Not Clorox, or any other bleach - but it appeared that someone had changed
the oil into the bilge on at least one occasion, based on the color and
consistency of the water in it regardless of how much I spritzed and
scrubbed with the normal detergent type stuff.

Peggie referenced degreasers...

I purchased a gallon of "extremely strong engine degreaser" from the
marina - into the bilge it went, and scrubbing I went, with a toilet brush.
Rinse, repeat, until the gallon was gone. No joy.

Followed with simple green, to the level of two gallons over time. No joy,
including close to pressure washing with a hose.

Followed with purple power, likewise two gallons. Be sure of good
ventilation! Same process. Slow progress, but not success.

Followed with greased lightning, and about 5 high-water level flushes and
scrubs. While the bilge is still stained, at least it now runs clear.

It took me about 8 gallons of cleaner(s), scrubbing, pressure washing, and
probably a couple hundred gallons of rinsing to get it done. I also
recovered several tools and miscellaneous hardware which had been left in
the soup by prior folks...

Needless to say, prolly, but when the electrical priming pump which had
previously been inop suddenly started working and the hose was open due to
having removed the genset, we instantly wiped up, then degreased down, and
heavily flushed and scrubbed and dried the diesel fuel which came into the
bilge...

I'm off well before dawn to the last 4 weeks aboard before my surgery. It's
now more than two months past when the contractor said he'd be finished;
there are still major things to be done in several areas, but we are hopeful
of actually finishing our work before August 1 when I'll be out of action
for a minimum of several months.

I'll not have good access again, for that time, while I'm aboard, but we'll
be putting up photos in the gallery as they are taken, as we round third in
our refit.
Go to the "home" section of the gallery you'll see of our boat before refit
started, in the sig below, and follow the projects folder, if you're
interested in what's happening aboard...

L8R

Skip, refitting as fast as I can...


--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain