Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

I took a 5 gallon "approved" container to fill up on the day of the MegaStorm here in the Northeast. On the way home, some of the gasoline spilled out in the back seat area. I don't think it was on the upholstery, but it probably got on the carpet even though I have my rubber winter floor mats on.
Does anyone have any suggestions as t how to get rid of the odor? It's my wife's car, and you know what that means.

Thanks

rdmesser2 Loc: Central Florida

Baking Soda will absorb it.

Gitzo Loc: Indiana

Gasoline smell is very difficult to remove; You might try mixing up about two gallons of hot water with a cup or two of "Pine-Sol"; I use Pine-Sol for all sorts of cleaning jobs, and it's very "refreshing" (and STRONG ) "piney" smell is great. It will definitely get cat urine smell out of a carpet, and the pine smell only lasts a few hours.

BTW......do yourself a big favor........any time you need to haul a gas can of diesel fuel can in a vehicle, first buy a big plastic "tote" container and put the gas can in the tote, and fill the space between the gas can and the tote with......anything you have handy, to make SURE that the gas can CAN NOT tip over while you're hauling it.

As "lingering" as gasoline odr is, diesel fuel is about ten times worse, and is much longer lasting! (one drop of diesel fuel on you clothes and you'll be smelling it for weeks! )

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

I was looking at some remedies online and one was to cover the area with baking soda for 24 hours, then vacuum it up, then spray with Febreze. Sound familiar?

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

Hmmm! My wife uses Pin Sol so we have it around.
The gasoline was restricted to a very small area so I don't think I would have to mix 2 gallons, unless you have an idea in mind?

Gitzo Loc: Indiana

What does 2 gallons of hot water cost?

Answer: "not much"

What does a cup full of Pine Sol cost?

I'm not sure, but the whole bottle only cost a couple of bucks. (at Dollar General )

I just happen to have a LOT of small, square plastic buckets that I used to get cat litter in; anytime I'm cleaning up "ANYTHING", I get one of the little square, buckets about 1/3 or 1/2 full of hot water, toss in a BIG shot of Pine-Sol, take an old rag, stick it in the Pine-Sol / hot water, get as much solution as the rag will hold, scrub it around, wring out the rag, get as much wetness back up as the rag will hold, then repeat the process as many times as necessary to "get up" what ever it is that "stinks".........trust me.....two gallons of hot water with a lot of Pine-Sol is EXACTLY the "right amount"!

How do I know all of this? simple; having 3 dogs and 2 cats, a few parakeets on occasion, I have become an "expert" at cleaning up "big messes" from carpets, cars, and other places.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Whatever you do resist the temptation to use a shop vac to pull any water or cleaning solution out of the carpet.

I've never found a gas can that would seal completely. When I carry a gas can, I put it inside a large plastic storage container. It can't tip over, and if anything spills, it stays in the storage container.

Here is a lengthy article

Getting a Gasoline Smell Out of Carpet

The first thing to do when gas is spilled is to try to wick out all of the gasoline with paper towels. Then soak the area thoroughly with a mixture of 1-2 cups of white vinegar mixed with 1 gallon hot tap water. Pour this on the area and use clean white rags and a brick to take the water back up. Rinse with hot water mixed with 1 1/2 cups of baking soda. Then take the water back up. If you have a wet/dry shop vac, that might work as well as the rags and brick but keep vacuuming until no more water comes up.

For more general ways to get rid of the lingering smell, put a tray or box full of kitty litter in the back of the van. It will help to absorb the odor. Putting baking soda down on a dry rug will also help. Let it sit over night then brush it up.

Well, I have to admit this didn't work for me. It just spread the mess around even further. My husband had a better solution - isopropyl alcohol. I also used it on the plastic where the gasoline has leaked through the carpet, then a little soap and water. It's been about 6 days and the smell is nearly gone. The carpet is doing much better as well.

1. If you can, remove the carpet from the car.
2. Air dry for a couple days
3. Douse with isopropyl alcohol (I soaked the area)
4. Air dry
5. Wash with soap and water, rinse and air dry again for a couple days

Gasoline is hard to clean because it's an oily solvent. Soap and water only spreads it around. There are a couple of tricks to try.
Call places that do auto detailing (cleaning) and ask them if they have specialized procedure for just this problem. Careful, though, if they don't give you specifics, they'll probably just vacuum the car and give you one of those little cardboard deoderant trees that smell like crap.

Check your local automotive supply, even the commercial public places like Pep Boys, AutoZone, etc. They often have specialized cleaners that are made just for this purpose.

Next trick you can try is to use dry-cleaning solvent. This may be tough to get depending on the laws of your state, province or country. It works like a charm, but be sure to test it on an inconspicuous part of the carpet first. Be sure to have plenty of ventilation, or take the carpet right out of the car.

You may be able to buy some from your dry cleaner on the sly, particularly if you regularly bring in clothes and you explain what the problem is.

You can also try other solvents that will dissolve the gasoline and then evaporate themselves, like acetone. Acetone is the main ingredient in nail polish remover. Acetone is a pretty nasty solvent on its own, so make sure the carpet is colorfast and make sure to have plenty of ventilation.
A final note: make sure that the area under the carpet isn't soaked, too, or this will all be for nothing. The smell will come right back.

I have been detailing autos for 5 years now, and I've ran across this problem more than most. To completely remove this odor you must raise the carpet in the areas of spill. remove the padded backing from the carpet, then have the carpet steam cleaned. replace new backing pad to the carpet. Now the smell will not be gone yet, because the rest of the interior has absorbed the smell. So i recommend a spray bomb or a febreeze. It may work. Do this with windows up, for an hour or 2, then let vehicle air out. The last step may need repeated... seems like a lot to do but trust me its cheaper than buying a new car... good luck!

I spilled a little bit of gas in the back of my Jeep Cherokee and it has seemed impossible to get rid of the smell and fumes. I have tried everything and nothing has worked. EXCEPT, I took someone's advice about ground coffee. So far, So good. I will update the site in a few days to let everyone know if it REALLY works!

I tried all the tricks too but could never get the smell out. It was really bad on very hot days where had to run AC. I replaced my carpet with a $150.00 aftermarket carpet kit. It took some work to install but solved the problem. I probably should have done this first instead of last.

I tried the acetone first and then the alcohol. Seemed to significantly help, after it was sun dried, and completely dry.

Singing Swan

Sprinkle ground coffee over the area where the gas spilled.... after the area is dry. A friend of mine spilled a gallon in their trunk about a month ago and after it dried, this worked to get rid of the scent in about three days. After, vacuum up the coffee and voila! You need to be a bit generous with the coffee .... we swept up the first application and did it again after the second day. Works wonders!!

woodworker236 Loc: Western, Pennsylvania Home of the first JEEP

Our Ins. company told me to use coffee grounds, and it worked. I covered the spot with the coffee grounds and left it for a couple days then vac. them up it was all gone.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Is that used or fresh coffee grounds?

Singing Swan

Fresh...... but if you have used coffee grounds, well dried, they will work too, just takes longer.

UXOEOD

The only thing that will work, actually remove the aroma, not replace it, and do NO DAMAGE, is fresh dry coffee ground, sprinked moderately heavy on spill, rolled up windows, an allow to naturally heat up. It is magic, vacuum up after 2 days a warmth, still confined air.

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

Time for some outside the box thinking. (in this case... inside the car)

1. A lit match
or
2. An angry skunk

OK this doesn't get rid of the smell exactly but does allow for deflection and the wife gets a new car. End result? Your a hero!

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

OK, 2 gallons it is.
I'm going to try each suggestion and find out how they work.
Thanks.

GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

I must admit that, since it is your WIFE'S car, number 1 was the first thing to cross what's left of my mind! Sorry..... :lol: