Gasoline Spills in Car!
This happens all the time. The lawn tractor’s tank was empty so you visit the gas station to fill up the portable gas tanks. One of the tank lids doesn’t close properly and, on the ride home, the container tips over spilling gasoline throughout the interior of your car. What do you do?
We can tell you from experience that the gasoline smell inside your car, truck or SUV will make your vehicle almost unbearable to drive. The fumes almost seem to seep into your skin and lungs.
If only a small amount of fuel was spilled, there are some things you can try at home. If it is summer time, open the windows and let the sunshine evaporate the gasoline. If it is winter time, open the windows in a warm garage. Remove any padding that might have gasoline on it. Find a cleaner with citrus in it. The orange/lemon cleaners seem to work best when scrubbing the upholstery.
If the gasoline got into your carpet, we have bad news. You will need to remove the jute from the bottom of the carpeting and throw it away. There is almost no way to recover the carpet padding once it has been saturated with gas.
If, after thoroughly cleaning your vehicle, the gasoline smell has not gone away, you should bring it to your local car detailing location (like Auto One). The sooner you can bring the vehicle in, the better chance the reconditioning specialists will have in getting the petroleum chemicals out of your car.
