There is a product called aquaclear that you can buy that should get it out as well... they sell it at petsmart... since he has no fish there's no reason not to give it a try
I dont know about yous but mann i just dont feel rite usin aquaclear i once used it and notice it dont do my fish very well ,,,your friend might be having a lack off bio filtration ,,,tell him to get a sponge filter and 2 starter fish then 4 weeks later voila!!! clear water,,,also the cloud from badly washed gravel settles after a while