I was taking my gasoline container to the gas station in my car to get it refilled for the lawn mower and it tipped over and spilled into my backseat. I cleaned it up with soap and water, but it still wreaks of gasoline in my car.
Does anyone know of a faster way to get rid of this smell? Air freshener doesn't help at all, it's more like a temporary remedy. Any help would be much appreciated.
I don't know of anything whatever that will negate the aroma.
About only way to speed it up would be to remove seat and cover and use a less aromatic solvent to clean the upholstery and cushions where it was absorbed. Airing the vehicle well will speed up the evaporation rate and _eventually_ the volatiles will disperse, but it'll take quite some time if there was any amount at all.
Of course, a match would work quicker... :)
Have it professionally cleaned.
Turtle wax makes an odor remover spray. check auto parts store. otherwise if you have turtlewax detailing center near you for $30 you can have it pro cleaned
or roll the windows down and park it in the hot sun for a day or too
A portable auto detailer - the come to you.
Saw an odor eliminator at Home Depot. Comes in a can about the size of a can of car wax. When I had a fire in my house a couple of years ago, Servepro gave me a similar product. Open the can and leave it in the car. It should absorb the odor.
The problem is likely not with the back seat. Getting it professionally cleaned won't solve it. The gasoline likely went through the seat as in under it, under any carpet etc. Think like a liquid and figure out where it might flow. You probably will need to remove the back seat to get to it, which isn't that big of a deal. Or wait a long time...
Use a fan to blow fresh air into the vehicle. This will be equivalent to just waiting until the odor dissipates, only faster.
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It's likely that a residue of the gasoline is in the seat foam and the carpet. Remove the seat and the carpet and turn them upside down so that the most permeable side of both is facing up and lay them in the sun to allow UV light to strime them. I'm not sure if having them in a very warm tent made of plastic with a bit of ventilation provided by openings at the bottom and at the top. The heat may help to volatize the source of the odor. It's a crap shoot at best, though. That stuff is reeealy tenacious. Best of luck to you. Why not post back if you find something that works longer than a week or two.
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