[HD81]

After doing quite a bit of searching I was able to find similar cases but not one as unique as mine so please don't go ballistic because I did do the research before creating this topic.

So I was getting gas yesterday and stepped in some gasoline that was spilled on the ground as I'm walking out of my car to the pump. As soon as I realized this, I grabbed the squeegee to wash the gas off my shoes (which unfortunately seem to have absorbed the gasoline - they're a pair of Clark's desert boots with those crepe soles) and hoped at least the smell was gone from them but it wasn't. Now it friggin smells like gasoline inside my car. I have the rubber BMW all-weather mats but they're not screwed in, just sitting on top of my carpets. If anyone can give me some ideas on how to get rid of the smell, I'd greatly appreciate it. The smell isn't too strong but it's there and I HATE the smell of gasoline. I was planning on taking it to a car wash later today but if anyone has some DIY ideas then that would be great.

[psnt1ol]

there are many products you could use to remove the scent but the best ones are not OTC. Since most over the counter stuff tends to mask the odor rather than removing it. CarPro So2Pure works great and it helps to prevent any unwanted scent in the future. Meguiars Car Odor Eliminator as well as the Dakota Odor Bomb Car Odor Eliminator also works well.

If you cant wait for the online order to get to you ....Here is a DYI/Home trick.
take the rubber mats out and wash them with a distilled vinegar solution (50% water to 50% vinegar). Be sure to rinse them well after . Use the remaining undiluted vinegar and put it in a big bowl. set the bowl on the seat and leave it there for a few hours with all windows close.

Good luck.

[HD81]

thanks man! i'll try the DIY method you suggested first to see if that does the trick, hell i think i'll do it on my shoe soles too. hopefully that works and if not, i'm going to look into the products you mentioned.

what should i use to wash the mats? some sort of brush or cloth or just spray them from a bottle?

[cpie168]

What does leaving the bowl of vinegar on the seat do?

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by cpie168

What does leaving the bowl of vinegar on the seat do?

Vinegar can be use as a deodorizer. Whats great about it is....you don't have to spread it around. Leave it in a bowl and let it sit in a room (in this case- car ) and it would help to get rid of the smell.

Other products I mentioned works better and faster but this is something everyone could find around the house.

[UncleWede]

My wife uses the same trick at home. Somehow the vinegar "eats" the smell. Problem for me is that most times I prefer the smell over that of vinegar. . .

[cpie168]

Thanks for the tip psnt1ol! I'll test that out by leaving a bowl of vinegar in my washroom!

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by HD81

thanks man! i'll try the DIY method you suggested first to see if that does the trick, hell i think i'll do it on my shoe soles too. hopefully that works and if not, i'm going to look into the products you mentioned.

what should i use to wash the mats? some sort of brush or cloth or just spray them from a bottle?

Since it is rubber, spray it on and scrub a little then rinse. Good luck.

[HD81]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

Since it is rubber, spray it on and scrub a little then rinse. Good luck.

thanks again man. i'm going to try this tonight.

[PinnacleAutoCT]

You could also try cleaning the mat with APC, a soft bristled brush and rinsing well with water after scrubbing. I would definitely try this before using a deodorizer, some of the products mentioned above (like the Dakota Odor Bomb) are very strong and leave their own scent in the car for a long time after application.

[HD81]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

Since it is rubber, spray it on and scrub a little then rinse. Good luck.

I gave this a try and the gasoline smell is completely gone but now it smells like vinegar in the car after I left the bowl of vinegar in the car for a few hours. It's faint, but definitely there. Hopefully it goes away eventually. Thanks again! That gasoline smell was really starting to give me a headache.

[HD81]

Originally Posted by PinnacleAutoCT

You could also try cleaning the mat with APC, a soft bristled brush and rinsing well with water after scrubbing. I would definitely try this before using a deodorizer, some of the products mentioned above (like the Dakota Odor Bomb) are very strong and leave their own scent in the car for a long time after application.

Thanks for the advice but using the vinegar trick completely got rid of the gasoline smell and just left a slight vinegar smell (which I actually don't mind but I just don't want my car's interior to smell like it lol).

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by HD81

I gave this a try and the gasoline smell is completely gone but now it smells like vinegar in the car after I left the bowl of vinegar in the car for a few hours. It's faint, but definitely there. Hopefully it goes away eventually. Thanks again! That gasoline smell was really starting to give me a headache.

I am glad it worked out. The vinegar smell will dissipate.