How to get rid of diesel, gasoline or kerosene smell

Step by step

1. 1

   Remove ignition sources and ventilate

   Put out flames, don't smoke, and turn off pilot lights on a furnace, gas dryer or water heater near a spill. Open windows to the outdoors and keep fumes out of living areas.

   Why: Fuel vapor is flammable, and fresh air carries off the lighter, smelly fractions.

2. 2

   Absorb any liquid

   Cover a spill with cat litter or sawdust, then shovel it into heavy-duty plastic bags and keep them outdoors. Don't use a shop vac or other electric tool on spilled fuel.

   Why: Absorbents take up liquid fuel before it soaks deeper. Electric tools can spark.

3. 3

   Air fuel-soaked clothes outside

   Hang clothes that smell of diesel, kerosene or gas outdoors before washing, away from heat and flames.

   Why: The volatile parts of the fuel evaporate, leaving less to wash out and less vapor near your washer.

4. 4

   Dissolve the oil from fabric

   Have diesel- or kerosene-soaked clothing dry-cleaned, or pretreat it with a prewash product containing petroleum solvent and then wash it separately in heavy-duty liquid detergent. See fuel smell in clothes.

   Why: Fuel is oily, so solvents and oil-lifting detergents dissolve it far better than water.

5. 5

   Scrub hard surfaces repeatedly

   Wash concrete, floors and the areas under appliances with soap and hot water, and repeat until the smell is gone.

   Why: Detergent emulsifies the greasy film that stays after the fuel evaporates. Porous concrete often needs several rounds.

6. 6

   Remove what can't be cleaned

   Bag and dispose of saturated carpet, padding, rags or clothing that still smells after cleaning.

   Why: A lasting smell means fuel is still somewhere. Porous materials can hold it where cleaning can't reach.

Why fuel smell is so hard to get rid of

Fuels are mixtures of many hydrocarbons. Gasoline is light and evaporates quickly, so its smell fades sooner, but its vapor is highly flammable. Diesel, kerosene and heating oil are heavier and evaporate slowly. Once the lightest parts have gone, a greasy film stays behind and keeps releasing odor.

That film soaks into fabric, carpet, concrete, wood and drywall, where water alone can't reach it. That's why cleaning relies on dry-cleaning solvent, petroleum-solvent prewashes and heavy-duty detergents, and why saturated porous things sometimes have to go.

Why air fresheners are a bad idea here

Wisconsin's health department warns against air fresheners for fuel-oil smell. They add more volatile chemicals to the air, which can affect children, older adults and people with health conditions. They also hide the smell that tells you whether the cleanup is finished.

Treat the smell as a gauge. A properly cleaned spill should stop smelling within a few days, though ventilation can take days to weeks. If the odor persists, fuel is still in a material somewhere.

By situation

Diesel or kerosene on clothes

Dry cleaning is the best choice. Otherwise, air the clothes out, pretreat with a petroleum-solvent prewash, wash separately in heavy-duty detergent and line-dry. Check the smell before anything goes near a dryer.

Gasoline on clothes or shoes

Gasoline evaporates faster than diesel, so airing out outdoors does more of the work. Wash separately and line-dry. Never put the items in a dryer while you can still smell fuel.

Heating oil spilled in a basement

Under a gallon: ventilate, close heat registers and cold-air returns, absorb with litter or sawdust, remove porous items, and wash surfaces repeatedly with soap and hot water. Over a gallon: hire a hazardous-materials cleanup company, report the spill and ask the fire department to check the explosion risk.

Fuel smell in a garage or on concrete

Absorb, then scrub with soap and hot water and repeat. Saturated block, soil or wood may need professional removal.

Fuel smell in a car

Ventilate, absorb any spill, take out soaked mats or porous items, and wash with soap and water, keeping sparks and flames away.

What not to do

• Don't put anything that touched gasoline, diesel or kerosene in the dryer. The National Fire Protection Association warns that items with flammable substances on them can ignite in the dryer.
• Don't use a shop vac or electric tools on spilled fuel. A spark can ignite the vapor.
• Don't wash fuel-soaked clothes with the family laundry. The oily residue can transfer to the rest of the load.
• Don't cover the smell with air freshener. It adds more chemicals to the air and hides the odor that tells you cleanup is incomplete.

Other methods that work

Hot-water heavy-duty wash for work clothes

Extension guidance for oily, petroleum-based contamination on clothing uses a double prerinse, a separate hot wash (140°F or higher) with heavy-duty liquid detergent, a warm rinse, a repeat if needed and line-drying. It's written for pesticide residue, so treat it as a close analogy for fuel.

Caution: Hot water isn't safe for every fabric. Check the care label.

Throw it out

Rags, cheap clothing, carpet or padding that are saturated with fuel are often safer to bag and discard than to keep cleaning.

Caution: Store fuel-soaked waste outdoors in a sealed bag until disposal.

Stain still there?

Clothes still smell of diesel after washing

Repeat the solvent pretreatment and wash, line-dry outdoors, and consider dry cleaning. Don't dry them in a machine until no smell remains.

The basement still smells days after a spill

Fuel remains in a porous material, such as drywall, wood, carpet or the floor. Saturated walls and floors may have to be removed, and fuel that escaped through cracks or a sump may need an environmental investigation.

Safety

• If you can smell fuel oil, you're being exposed. Short-term exposure can cause headaches, nausea and dizziness, so ventilate and limit time in the area.
• Wear rubber gloves and wash any fuel off skin with soap and warm water.
• Never machine-dry items that touched gasoline, diesel, kerosene, cooking oil, paint thinner or alcohol.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions