Diesel/kerosene doesn’t evaporate like gasoline though, lots of mechanics use it to soak Rusty stuff and get parts unseized.

Modern has also attacks rubber with its high ethanol content, but its a slower process.

Gasoline works great for cleaning, but you have to immediately coat it in something or you get flash rust again. Diesel is slower, but less volatile, and better near rubber and plastics.

Btw, I restore old cars and have used both to clean things, though the cancerous benzine fumes from gasoline aren’t worth it compared to other solvents for me. Denatured alcohol<mineral spirits<naphtha<acetone is my order of escalation when a mess is stubborn.