the "relaxed state" I am in after the massage.    

 

Kevin

 

 

[westie2]

Suvatel

I butched in spelling. It is the fabric Softner by Coalgate Palmolive folks. Hispanics like it but it does knock out the odor. The blue bottle is
Field Flowers.

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[bosch2460]

Polyesters tend to hold color just fine in hotter washes. It will be harder to get the smell out of the polyester than the cotton. Synthetic fibers tend to hold on to odors worse than natural fibers, im my experiences. Water at 120 degrees will most certainly not harm polyester, unless it especially fragile. 140 degrees might be more risky, but could be a last resort.

 

[stan]

Professional

Dry Cleaning !
Just take the garmets in, and tell them what the problem is, and have them do a clean only.
The solvent used, will pull out all the oil.
If it will make you feel better, you can re wash at home, if there is any chemical smell left in after
Dry Cleaning.

 

[whirlaway]

Polyester?

The first thing you do is burn the poly,then deal with the cotton!! Try Oyxclean, on the cotton!