If you own a car or home, it’s pretty likely that you’ve dealt closely with gasoline. Whether you’ve had a spill while fueling up your car at a station or while preparing to mow your lawn, you know how intoxicating the stench of gas can be. When soaked into fabrics such as car upholstery or clothing, the smell can be not only overpowering, but also dangerous.
When simple soap and water doesn’t remove the scent of gasoline, don’t give up and allow yourself to breathe in lingering fumes. Try these simple tricks to remove the odor completely. Each of these solutions is as effective as the others, however you will have to decide which will be best for you depending on the area of the odor as well as your preference in cleaning supplies and products.
- Hot water
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Wet/dry vacuum
- Vanilla
- Lemon
- Rags
- Mixing bowls
Removing Smell from Your Body
If you were recently working with gasoline, you could have residual odor left on you. If the gas smell is on your body, no amount of conditioning a room will help if you’re still standing in it. Luckily you can remove the odor pretty easily so that your friends and family don’t suffer from your smell
First, mix a bit of vanilla with water and dip a rag in the mixture. Then rub or wash areas of your body where the gasoline has spilled. You could also use a mixture of water and vinegar or of water and lemon.
Once you have rubbed and washed it off with a rag you will want to take a shower. This will allow you to get the smell of lemon, vinegar or vanilla off of you.
WARNING: Keep in mind that unlike many DIY solutions you brew up, this one is being applied directly to your skin. When choosing ingredients for your solution, be mindful of things like allergies and skin sensitivities. Also consider any open wounds you may have, as lemon and vinegar can irritate and sting. Vanilla is probably the best mixture to use to avoid any irritation on cuts.
Removing Smell from Your Car
Gasoline spills in the car are unfortunately common, especially when you are transporting gas cans. A healthy spritz of Febreeze is a good first choice to cover up the smell, but it won’t remove the spill.
To remove as much gasoline as possible, try a mixture of baking soda, white vinegar, and hot water. Mix everything in a bowl and use a rag to gently wipe off the seats or rugs in the car that smell.
Removing Smell from Your Carpet
Finally, if the smell of gasoline is lingering in your carpet, you will want to be careful about what you use to clean it up. The best thing to do is to gather two mixing bowls, a few clean rags, hot water, baking soda, a wet/dry vacuum, and vinegar.
Use one rag to soak up any residual liquid in the area where the spill occurred. Then, in one bowl, mix a little hot water with vinegar, and in the other bowl, mix hot water with baking soda into a paste-like consistency.
Apply the vinegar and water solution to the area of the carpet that has the odor on it. Use the vacuum or a rag to soak and clean up the affected area. Then cover the area with the baking soda and water mixture. Use the vacuum or a rag again to wipe off and clean the spot. Then use hot water to clean the area and allow it to dry freely.
taken from – http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-remove-a-gasoline-smell