The problem
Our team recently were contacted by Rygor Mercedes to attend their local depot. The issue was that diesel had been spilt in the cabin of the truck and, although most of the liquid had been removed, the fumes had permeated the soft furnishings of the cab.
Being a large commercial truck, this meant: seats, cabin beds, curtains & ceiling.
The initial solution
The first approach here was to apply a commercial strength (yet eco) cleaning solution with the right action to emulsify any carbon-based residues to allow for recovery via rinse extraction.
Our technician conducted this and cleaned the curtains, beds, seating and ceiling using the full professional method.
He included an eco-friendly commercial-grade odour neutralsier in the rinse water to attack the diesel at this stage of the process as well.
Although the smell initially appeared to have disappeared, once the fabrics had dried, the depot reported back that the issue had returned.
It is for these types of problem that we operate with a full honour guarantee. There are a lot of variables with the materials and solutions we work with – sometimes, things need more than one approach…
The second solution…
On our second visit, we used a heavier, solvent-based deodoriser. Although we try and limited our use of solvents, in this case it is the industry prescribed method. Solvent based deodorisers are commonly used in the fire restoration industry because they are more deeply absorbed into materials and are longer lasting. Because we were dealing with carbon/diesel deposits, they certainly seemed like the right way to go.
After the deodorisation, we installed one of our ozone generators (and forgot to take any photos!). These handy devices work by generating O3 particles.
Ozone is oxygen but in a different form. It contains three oxygen molecules and not two. The third molecule can detach and apply itself to other chemicals or substances. This ability to attach to other substances (such as odour causing particles) means the ozone is able to alter these substances.
The result
This time, the diesel smell had diminished to an almost indiscernable amount. Sometimes, we have to accept that a perfect result is an unlikely goal. We had discussed this reality with our client from the outset, and then had set about achieving the very best result possible.
In this case, we feel that we met the brief and delivered a result that meant the vehicle can comfortably be back in use.
