Diesel Deodorizer?

[backcreeksailor]

I'm not fighting a recent diesel spill and the smell I do have is pretty mild. It just smells like a 30 year old boat. That said:

I've scrubbed citrus bilge cleaner through the bilge and it's pretty squeaky clean now. I've wiped down all exposed surfaces with a citrus cleaner. And I've run all the cushion covers through the washer with Tide and a half cup of lemon scented Mr Clean in the water and they're all smelling fresh now.

But... The foam inside the cushions still has a faint diesel smell. I have them out on my balcony airing out, but I don't know how much that's going to do. So I was wondering if anyone knows of anything that works to neutralize/deodorize diesel odor? Something that can be sprayed on them? Letting them sit out in the sun? Ect...?

Also, is there anything else I can/should do inside the boat to knock down any lingering diesel smells?

[GreatWhite]

You might want to try vanilla oil sprayed on with a mister. This has worked for us.

[SVCarolena]

The two best solutions for diesel smell that I've seen on this forum are washing with Dawn dish liquid, and Calgon. Dawn is supposed to be very good at breaking down the fuel, and I have read that Calgon is an old mechanic's trick to get rid of the smell. Maybe you can try a dilluted solution in a spray bottle.

[Selkirk]

Smelly foam?
We replaced the foam in our cushions and bunks. That helped a lot, but be prepared! Good foam is expensive. We elected to go with the good stuff.

[jonlgauthier]

Originally Posted by SVCarolena

The two best solutions for diesel smell that I've seen on this forum are washing with Dawn dish liquid, and Calgon. Dawn is supposed to be very good at breaking down the fuel, and I have read that Calgon is an old mechanic's trick to get rid of the smell. Maybe you can try a dilluted solution in a spray bottle.

Calgon, or liquid fabric softener? That's what I thought I read years ago (could be mistaken), and I tried it recently - and it seems to have worked.

[sailor25b]

I tried something that I saw here on another thread for my stinky foam cushions. I stuffed them, one by one, into one of those plastic storage bags that you suck the air out with a vacuum. Then I sprayed a little Fabreze into the air intake, as the air was drawn back in.
Killed the smell and worked like a charm. Try it!

[doctorcam]

Originally Posted by sailor25b

I tried something that I saw here on another thread for my stinky foam cushions. I stuffed them, one by one, into one of those plastic storage bags that you suck the air out with a vacuum. Then I sprayed a little Fabreze into the air intake, as the air was drawn back in.
Killed the smell and worked like a charm. Try it!

No Febreze in the house at the moment, so I tried the vacuum bit, using a large strong garbage bag. My 16-year-old says the results look sick - high praise these days. The bag worked perfectly, and three cycles of vacuuming and re-inflating got rid of most of the odor. How much Febreze did you use? One pump, two, . . . ?

Cheers

[windward54]

I have had good success using K.O., the holding tank product. I used a diluted solution ( about a cup or so in a spray bottle) and sprayed it on the areas. I just let it sit and dry out. Took the smell right out. I've also sprayed the solution on cushions and then left the cushions out in the sun to dry. Works great.

[Freesail99]

Calgon does work miracles on diesel smells.

[MedSailor]

+1 for fabreeze. I have a very sensitive sense of smell and one day a male cat peed on my car's driver's seat!!! I thought I was going to have to sell the car, seriously.

I applied an entire bottle of fabreeze, in 2 applications. (1/2 bottle, dry over 2 days then the rest of the bottle) and it took away every last trace of the smell. Absolute miracle. My forearms also got a little bigger from all that spraying.

If the other tricks are working, great! If they're not working to your satisfaction I'd try liberal application (ie wetting the fabric) with fabreeze. Personally I like the "mild scent" once as it still has the odor-eating ingredient but much less perfume added.

MedSailor