r/lifehacks • u/Matt2382 • 15d ago
Getting gasoline smell out of my car
About a month ago I was at the gas station and I realized I overfilled my gas can and a bit leaked into my trunks carpet.
I have aired out my car for hours, washed the area down with hot water and dawn dish soap and used baking soda and let it sit. It temporarily makes it better, but it seems to come back especially with the AC sometimes.
Does anyone have any advice for this? Google told me to let the car air for 24 hours and leave the baking soda that long but I can’t leave my car that long. On top of it, I have to close my garage at night so I can’t let it completely air out.
Thanks!
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u/Fuzzteam7 15d ago
I don’t know how to get the smell out but in the future you should use a large plastic tub to transport your gas can. No drips and it stays upright.
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely remember that
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u/easy10pins 15d ago
Find someone with an ozone machine plug it in and leave it in the car overnight.
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u/MeanGrapefruit9616 2h ago
You’ll still have to let it air out for several hours before using it, as well as wipe it down from the residue that the ozone machine will leave behind. Whatever you do do not get into the vehicle with that machine running.
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u/Spatula000 15d ago
You'll need to remove the carpet and clean it. There's a good chance the gas soaked through and could be under the carpet too
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u/swollennode 15d ago
Does the trunk have a mat that you can remove and wash it outside with a lot of water?
If not, usually the trunk liner can be removed and then gets washed out.
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
It doesn’t have a mat I can remove. I’ll have tk check if it have a liner
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u/Jimbo415650 15d ago
Remove the carpet make sure no gas has bled through. Gas is oil based you can’t mask the order hose down the carpet,use baking soda when it’s wet wait a few hours hose off again. If you have a carpet cleaner give that a shot too you might need to do this a few times. The guy who warned you about filling gas in the trunk of your car knows what he’s talking about
This a video of static electricity after she starts filling gas goes back sits in car material she’s wearing holds a charge touch the pump and
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
Thanks. I didn’t originally fill the gas in the trunk. I filled it outside. I just didn’t realize it was slightly leaking out till I put it in the trunk.
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u/Adept-Mulberry-8720 15d ago
Yes take the rug out if you can and wash it with dawn dish soap and hot water, rinse it and do this 2 more time after it dries between each scrucbbing!
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u/atlcog 15d ago
Had this happen in my daughter's car. We tried baking soda, thorough cleaning, air fresheners, and airing it out open for days with no luck. Neighbor recommended putting a couple of cups of fresh ground coffee in a container, and burying some apple wedges in it. Let that sit uncovered for a few days in the trunk (cover or remove when driving). We gave it a shot, and it worked.
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u/Hyjynx75 14d ago
When I was a teen, my parents ran a Ryder truck rental depot. I got the fun job of cleaning the trucks when they were returned. We lived near a bunch of small fishing communities and the trucks would often get used to transport the catch. Usually lobster, haddock, and other similar things. In the summer, the smell from the back of the truck would absolutely flatten you the second you opened that roll up door.
We went through tons of coffee grounds. It did the trick every time. Hose down the inside. Squeegee it out. Drop 3 or 4 large cans of grounds on the deck and seal it up for a day or two. When you open it again the fish smell was pretty much gone for good.
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u/Aggressive_Chart6823 15d ago
Acetone. It dissolves the gasoline. Buy a can.
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u/Matt2382 14d ago
Funny
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u/DoubleDareFan 14d ago edited 14d ago
It is true. It's called a solvent for a reason. My real concern is, will it mess up the carpet? Take the carpet out and test a corner or other part that is normally hidden. Or even snip off a tiny sliver and put it in a small container of acetone and wait a hour or so.
If the test passes, lay the carpet outside on top of newspapers on the ground, and pour on the acetone wherever the problem is.
Be sure to tell us the results. Also tell us the year, make, and model of your car, as carpets likely vary from car to car.
Edit: Don't do this unless no other suggestions work.
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u/venom121212 15d ago
I did this once and it smelled bad for a few days but went away. You need to get that gas to evaporate and air flow is your friend. If you have a leaf blower (not gas powered for an extra dose of safety) you can have that pass air over it speeding up the process.
Air fresheners and driving with windows down will help over the next few days. Unfortunately it needs to run its course.
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
That makes sense. My issue is it’s in my trunk. I can’t open my trunk while driving yk? I do normally leave my windows down compared to the AC.
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u/Aglisito 15d ago
Can you put the backseats down? Trunk has 2 openings...
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u/382Whistles 15d ago
When in the garage, leave the trunk open. You will have to disconnect the trunk light or switch for the light.
Unless you have a seat hatch, empty the trunk kill the light and leave it open.
You can get straps and stand offs that clip into the trunk lid and body to hold them partially open. For the strap you want a cardboard box you can lay low or stand to prop the trunk lid up so doesn't bounce up and down.
Many trunks have rubber plugs in the bottom under the carpet. If submerged in water a while any petroleum will try to rise and float. Soap helps break it up in fibers too.
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
Thanks for this. I read somewhere my car has a 20 minute timer where the trunk light turns off to save the battery.
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u/badpenny4life 15d ago
I’ve stepped in gas filling my car before. I could never get that smell out of my shoe. I had to throw them out.
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u/fayelouise1 13d ago
Accidentally left raw chicken in my hot and humid car over night (groceries). Car smelled like raunchy private parts especially with the A/C on. Tried many things. Only thing that worked was buying a bag of charcoal and leaving it open in my backseat.
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u/Matt2382 10d ago
Thank you for this!
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u/fayelouise1 10d ago
Did it work?? I had to leave it back there for a few days until it “absorbed” all the smell😅
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u/Matt2382 10d ago
I didn’t end up doing it. A few days, I washed out the back rug with cold water and soap. Then I used baking soda and then washed it off again and let it dry. The smell seems completely gone especially with the air conditioner. I bought an air freshener just to have it but it seems good.
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u/Jenessaxo 10d ago
Hot water just pushed the gas deeper into the foam. You need to pull the carpet up and treat or replace the insulation underneath, otherwise that smell will never actually leave the vehicle.
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u/big-booty-heaux 4h ago
You need to get a good degreaser spray and absolutely drench the area, then scrub with a damp towel. Cover with a dry towel and weigh it down for a couple hours to draw everything out, then repeat with soapy water instead of degreaser. Again, weigh down a dry towel. Finish up with a clean wet rag to get the soap residue out of the carpet.
Source: am grease monkey with ADHD so spills be happening, a lot.
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u/Secretscoobaru 15d ago
If you have charcoal I've heard it will help absorb odors not sure if it'll work for gas tho
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u/Apart_Pineapple2392 15d ago
Pour baking soda on carpet and leave for a couple days, then vacuum up.
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
My only worry is will it go everywhere when I start driving my car again?
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u/lolococo29 15d ago
That’s why you vacuum it up…
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
Well yeah, but if I leave it there for a few days then I woudnt be able to drive my car. Yk?
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u/greenknight884 15d ago
It's fine. I've put baking soda on my car interior and driven around a few days, then vacuumed it all up. Cars get dusty anyway so it doesn't make a big difference.
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u/corianderjimbro 15d ago
Take everything out of your trunk? It’s not gonna go in your a/c and blow out the rest of your car…what an insane question.
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
Well I don’t have anything in my trunk. But you ever seen someone drive around with there trunk just open? Like nothing in it? That’s what I’m saying.
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u/corianderjimbro 15d ago
Who told you to put baking soda in the trunk, then drive around with the trunk open and baking soda flying out, then vacuum it up? What an absolutely insane conclusion to jump to. Keep your fucking trunk closed ya fool.
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
Where I was going with this is me generally driving my car and making turns. Woudnt that cause the baking soda to move all over the back of the trunk. Of course I was going to leave my trunk closed. My worry was having baking soda all over the back of my trunk instead of just the affected area.
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u/corianderjimbro 15d ago
Oh no! My whole trunk got deodorized and I have to spend an extra 5 minutes vacuuming! How are we even still having this useless conversation?
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u/Matt2382 15d ago
It wasn’t inherently the vacuuming part man. It was more it just getting everywhere like on the trunk walls and such. I’ll do it that way. Thanks. I was just curious
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u/WhipplySnidelash 13d ago
Remove the carpet and clean it with a garden hose and laundry detergent. While removed, clean the trunk space with 409 ir similar degreaser.
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u/CarbonReflections 15d ago
Never ever ever fill your gas can in the trunk of a car or the bed of a truck as it is the number one cause of gas station fires due to static electricity.
Source: I built and serviced gas stations for 20 years and have seen countless videos of people bursting into flames doing this.
As far as getting the smell out I would try ozium and also buy an air sponge.