Cleaning diesel out of steel bilges

[Sooshark]

Hey everyone

I've had a slight disaster the last few days, in that when I put a jerry can of diesel into the fitting on my deck that SHOULD have a pipe that runs down to the tank, the whole can of jerry cans worth of diesel ended up in my bilges. Turns out the pipe on the pipe had been knocked out (probably the last time it was fuel), and I didn't notice until the next day.

So, now I have LOADS of diesel in my bilges. I've bought a hand pump and with dispose of the diesel properly, however I need to get in there to clean them to try and remove the smell, and want to know the best product for this. I'm UK based. The hull is made of steel. What is non-abrasive for this and will leave a pleasant smell as opposed to a strong smell?

Thanks very much!

 

[pvb]

Jizer or Bilgex.

 

[NUTMEG]

GRP hull but I did similar. Pumped out as much as I could into clearish plastic container, left it a couple of weeks to settle/separate then put it into tank via a good quality funnel/filter thingy.

The bilge I cleaned with hot water and a bottle of washing up liquid. Rinsed with clean water. Sponged dry. Ran engine to warm up the space and dry out the remaining moisture. No smell . Cheap and effective.

 

[vyv_cox]

Toilet Duck eliminates the smell of diesel quite effectively.

 

[Sandyman]

Stokers aftershave. Love it & live with it
)

 

[Minchsailor]

Another forumite recommended Simple Solutions which is used for clearing up pet's mess. It is a strong detergent with enzymes/bacteria to break down the organics. Unlikely, I know, but I tried it after I had a diesel leak and it works. And it is odour free. I got the 'cat' variety; there is also a 'dog' one, but I reasoned that cats mess is really, really smelly, so that was likely to be the stronger.

 

[Tammany]

Don't dump the old diesel as it makes a good parts cleaner. Mine had a mixture of diesel, oil & water in the bilges of my GRP boat when first bought so much so it soaked into the wooden flooring so it's permanently smelly which i have to replace. I used a hand pump and cleaned with a strong washing up liquid mix followed by mr muscle. No longer smelly as the wooden flooring is now in my garden to use as a template for the new. I don't mind the smell too be honest but ladies tend to dislike the smell of diesel for some reason lol

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Once you are at at the scrubbing stage i.e. after all the neat diesel has been removed, use oil absorbing pads to soak up the fuel / water interface. They will pull the crap out and leave the water in place. It makes cleaning up a lot easier. Buy a lot and use them, they make the difference in getting that hard to remove fuel film away. After use each subsequent wash gets easier. That's my experience. Don't use nappies, if they break up, the bilge mess is a nightmare to clean, its like rice pudding.

http://www.asap-supplies.com/eu/environmental/fuel-clean-up-products

 

[Iliade]

I used biological laundry powder for the final wash when my (grp) bilges were contaminated. However most, if not all, detergents and washing powders contain salt, so a freshwater rinse would be a good idea. Alternatively it is possible that Bilgex is salt-free.

 

[Sooshark]

Thank you everyone for the replies! Some great suggestions, time to attack on Saturday.

 

[Sooshark]

I'm going to get citrus degreaser and/or the simple solutions cat spray. I'm still very new to boats, is there anything I should really stay clear of using down there that people may have suggested?

 

[Adamastor]

Penguins or gannets?
They always seem to use them to sop up oil-spills on beaches and sensitive environmental areas, then they take the soiled birds off, was the oil out, and put them back!

(I'll get my coat!)

 

[Poecheng]

Penguins or gannets?
They always seem to use them to sop up oil-spills on beaches and sensitive environmental areas, then they take the soiled birds off, was the oil out, and put them back!

(I'll get my coat!)

Excellent