8 thoughts on “Help!”

  1. Washing machine by themselves with two rinses, regular detergent. Just hang them up on a clothes line. Don’t let them sit in the sun before washing; spontaneous combustion can occur as with oily rags. After all that they may be stained. Shouldn’t hurt the washer.

  2. let dry first, anywhere where it isn’t going to get too hot. Windy day in the shade say.
    Then do the two washings.

  3. Don’t let them dry first. Heat can build up as the volatile hydrocarbons evaporate, and that can cause a fire. Even less volatile stuff like Danish oil, for furniture, can combust if left on rags and steel wool, even in the dead of winter. I keep an old coffee can in the garage, half filled with water for rags or steel wool soaked with WD-40, gasoline, mineral spirits, motor oil, varnish, linseed oil, or furniture refinishing oil.

    Google “oily rag fire”–you’ll get an eyeful.

  5. Oh for crying out loud, just wash them. Twice if they still stink. Drier won’t blow up. Signed, former pump jockey.

  6. I don’t think they’ll stain depending on the material. Benzene (gasoline) was the original dry cleaning fluid.

  8. Thanks, everyone, for all the advice! I’ve washed them three times — once with baking soda and detergent, once with vinegar and detergent. Let’s see how well the third time works.

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