I spilled some gas in the trunk and got the carpet wet. I've taken the carpet put to air it out, but it still stinks. So does the trunk. My wife won't drive the car (and I don't blame her). Any suggestions?
Gasoline smell; HELP !
- Thread starter 3putter
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Keep the trunk open with everything removed and have a table fan in the trunk running overnight.
JHZR2
Staff member
zeolite
This is just a guess, but I think some kind of soap would cut the hydrocarbons in the gasoline, and get them to come loose from the surfaces they are on. Do the rug while outside the vehicle and elevated like on saw horses. The hotter the water the better.
Mix up a few gallons of hot water with some good sink type dish soap like Palmolive, and some Johnsons Baby Shampoo. Scrub and sponge the area, and rinse well. A hot water rinse would work better than cold water. You can put a garden hose on the bottom of a hot water heater to get hot water if you do not have any other way to get hot water to a hose. If you use the bottom of a water heater for your hot water, be sure to run several gallons first to get rid of the sediment that will be in the water at the bottom of the water heater, before you use that water for cleaning. You might have to give the water heater time to heat the replacement water after you do the run of water to get rid of sediment.
Do a second wash and rinse with hot water and Johnsons Baby Shampoo without the Palmolive if the first wash leave any smell.
If you do end up with a sligh smell of baby shampoo for a few days it is not as bad as gasoline.
Mix up a few gallons of hot water with some good sink type dish soap like Palmolive, and some Johnsons Baby Shampoo. Scrub and sponge the area, and rinse well. A hot water rinse would work better than cold water. You can put a garden hose on the bottom of a hot water heater to get hot water if you do not have any other way to get hot water to a hose. If you use the bottom of a water heater for your hot water, be sure to run several gallons first to get rid of the sediment that will be in the water at the bottom of the water heater, before you use that water for cleaning. You might have to give the water heater time to heat the replacement water after you do the run of water to get rid of sediment.
Do a second wash and rinse with hot water and Johnsons Baby Shampoo without the Palmolive if the first wash leave any smell.
If you do end up with a sligh smell of baby shampoo for a few days it is not as bad as gasoline.
Dawn dishwashing liquid seems to have the best rep for dissolving greases. With gasoline, it's more the residual smell and not actual grease, but the point made earlier is a good one.
Replacing the trunk mat with another one is an option, like from a salvage yard. You can inspect it for wear, water/mold and smell. Tres elegant, in my view.
Replacing the trunk mat with another one is an option, like from a salvage yard. You can inspect it for wear, water/mold and smell. Tres elegant, in my view.
If you got the trunk lining wet, the only thing you can do at this point is to pull it completely out, hose it down, scrub with laundry detergent, rinse until clean and let it air dry well.
Be sure you also pull out the spare tire & sop up anything that's still in there, then use wet soapy cloths to wipe down the trunk pan. Then let it air dry. And get some jerrycans that don't leak!
FWIW, Joy dishwashing liquid seems to rinse cleaner than most others out there.
Be sure you also pull out the spare tire & sop up anything that's still in there, then use wet soapy cloths to wipe down the trunk pan. Then let it air dry. And get some jerrycans that don't leak!
FWIW, Joy dishwashing liquid seems to rinse cleaner than most others out there.
Thanks alot, guys. I'll give it a shot with the dish soap and baby shampoo and see what happens. I've had the liner out three days now and hit it with the fabreeze. That didn't git er done.
3putter
3putter
Propflux01
$100 Site Donor 2025
Go to your local Dollar General or FRED's and get you some "LA's TOTALLY AWESOME" cleaner. You can find it in the house/bath cleaner section. Comes in a clear bottle, and the cleaner is a urine-looking colour. Douche down the mat with that, scrub to get in in the fabric, hose off. Works really good. You can get it in a spray bottle for a buck, or a gallon for about 3 bucks.
Originally Posted By: 3putter
Thanks alot, guys. I'll give it a shot with the dish soap and baby shampoo and see what happens. I've had the liner out three days now and hit it with the fabreeze. That didn't git er done.
3putter
If there's still a residual smell left after soap/rinse/dry, saturate the area with hydrogen peroxide, cover with clear wrap and weight the plastic down while it dries. No guarentees, but it's worth a shot. Another option would be to try one of those pet urine neutralizers with enzymes.
Thanks alot, guys. I'll give it a shot with the dish soap and baby shampoo and see what happens. I've had the liner out three days now and hit it with the fabreeze. That didn't git er done.
3putter
If there's still a residual smell left after soap/rinse/dry, saturate the area with hydrogen peroxide, cover with clear wrap and weight the plastic down while it dries. No guarentees, but it's worth a shot. Another option would be to try one of those pet urine neutralizers with enzymes.
Rent the ozone generator at the rental store. It works.
Forget water based anything.
Diatomaceous earth from the pool store will likely work, too, but it's messy.
Forget water based anything.
Diatomaceous earth from the pool store will likely work, too, but it's messy.
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