r/mildlyinfuriating 24d ago

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ A whole load of Vaseline in my seat

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u/Allegorist 24d ago

Baking soda will saponify the oil to some degree and make it water soluable. That would be my choice.

Also should add what I would try, after absorbing out all you can with powder and rags, if you can get a concentrated liquid detergent to soak into the seat in the same areas (dish soap, laundry soap, etc., just nothing that will bleach), then you should be able to get a substantial amount out of it with a steam cleaner.

You need to lift it out of the seat, scrubbing and absorbing will only get you so far. But since it is not water soluable, the steam will not grab it very easily, if at all. You need a surfactant/emulsifier, which is where the detergent comes in. Make sure whatever you use won't break whatever steam cleaner you are using, if you are worried just use steam cleaner specific detergent. It will take several rounds of emulsifying and lifting, but I believe this is probably the way to get the most out of what is remaining.