Kerosene smell in washing machine

MichaelR

So I made a mistake and washed clothes laced with kerosene in an automatic front-loading washing machine. Now I need to get the smell out of the machine.

What was done so far:

- Two cycles with vinegar, on 60 degrees
- A cycle with washing machine cleaner, on 60 degrees
- Approx 4 long cycles with dish washing liquid, on 95 degrees
- A cycle with "Borax replacement" from Mr Price, on 95 degrees

Now running a cycle with soda crystals (from Mr Price again) on 60 degrees. Another option I recently found online is to try and use vinegar but pour it in when the hacnihe nas been filling for 30 seconds.

What other chemicals, or any other ways, can be used to remove kerosene odour from the machine?

Only thing I can think of is to leave the door open as often as possible and to run an empty wash with a double dose of washing powder.
The smell would eventually evaporate, regardless of what you do, it is probably in the door seal or on the outside of the machine as well.
Try wiping the outside with a degreasing type cleaner, the ones used for cleaning car engine parts.(check for compatibility first though)

Roen

I did the same with petrol. 4 litres of coke did the job in the end. Leave it sit and then run a normal boil wash.

MichaelR

Roen's solution has worked!

I placed 4.5 liters of Coca Cola (classic, not zero) directly into the macine. Then for some hours I kept the machine closed, periodically opening it and rotating the drum manually.

I then drained it. The smell out of it was that of Coke.

Then I put in Dettol washing machine cleaner and ran it at 60 degrees, leaving the machine with a normal "washing chemicals" smell.

Not sure how this works, but this works! Seems to have something to do with Coke evaporating and the Coke fumes reaching everywhere the kerosene fumes reached, perhaps>

Roen

I think it's the phosphoric acid in coke. I was bricking it that I'd wrecked the washing machine in the last place I was living. Can't recall where I heard the coke trick but it did the job!