Gasoline smell out of clothes?

[EscalatorKid]

So, yesterday, my sister spilled gasoline on her at the gas station. Long story short, I immediately threw the clothes in the wash with hot water and detergent. I washed twice and it still smelled... So I washed again and again. (The washer did not retain the smell.)

So far, I have washed with vinegar and baking soda, soaked in vinegar and hot water for an hour and then washed the rest of the cycle.

Currently, I am soaking her clothes (and the three towels I used to balance the load) in cat litter buckets with hot water and Dawn Dish Soap until tomorrow evening and then I'm going to try to wash it out again. (They use Dawn to wash ducks and other wildlife caught in oil spills... And Dawn takes nearly everything else out of my clothes...)

I know I was supposed to hang them outside til the smell dissipated, but seeing as it's 17 degrees outside and I have nowhere to hang stuff... That's a no-go. I also don't have a super well-ventilated room where I'm willing to hang the clothes.

I might try to drape them on rocking chairs outside this weekend when it warms up a little... But I feel like the smell is going to stay.

Any other ideas for gasoline stench removal that have worked for you?

The only other thing I have is Borax, and otherwise, I'll have to make a trip to the store tomorrow.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So, yesterday, my sister spilled gasoline on her at the gas station. Long story short, I immediately threw the clothes in the wash with hot water and detergent. I washed twice and it still smelled... So I washed again and again. (The washer did not retain the smell.)

So far, I have washed with vinegar and baking soda, soaked in vinegar and hot water for an hour and then washed the rest of the cycle.

Currently, I am soaking her clothes (and the three towels I used to balance the load) in cat litter buckets with hot water and Dawn Dish Soap until tomorrow evening and then I'm going to try to wash it out again. (They use Dawn to wash ducks and other wildlife caught in oil spills... And Dawn takes nearly everything else out of my clothes...)

I know I was supposed to hang them outside til the smell dissipated, but seeing as it's 17 degrees outside and I have nowhere to hang stuff... That's a no-go. I also don't have a super well-ventilated room where I'm willing to hang the clothes.

I might try to drape them on rocking chairs outside this weekend when it warms up a little... But I feel like the smell is going to stay.

Any other ideas for gasoline stench removal that have worked for you?

The only other thing I have is Borax, and otherwise, I'll have to make a trip to the store tomorrow.

https://m.wikihow.com/Get-Gasoline-Smell-Out-of-Clothes
https://www.thespruce.com/remove-gasoline-stains-simple-steps-1901016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...ory.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.550f31102ade
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-gasoline-smell/

 

[EscalatorKid]

https://m.wikihow.com/Get-Gasoline-Smell-Out-of-Clothes
https://www.thespruce.com/remove-gasoline-stains-simple-steps-1901016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...ory.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.550f31102ade
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-gasoline-smell/

Thanks. I have read all of these and used some of the advice offered already.

I just wondered if anyone here had experience. We can't be the only ones with accidental gasoline spillage.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I worked in a gas for several years and I just washed my uniforms with soap and water and the smell always came out. Nothing special.

 

[EscalatorKid]

I worked in a gas for several years and I just washed my uniforms with soap and water and the smell always came out. Nothing special.

Soap like Dish Soap or like laundry detergent? Any specific brand? I use Gain...

I washed twice with detergent, once with baking soda and vinegar, once with vinegar, and again with detergent. The smell isn't as strong as it was initially, but it is still there and very noticable.

 

[Searc]

Throw the clothes away.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Soap like Dish Soap or like laundry detergent? Any specific brand? I use Gain...

I washed twice with detergent, once with baking soda and vinegar, once with vinegar, and again with detergent. The smell isn't as strong as it was initially, but it is still there and very noticable.

I just used surf, but you could use dawn dish soap in the sink to soak before washing as well.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I just used surf, but you could use dawn dish soap in the sink to soak before washing as well.

I used to smell like gas every day lol. But I really enjoyed my job....

 

[kimblebee]

I thought you weren’t supposed to wash potentially flammable things in the washing machine? I don’t know why that is, but every washing machine I’ve ever used has that as a warning.

 

[Klayfish]

Thanks. I have read all of these and used some of the advice offered already.

I just wondered if anyone here had experience. We can't be the only ones with accidental gasoline spillage.

Spill fuel on myself many times per year, my hobby is auto racing. I think it depends on the fabric, some will retain the odor more than others. Also depends on how much was spilled. If it's just a little, washing with regular laundry detergent + the passing of time will usually do the trick. I just wash it well and then over time, it'll fade. If it got pretty soaked, odds are it'll never completely come out.

 

[EscalatorKid]

I thought you weren’t supposed to wash potentially flammable things in the washing machine? I don’t know why that is, but every washing machine I’ve ever used has that as a warning.

Yeah, you aren't supposed to wash if it has been any kind of oil whatsoever, but that's not practical, either. (I cook-- I splatter oil. It happens.) My washer actually doesn't have the warning on it, and it's only 8 years old.

There is a minute chance it could catch fire but it's a small bit of gasoline. There was more of a chance of them being sparked sitting on the floor in the bathroom with the fumes they were giving off pre-wash.

The dryer does, and I am definitely not drying it in the dryer ever again.

 

[EscalatorKid]

Spill fuel on myself many times per year, my hobby is auto racing. I think it depends on the fabric, some will retain the odor more than others. Also depends on how much was spilled. If it's just a little, washing with regular laundry detergent + the passing of time will usually do the trick. I just wash it well and then over time, it'll fade. If it got pretty soaked, odds are it'll never completely come out.

She said it wasn't that much; she scrubbed it out of her boot, but never gave a thought to clothing.

I have been told to try Purple Power degreaser or even pine Sol.

I'll see if the Dawn did anything overnight when I get home from work.

 

[tileman]

Racing motocross I get race gas on me from time to time
I use solopol hand cleaner just rub it on the gas and give it a good wash works great
And the hand cleaner is a walnut base it’s really nice.

Ron

 

[EscalatorKid]

Update: the 18-hour Dawn soak actually took a lot of the smell out. It's still there, but nowhere near as intense.

I'm going to resoak and try a more powerful degreaser detergent, and if that fails, soak in Dawn for another day.