How to Get Rid of Gas Smell
Getting rid of the smell of gas in house, carpets and on clothes is a common household problem. Gasoline smell is not just irritating to the nose; it also carries many health risks and should be eliminated immediately. Gas smell can be described as the odor of rotten eggs, sulfur and garlic. It is very important to detect the source of the smell especially if there is a potential source of gas leak.
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Once the source of the gas leak is detected and addressed, it is now the time to get rid of the lingering smell. Gas can affect the health either through physical contact or inhalation. Exposure to gas smell may cause throat and eye irritation. It may also affect the lungs and cause fluids to accumulate in it. Long term exposure to gas smell may cause recurrent headache, dizziness, irritability, poor concentration and memory and even loss of appetite.
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There are many ways on how to get rid of gas smell. Before eliminating the gas smell in your household, it would be best to get rid of the smell that clung onto your body. You can use numerous ingredients inside your kitchen to get rid of gas smell.
Here are some tips on how to get rid of gas smell on hands.
Vanilla not only adds a lot of flavor to your favorite desserts, it is also a very potent deodorizer. Mix a small amount of vanilla with water, and use it on your hands to neutralize the smell of gas. This can be repeatedly done until the odor completely goes away.
If your hands smells like gasoline, you can use diluted vinegar to get rid of the smell (see Wikipedia: smell). The acidity of the vinegar can strip away any remaining gasoline that may still be clinging onto your hands. Soaking your hands using a solution of equal parts water and vinegar will get rid of its smell in no time.
Lemons, just like vinegar, are also very acidic. You just need to rub a piece of sliced lemon on your hands and the acrid smell of the gasoline will go away within minutes; as a bonus, your hands will have a refreshing lemon scent.
Getting rid of the smell of gas inside your car is a bit trickier since you need to use commercial products. One way on how to get rid of gas smell in the car is by using an ionizer or air freshener. Do not just purchase regular air fresheners, those are not potent enough to eliminate gas odor; they will only mask the smell instead of neutralizing it. It would be best to use an ionizer together with a powerful air freshener to make sure that all gas components are eliminated from your car.
A Febreze deodorizer is another useful tool on how to get rid of gas smell in the car. Spraying a small amount of the deodorizer inside your car’s interior will rapidly eliminate the smell of the fumes.
If powerful air fresheners and deodorizers fail to eliminate gas smell in your car then it is time to bring your car to a trusted mechanic because there might be a leak in your car’s fuel line. The mechanic will be able to detect the source of the gas leak and fix it before it gets worse.
The carpet is another household fixture that commonly absorbs gas smell. The fibers that make up the carpet can hold a good amount of gasoline particles, so the smell can linger for a long time. Household remedies on how to get rid of gas smell can be used to address such problem; vinegar and baking soda. All you need to do is mix equal parts vinegar with water in a container. In a separate container, mix baking soda with water. Douse a clean rag with the vinegar solution and scrub your carpets thoroughly, afterwards you need to dry it using a clean rag or a wet/dry vacuum cleaner. When the area is already dry, apply the baking soda solution on it, and then let it dry completely. Finally, use hot water to wash off any remaining baking soda and vinegar from the carpet.
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Using coffee grounds is another way on how to get rid of gas smell in carpet. Coffee grounds are oil based, which means it can absorb smelly odor like gas. You just have to sprinkle coffee grounds on the affected area of the carpet and leave it there for at least a day. After this, you can wash your carpet with dishwashing liquid and allow it to dry under the sun. A word of caution though, coffee grounds can stain your carpet, so use this method only if your carpet has a dark color.
The garage is another place in the household where gas smell usually lingers. Opening your garage door to let the smell fly off will not help you to completely eliminate the odor. However, there is an effective way on how to get rid of gas smell in garage using plain old cat litter. If you spill gasoline on your garage floor, the first thing to do is to pour cat litter on the area. Allow the cat litter to absorb the spilt gasoline for an hour or two, then sweep it up afterwards. Then apply baking soda paste (made by mixing a bit of water with some baking soda) on the area, let it dry, and then sweep off the dried up powder. The baking soda will help to neutralize the odor left behind by the gasoline. The next step is to scrub the floor with a strong detergent and hot water. Wipe the area with a clean rag to make it dry. And lastly, apply a pine-scented disinfectant on the floor to mask any lingering gasoline smell if there are any left.
For garments, another useful trick on how to get rid of gas smell on clothes is through air drying. Hanging the clothes out in the open air for 12-24 hours will help to lessen the odor. This will be easier for you to wash the clothes and to completely eliminate the smell. After airing the clothes, sprinkle baking soda on them and let the powder to stay for a few hours, or overnight preferably. You can also try applying some light baby oil on the affected area to get rid of the stain and the lingering smell of gasoline. Make sure to separate the gas stained clothing from the other garments when washing them.
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These are just some of the many easy and effective do it yourself tricks on how to get rid of gas smell in house, car and garments. Again, it is important to make sure to eliminate the source of gas leak first before paying attention on how to get rid of gas smell. If you cannot find the source of gas leak, it is best to call in the professionals so they can find it for you. The smell left by gas is actually the last thing that you should concern yourself with, a leaking utility line poses a serious fire risk and can slowly poison everyone in the house. If you smell gas on your carpet and on your clothes, please call in the professionals immediately.