Water Damage & Flooded Basement Restoration Services

How to Remove Fuel Odors from Clothing

By the RestorationSOS Educational Staff

Gasoline and fuel isn’t a typical laundry stain that most of us are used to. Most times, mechanics or repair technicians are probably the most prone to having these types of clothing stains happen. However, if you happen to spill or drip gas on your clothes while filling up your car or lawn mower, you might find yourself dealing with this type of stain as well. So how do you properly eliminate gasoline and fuel odor in your clothing items?

Fuel odors are very strong and can be flammable. Obviously, as long as you’re working on eliminating these smells, any open flame or significant heat source should be avoided.

Getting rid of the smell can be done, but requires some extra work. Gasoline is an oil-based product, so another oil-based product will need to be utilized to get rid of it. If you select the right product, one that comes out easily in the laundry, then the process should be relatively simple.

Getting Gasoline Smells Out

There is a simple reason that gasoline odor is so prevalent in clothing; it is because the gas has not been completely removed from the clothing. Baby oil is one way to remove the gas and the remaining smell. Simply swish the garment around and allow it to agitate in the washer using a baby oil and water solution. Once the clothes have soaked for an extended period in the baby oil, they may be washed as you normally would with regular detergent. Do not mix gasoline soaked garments with other pieces of clothing. Wash these pieces separately.

Once the washer has completed its cycle, the clothes should be free of gasoline residue and any accompanying smell. Still, do not dry the clothes in a regular dryer, since when intense heat comes into play; you don't want to take any chances of an accidental fire. Instead, allow the clothes to air dry on a clothesline or hanger.

There are other methods, such as soaking the clothing in rubbing alcohol or ammonia, both of which serve up their own unique brand of smell which can be overpowering and generally unpleasant.

Baking soda is another method used for removing gasoline smells and is utilized by adding a half cup to your regular detergent mix and washing as normal. A full cup of white vinegar may also be used in a similar fashion. Both methods have proven beneficial when it comes to removing these smells.

In some cases, clothes may require more than one wash cycle to remove the odor, while still others may require professional cleaning. Gasoline smells are unpleasant, but can be removed without damage to the clothing items themselves.

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