Gasoline in Clothes

From reader sully7:

I suggest airing the clothes outside for awhile. Hang them on the line or even drape them over lawn chair! The smell will go away eventually!

From reader Snowbird:

I would try adding about a cup of white vinegar to the washing machine during the last rinse cycle. Its a great fabric softner too!

I know this is an old post, but...

ORANGE DEGREASER!!!

I found a product at the Home Depot called Nature's Orange. The label said it was OK for treating laundry stains and for using as a laundry booster. I poured about a cup into the wash and nothing else. I did that about 3 times and the gas smell is gone. To get rid of the orange degreaser smell, I did a few plain white vinegar washes, then regular detergent & fabric softener.

NOTE: This was AFTER I tried detergent, white vinegar and baking soda (and various combinations thereof) in about 7 washes, all to no avail. The orange degreaser came to me as an inspiration after I read that since gasoline (petrol) is an oil-based product, I should try an oil-based solution. I was about to use baby oil (which I read about) when I thought about the orange degreaser idea.

Anyway, if you want to try this, I just recommend reading the label of whichever orange degreaser you find & err on the safe side - make sure it's OK for laundry use.

OH - remember, if you think your clothes may still smell a little of gasoline (like you're not quite sure) just DON'T put them in the dryer as the dryer may spark a fire. Line dry and air them, and then do a sniff test after.

GOOD LUCK to anyone else who may need this in the future!

This is a frequent problem here. The best thing I found was some degreaser detergent. It's found in the automotive aisles and in a purple jug. But for the life of me, I can't remember exactly what it is called, I ran out a few weeks ago! I wanna say it's by Castrol? Just dump a cup in with your detergent.

You might want to try Febreeze Laundry Odor Eliminator. This has worked on some pretty smelly clothes...

I also tried several times to no solution, vinegar, baking soda, AF Bleach, and enough detergent to do a weeks worth of laundry, my husbands clothes still were smelling up the house, try simple green, it works on everything, and it smells better than gas. Also be sure to use it in an empty load to get the smell out of machine. good luck.

mine is more of a question than a answer, but when i was pumping gas for a friend yesterday i mistakely started to remove the hose when a little gas hits the ground and splashes a little on her car,but i didn't think any got on me, but the fumes stayed around, so will these hints work also for that as if i did get gas on me?

RE: Gas Smell on Clothing
Post By nab (Guest Post) (02/08/2008)

I found this post on another blog:
Perfect solution.
Dawn direct Foam, apple vinegar, two cans beer.
1)set water level to medium
2)add six squirts of dawn
3)add 2 cups apple cider vinegar (smells nicer than other vinegar)
4)run normal cycle
5)drink the two beers

Personally, I will be substituting a nice glass of chardonnay in step 5!

Also, most recommend completely air drying garment before attempting any sort of cleaning.
Hope this helps!

1) Hydrogen Peroxide (found at Walgreens, Jewel, etc.)
2) Baking Soda (found at Walgreens, Jewel, etc.)
3) Liquid soap any fragrance you like (found at Walgreens, Jewel, etc.)

Mix 2 parts of Hydrogen Peroxide to 1 part Baking Soda and add few drops of soap.

It might be a little work but it also works on skunk smell. It is also safe to use in kitchen and bathroom.

(do not mix in a closed container)

The best and cheapest way to get any fuel out of clothing is to use a 20 oz. bottle of Coca-Cola (you can use more, if needed). I know it might sound strange but it works. After 8 years of working with Petroleum products in the Army, I know this works VERY well!