Filling up your tank is not limited to gas stations. Sometimes, you need to replenish your fuel tank at home, particularly in your garage, for an unexpected road trip or your lawn mowing. Even a small drip can cover your garage floor and leave a distinct odor if you are not careful.
When you happen to splash gasoline on your garage, even a small amount is enough to cover your whole area with a strong smell. It leaves you scrambling for a solution.
You must be careful because gas is highly flammable and very smelly. So instead of temporarily alleviating the scent, like spraying a deodorizer, you need to use safe and reliable ways to get rid of the gasoline smell.
Why Does Gasoline Smell
People tend to have opposite reactions when it comes to gasoline smell. They either love it or hate it. Inhaling gas fumes is, of course, bad for you. But some people enjoy smelling a whiff of gas when they have the opportunity for it.
Why do they love the smell of gas? According to experts, it is not about getting the kick, a person is getting out of it. It is more about the memories associated with it.
Gasoline gets its distinctive smell from its benzene component. This is the compound in gas that boosts its octane levels and improves its fuel efficiency. And there is a history of why people like its smell. Benzene is commonly used on aftershaves and multiple feminine products.
Because benzene is easy to detect, it is the same reason why you can detect the smell of gasoline, even in small amounts. The gas aficionados associate its smell with memory, much like the smell of cookies to their mom’s baking. The smell of gasoline likely evokes memories of driving around and being taught by dad mowing the lawn.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, there are 150 chemicals in gasoline, and most of these chemicals have potentially dangerous effects on humans. Thus, it is dangerous to smell gasoline. If you want to remove them fast, you can consult with the professionals from this site: https://cloverco.com/residential/air-purification/.
What You Should Do When the House Smells of Gasoline
When your whole garage reeks of gasoline, you should not wait and let it sit there. You have to remove the smell immediately. Although it does not have an instant effect on you or your loved ones, it can be irritating and make you nauseous.
No matter what causes the heavy gasoline smell in your garage, whether it’s from the gas spilled from your car, lawnmower, or from the spilled gas can, the fumes coming from it should be cleaned at the earliest. However, the obnoxious smell can be challenging to remove.
Effective Ways to Remove Gasoline From Your Garage
Gasoline smell can linger in the air for a long time if left untreated. And even if the liquid evaporates, the aromas can escape to your house if you have left the garage door open. You can try different ways to remove the gasoline and its odor from your house.
Cover the affected area with cat litter
If your car or a piece of landscaping equipment is the culprit for your enormous fuel tank leak in your garage, then the gasoline puddle will quickly distribute the odor throughout the space and leave a permanent stench. The good news is you can remove the gasoline and the smell using an ample amount of cat litter.
This hack will work in the same way as to how it handles your feline friend’s mess. It can quickly absorb the liquid and fight the odor from the gas leak, but you have to ask fast because the gasoline can evaporate quickly.
Step 1. Spread a generous amount of odor-absorbing cat litter all over the gas spill.
Step 2. Leave it to soak up the spill for about an hour or two.
Step 3. Sweep the gasoline-soak litter using a broom. Put them in sealed plastic to prevent the smell from escaping.
Step 4. Dispose of the bag in compliance with the local laws governing contaminated garbage like cat litter.
Step 5. Open the garage door to air out the lingering odor in your garage.
Baking Soda Paste
If the cat litter trick did not completely remove the odor. Here is a hack straight out of your pantry. It might work.
Step 1. Combine baking soda and hot water to make a paste, just enough to cover the whole spill.
Step 2. Spread the paste over the area and leave it to dry.
Step 3. Sweep the baking soda once dry.
Baking soda is used in different cleaning tasks in the house. It is effective in neutralizing odor.
Dish Detergent
Another option is cleaning the gasoline spill and odor is with the help of a dish detergent.
Step 1. Pour a generous amount of dish detergent into the affected area. Choose the kind that has a degreaser.
Step 2. Scrub the affected area with a brush.
Step 3. Rinse it with warm water and wipe it dry with a clean rug.
Pine-Scented Disinfectant
Another cleaning solution that can remove the gasoline spill and odor is a pine-scented disinfectant.
Step 1. Mix the right amount of pine-scented disinfectant and warm water. Make sure to follow the product directions.
Step 2. Pour the solution into the affected area.
Step 3. Scrub the area with a brush.
Step 4. Wipe it dry using a clean rag
This cleaner effectively removes the gas smell, but you have to bear with the pine scent in your garage for a little while.
Quick Solution to Remove Gas Smell
Indoor environments like the garage can entrap the gasoline fumes, making them dangerous and hard to remove.
Ideally, an air purifier can work on neutralizing chemicals and odors in the air using its technology. A model with natural, safe, and nontoxic filters can remove gasoline fumes in the air as it passes through its system.
Using this unit is easy. All it needs is to turn it on and let the system do the rest, bringing back the air in your garage back to its normal condition.
Final Thoughts
No matter how careful you are, you can accidentally spill gasoline in your garage. Removing the spill and fumes should be done immediately because it is highly flammable and dangerous. Use our recommended hacks above to remove them quickly. To remove the gas smell, you can turn to your trusted air purifier to neutralize the odor.
