Help Please! Road trip + spilled gas= headache. Any ideas?
 

This is a bit off topic, but is travel related so I thought I would ask for suggestions. We are about to leave for a 5 day trip that will involve us being in our car for a lot of the time.

Here is the problem... DH went to get gas for lawn mower this morning {so he could mow before we go} and on the way home, the gas can tipped over and some gas spilled onto the carpet. Needless to say, the fumes are most offensive. We have left all the windows open all day without much success of getting rid of the smell.

Anyone have any ideas on how to get rid to the smell before we head out on the road?

Thanks in advance...
Debi

You don't mention whether you used soap and water to try to get rid of it. I'm assuming you did. A bottle of bbq sauce broke in our trunk once creating quite an odor. Someone suggested using vinegar and, while it was several years ago, I seem to remember that it worked. I don't know whether you have to be concerned about chemical reactions with gasoline.

Good luck! :)

kitty litter?
baking soda?

Gasoline fumes are more than offensive and unhleathy, they are also explosive.

Soap and water are probably irrelevant; I agree that absorption and ventilation are your only allies. Did you blot up as much as possible, using towels or paper towels?

It would probably help to do more than just opening windows: set up a fan blowing on the affected areas and leave a door or two open in order to speed up the evaporation process.

You can buy dry cleaning solvent in stores .. read the link that the Weasel posted.
Happened to us, as well as the gas was all over my husbands shoes..it does come out..good luck!

I knew I could count on you to help with this problem!

We blotted with paper towels as quickly as we could, but with the dry heat here in Colorado, the liquid had already evaporated. SO it is the residual fumes and oily residual that we are trying to deal with now.

As gas is petroleum based we need to find a way to clean the carpet fibers. Unfortunately, the carpet doesn't seem to want to come out of the cargo area. {I Knew we should have gotten that cargo liner when we first got the SUV}.

Well, we are off to try some of the suggestions from you and from that terrific link.

Thanks all!
Debi

I'd try Simple Green---most auto supply stores have it as well as the "auto" aisle of many large drugstores and grocery stores. It's a very effective degreaser, and is safer to use than harsh solvents like acetone or dry cleaning fluid.

I have a big jug of Simple Green that I got from Costco. Good luck and keep us posted.

I have no clue - but I would go to a clean looking gas station and ask them what they use to clean gas spills.