Thanks folks -- son only has one pair of coveralls, and a few "working" t-shirts, and as Saffy said not nearly enough $$ spare for the laundromat.
I bought some Oxyclean this morning, that you add to the wash water, and I've told him to wash the coveralls in hot water, then do a cleaning cycle again with the oxyclean. See if that'll get the grease off the tub.
...or maybe I just don't notice the oily smell. .. I like how engine oil smells.
I guess you'd think me pretty fragrant right now then.
This oily stuff, interesting in a way, because clothes that are part cotton, part poly, seem relatively fine, it's the 100% cotton things that lap it up.