assateague wrote:AKPirate wrote:3legged_lab wrote:Would dumping some baking soda in a wash cycle help at all?
I was wondering if vinegar would
I'm going to try bleach tomorrow. The bright side is that my traps are damn near perfect now. Even when the wax starts to wear off next season, they've now been heat-treated with skunk essence. Twice.
The chemist in me says that's not so good an idea.
You know anything about polar and non-polar molecules? (non-polar mixes with non-polar, polar with polar and opposites won't mix) Think oil and water
I'd say you need to try some non-polar solvent first.
Water obviously don't do it and it's polar so try the opposite.
SOAP has properties of both polar and non-polar...that's why it's soap.
Both polar and non-polar molecules are slightly soluble in a soapy solution.
Oil is non-polar...some kind of oil will break up the skunk and dilute it. Then wash the oil away with soap. Bleach will make the plastic parts in your machine get more brittle.
I think I'd try squirting the insides of the machine with baby oil or mineral oil whichever is cheaper.