Hi Alex,
We have found that sections are able to be deparrafinised without the messy
use of oil mixtures. We previously used a mixture of turpentine and
sunflower oil but it was messy and left greasy marks on the slide which
picked up stain and were hard to get rid of. We now simply place the slides
in 2 changes of xylol, blot them and wash in water for 10-15 minutes it
gives perfect results everytime and the slide is clean.