If these petroleum products get on the fabric, you should not hope that they will disappear or erode on their own. In order to remove the unpleasant odor, you will need to make an effort.
Read the article about how to remove the smell of gasoline and diesel fuel from clothes at home.
Will washing help?
Classic washing using washing powder will not help cope with the problem . With its help, you will only be able to get rid of a slight odor that has become saturated with things during a short stay near odorous substances.
If gasoline or diesel fuel gets on the fabric, or a person has worked with it for a long time, you will have to use more active substances than washing powder.
You need to focus your efforts on removing grease stains. If it remains on clothes, then the obsessive smell will endlessly haunt its owner.
Does gasoline wash out?
In short, it can be washed off, but you need to act immediately. Fresh stains (today's, or at most yesterday's) are much easier to clean off than old ones.
When fuel gets on clothes, it forms oily stains. The fats contained in gasoline slowly but surely penetrate the fabric through and through. And volatile substances, evaporating, create that same smell. In the first 3-5 days it is very strong, then it weakens, but does not disappear. And the longer you delay cleaning, the more likely it is that a slight “smell” will remain forever.
Will washing with regular laundry detergent help remove odor?
Powder (or any detergent in general) is not able to completely remove the unpleasant aroma of gasoline. It only weakens the concentration of the smell. Therefore, after one wash, the item will smell a little less, and after several in a row, the smell will almost completely disappear.
Another thing is whether the clothes will survive a series of successive washes. Such processing is excessive and risks harming even things made of dense, reliable fabric (for example, jeans). And it makes sense to first use an effective method of cleaning from gasoline, and only then wash the item.
How to remove using improvised means?
You can cope with the smell of diesel fuel using available means. They come to the rescue if you don’t want to buy expensive store-bought formulations.
Dishwashing liquid
Dishwashing liquid is an excellent fat dissolver. It is effective even in cold water and is harmless to most fabrics.
Mode of application:
- Moisten the area of the item that needs treatment with water.
- Apply dishwashing gel to it and foam it with a sponge.
- Leave the product to act for 15 minutes.
- Wash the item in warm or hot water.
Gasoline Galosh
Surprisingly, the smell of diesel fuel can be removed with a similar means - extraction gasoline. It is also known as “White spirit” and “Gasoline Galosh”.
Use it as follows:
- soak a sponge or white rag with solvent;
- with its help, apply the product to problem areas;
- After 5 minutes, start washing.
After processing, the item must be hung out in the open air to allow it to air.
A mixture of lemon juice and vegetable oil
A combination of lemon juice and any vegetable oil helps to cope with the unpleasant odor. Mode of application:
- Mix the ingredients. For 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil you will need 5 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Apply the composition to the damaged area.
- Leave for half an hour.
- Wash the item as usual.
Soda Ash
Soda ash will help to cope with the ingrained smell of diesel fuel. Mode of application:
- In a basin with 2 liters of hot water, dilute 3 tablespoons of soda.
- Soak the item in the solution for 30 minutes.
- Rinse it thoroughly and hang it out to dry in fresh air.
Instead of soda ash, you can use caustic soda, but the effect will be worse. With its help, you can only cope with the faint smell of gasoline or diesel fuel.
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol neutralizes greasy stains and helps get rid of unpleasant odors. Instructions for use:
- prepare a solution by mixing 1 part alcohol with 5 parts water;
- soak the item for an hour;
- Rinse the product thoroughly and send it to dry in fresh air.
You can buy isopropyl alcohol at a pharmacy.
High temperature treatment
Diesel fuel and gasoline are highly volatile, so you can get rid of the unpleasant odor using the heat method.
To do this, you need to moisten the gauze in water, squeeze it out and place it over the problem area. Use a hot iron to pass over the stain several times, working it on both sides.
Instead of gauze, you can use a paper napkin . It is placed on top of the stain and under it. When ironing, do not press too hard on the iron; movements should be light. This way you can get rid of the smell of diesel fuel and make the stain less noticeable.
This video will show you how to remove a gasoline stain from clothes and remove the smell:
Thermal method
Gasoline's ability to evaporate can be used for good. If you are not allergic to fumes, you can use an iron to speed up the process of removing the unpleasant odor. In this case, you can give up trying to wash the stain for a couple of days. To do this you need:
- Wipe the problem area thoroughly with washing powder;
- rinse the area;
- lay out the ironing cloth, cover with a clean cloth (rag);
- iron with a very hot iron (depending on the quality of the fabric, select the highest temperature setting).
After this, the smell will be removed with the vapor, and there will be no stain left either.
Special formulations
If the means at hand do not help get rid of the smell of gasoline and diesel fuel on things, you can use store-bought compounds.
Recommendations for choosing a detergent:
If the item is made from durable natural fabric, then you can opt for compounds containing chlorine.
Such remedies should not be used too often, but for emergency cases they are quite suitable. They should not be used on delicate fabrics.- It is recommended to give preference to liquid stain removers and bleaches. They are easy to apply and work faster than powder products.
- It is better to purchase multi-component concentrated formulations. The more active ingredients a formula contains, the better it works.
- Since you need to not only remove the stain, but also eliminate the odor, you should choose a product with a fragrance. Citrus and floral compositions eliminate foreign odors better than others.
It would be good if the formula was enhanced with enzymes.
These active ingredients effectively combat oil-based stains. You can purchase products to combat the smell of diesel fuel and gasoline in departments with household chemicals or order them online. Store-bought products must be used according to the instructions. They should not be left on the fabric so as not to spoil it.
Top 3 best stain removers:
Vanish Gold Oxi Action
There is a gel for sale for white and colored fabrics . It is important to buy a product marked “Gold”, since its composition is designed to combat difficult stains and stubborn odors.
The product does not contain aggressive components such as phosphates or chlorine. You need to soak clothes for at least an hour. The price of a gel with a volume of 0.45 l is 260 rubles.
Grass stain remover G-OXI gel for white
This oxygen gel is designed to combat stubborn stains , although it does not contain chlorine or phosphates. It can be safely used for products made from different types of fabrics.
To eliminate the smell, you will need to soak the item for 20 minutes, then wash it as usual. The cost of the gel is 115 rubles.
BOS universal bleach
The gel is suitable for caring for different types of fabrics, including:
- cotton
- synthetics,
- wool,
- silk.
The advantage of this product is that it perfectly refreshes things, eliminating extraneous odors.
The gel is used sparingly . The maximum permissible water temperature when washing with BOS is 90 degrees, which is important for combating oil stains. The composition is based on nonionic surfactants, supplemented with oxygen bleach, phosphonates and flavorings. The price of a 1200 ml package is 100 rubles.
A few more options
You can also purchase a product such as “Hand Cleansing Paste”. It is sold at a car enthusiast store or at the nearest hardware store. This tool should be used as follows:
- take a cotton pad;
- apply a small amount of paste to it;
- Gently rub the substance into the stained area of clothing;
- leave for thirty, forty minutes;
- Rinse clothes in clean water without using any products.
It should be remembered that if the contamination is severe, then washing alone will not work. In some cases, these methods need to be repeated two or three times before the stain and unpleasant “aroma” are removed.
If life circumstances develop in such a way that you need a quick and reliable result, and the listed methods are not suitable, then you should resort to the services of dry cleaners.
Advice: When contacting a dry cleaner, you should pay attention to the fact that they give you a receipt, which contains a clause about complete removal of stains and odors.
Features of removing unpleasant odors from different types of fabric
When dealing with the smell of diesel fuel and gasoline, you need to pay attention to the type of fabric from which the clothes are made.
The choice of detergent depends on this. Basic recommendations:
- Cotton items cannot be washed at temperatures above 60 degrees. You can use gentle compounds. The best choice from available products would be dishwashing liquid.
- Products made of chiffon and wool are washed only by hand, in lukewarm water. After washing, they should not be wrung out or dried in a vertical position. It is better to lay them out horizontally.
- Wool. Such products can only be washed by hand. The use of bleach is strictly prohibited. This is especially true for angora and mohair products. From available means, it is better to use lemon juice with vegetable oil.
- Synthetic knitwear can be washed by hand and in a machine, but the water temperature should not exceed 60 degrees.
- Items made of viscose cannot be washed at temperatures above 40 degrees. To remove the smell of diesel fuel from them, you cannot use the heat method using an iron.
- Linen can be steamed and washed in hot water, but you need to take into account that after such treatment the item may shrink.
What not to do
There are several actions that you should never take if gasoline gets on your clothes. Such actions worsen the situation and reduce the chances of washing the item.
| Ban | Description |
| Do not put the item in the washing machine | Regular washing is ineffective, but that's not all - it also has consequences. If you place an item that smells of gasoline in the washing machine, the aroma will remain inside the drum and will be transferred to other clothes during subsequent washes. You should only try to wash off gasoline by hand. |
| Do not put dirty laundry in the basket | The whole basket will smell. And neighboring things that get gasoline particles also run the risk of being damaged forever. And you shouldn’t wash a soiled item with other clothes either. |
| Do not boil | The result of boiling will be a rich aroma of gasoline spreading throughout the room. You'll have to ventilate it for a couple of days, no less. |
| Do not use chlorine-containing products | Bleach may be effective, but when chlorine comes into contact with gasoline, a chemical reaction begins. It produces toxic fumes that can cause significant harm to health. |
Helpful information
To ensure that the process of getting rid of the smell of diesel fuel and gasoline is safe and as effective as possible, you should take into account several recommendations:
The new composition must first be tested on an inconspicuous area of the fabric. If it does not change its characteristics, you can begin full processing.- When working with caustic substances, such as white spirit, your hands must be protected with gloves.
- You need to dry things outside after washing. In the fresh air, foreign odors disappear faster.
- It is not recommended to treat colored items with products containing acid. Soft formulations are suitable for them.
You will find a lot of useful and important information about removing various unpleasant odors from objects and surfaces in this section.
Precautionary measures
When washing gasoline from clothes, it doesn’t hurt to take care of your safety:
- Rubber gloves are a must. Contact of gasoline with unprotected skin is highly discouraged.
- If fuel does get on your skin, it is best to wash it off with kerosene. Regular soap may not be enough - some of the gasoline will be absorbed and can cause poisoning.
- You can't breathe gasoline for a long time either. A respirator is highly desirable, but in extreme cases a regular mask will do, although it does not provide 100% protection. Inhaling gasoline vapors causes nausea, sometimes poisoning and hallucinations.
- Gasoline is highly flammable. With this in mind, you should not work near heating devices or smoke.
And lastly, when gasoline just gets on something, it is better to remove it immediately. When fuel soaks through the fabric, it can also be absorbed into the skin, and the undesirable effect of such contact has already been mentioned above.
