Australia's Science Forum

Does anyone have any suggestions for removing paraffin oil from plastic petri dishes, plastic funnel and other plastic things?

Thanks Lorrae

Try soaking in a bucket of very hot water. The oil should float to the top.

several times thru a dishwasher?
I learnt at school that detergent breaks down the oil so hot water and detergent is all i can sugguest.

Is parrafin oil a bit different though?

I would try soaking in Napi-san

paraffin oil is liquid hydrocarbon, try to absorb as much as you can (kitty litter or talk powder).
soak over night in hot water and detergent
or if you are like me (do not like to waste too much time on cleaning) after absorbtion use whiteboard cleaner and wipe of with paper towel

Thanks for all the helpful hints!! I did the napisan and hot water and detergent. The troulble with soaking overnight was the water would get cold so the oil just recoated the plastic.

You need a good detergent like Morning Fresh. Apply some to a cleaning cloth and wipe the dishes or apply directly to the funnels and rinse in hot water. Powdered ajax will also dissolve the oil, but the detergent is easier to rinse off.