Following the advice given on this forum, I have begun to test my preps. One thing I've noticed is that kero really reeks. I spilled some on the garage floor and on my kero heater when filling it. I used laundry detergent to clean up both the heater and the floor but the heater and floor still weem to stink. What is the best way to get rid of this odor? My wife doesn't want to even let the heater in the house if it stinks of kero. What's the solution? (PS - nope, don't want to get a different wife, love the one I have!)

-- Steve A (albrecht@ndak.net), November 07, 1999

Answers

pour some gas on it and burn it off

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), November 07, 1999.

Steve, put a vhs player in your garage. Run on continuous loop the malodorous "Winter of Our Disconnect." That way, you won't even notice the odor of kerosene. Cringely's video may not solve the reeking problem, but it may be more amenable to your wife's delicate olfactory sensitivities. ;-)

That failing, a degreasing compound, or a sawdust-based garage cleaning emulsifier. You can find it at any automotive or janitorial supply story.

-- (just@suggestion.com), November 07, 1999.

if it's a cement floor you may have to leach the stain with some acid. simple green cleaner may also help.

-- && (&&@&&.&), November 07, 1999.

Steve --

I've spilled pints of K-1 on the garage floor: it stinks while evaporating of course, but then I don't find that the smell lingers, or that it is overpowering. Ventiliation is therefore the answer. ThenI agree that the simple green is a good idea; then you might spray some orange oil air freshener in the garage. I have found that even sensitive noses grow accustomed to the smell of "raw" kerosene so that your wife's first reaction may not be her last. This is one more good reason for trying the propes out in advance: it takes folks a certain while to get used to making do with "inconveniences" such as this. If you can, try out the heater indoors, some day while your wife is away, etc.

Also, if you haven't seen the many posts on Kero-Clean and Wick Cleaner -- methyl alcohol which should be added to you kerosense to enhance burning and eliminate the kero "smudge-factor" -- re-post and maybe someone can throw up a link.

-- Roch Steinbach (rochsteinbach@excite.com), November 07, 1999.

That's an aaaawful lot of work to do when you could be watching football! I wasn't kidding - BURN it off! Gasoline or any hot burning ignitable should get most of it off. If there is still some residue, get out the old blow torch. Have fun.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), November 07, 1999.

I have found that DAWN liquid detergent is great on grease stains. Try pouring straight DAWN on the kero patch and scrub with a stiff brush with some warm water, then wipe up with a paper towel.

Light your Kero outside first, let the kerosene vapors blow off then move your heater inside.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 07, 1999.

TSC (or Farm & Fleet, I suppose also) carries "21st Century" Kerosene Additive. The stuff comes in about 5 different scents (we got pine) and an 8 oz. bottle treats up to 80 gallons of kero. It cost about $3. "Cleans the wick, reduces odor, and disperses water" (helps save your wick). I imagine if you are storing kero in the cold, and bring it into the house, you might get some condensation in the works...

-- PillsBury DoughBoy (pbdb98@yahoo.com), November 07, 1999.

I like the blow torch idea. Burn out the odour.

But I like the smell of kerosene! Your garage should smell like K1.

However, I don't like the smell of kero if it's coming from a burning lamp especially if my wife or others smell it, they think it means CO2 poisoning is around the corner. I find the fat wick lamps burn best with no odour. It's always the little wick lamps that stink.

-- Cable_man (tlangan@iname.com), November 07, 1999.

Steve, I had a heating fuel leak once, and the oil guy used this granular powder that contains fuel-eating bacteria. (No kidding!) Get an oil guy on the phone and see if it is commercially available. He'll know exactly what you are talking about.

I may look for some myself, just in case.

-- semper paratus (always@ready.now), November 07, 1999.

You might try spreading some charcoal briquets over the spill. It'll absorb the fumes and odor. This was recomended to me by a friend after I mentioned to him that I had spilled some gasoline in the trunk of my car and the odor was giving me a headache. I laid out an old T-shirt on the spill, then "poured on the Kingsford" and closed the trunk. In no time the odor and the headaches were gone.

Hope this helps. John F.

-- John F. (millenniumadrenaline@hotmail.com), November 07, 1999.

Hawk, Hi!..I can't believe what you're suggesting..ie: "..pour some gas on it and burn it off". Garages are normally home to the water heater, and sometimes the furnace. Gasoline vapors and pilot lights love to mix and make things go BOOM!! Even if the house is total electric, a light switch, a furnace relay, or any number of electrical make/break contacts =can= generate the necessary spark to make things very interesting.

My wife is a Burn Nurse of 18 years and has taken care of some people who were very careless (stupid?) in their handling/use of gasoline. Reading the admission log of the Burn Unit makes you wonder...what were these people thinking?

A recent case here locally involved a 5 yo girl who knocked over a one gallon gas can in the garage while playing. The gas fumes were ignited by the water heater and the resulting fire burned her over 95% of her body. She was flown to the Shriner's Children's Burn Unit in Houston. She survived, but will have to undergo repeated surgeries over the years to minimize the terrible scarring.

I would opt for scrubbing the floor with powdered laundry detergent and enough water to make a paste, scrub with a stiff bristle brush and rinse. Repeat adding a =small= amount of bleach (use plenty of ventilation!) then rinse well. As one post suggested, a Citrus Cleaner may also help.

But PLEASE...NO GASOLINE IN A CONFINED SPACE!!!!!!!!!

Ray in OKC, OK

-- Ray (raymondo@prodigy.net), November 07, 1999.

Ray,

Of course freak accidents happen sometimes, but I'm assuming that Steve isn't a total moron since he sounds intelligent enough. The garage is not a death trap if you have a clue. Open the doors, don't start the fire near anything else, and have an extinguisher handy. By the way, it is very rare to have a water heater in the garage. Besides, how many guys have workshops in the garage where they use the blow torch, solder, smoke cigarettes, etc. Don't get so noid, you're overreacting.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), November 07, 1999.

Hawk,

Give it up. It was a bad suggestion: Burning gasoline in a garage is fools-play. They might end up in a living Ronson add, for Pete sakes!

Evaporation will take care of the odor. Be patient and think!

-- TruthSeeker (truthseeker@ seektruth.always), November 08, 1999.

Anyone .... Place plain brown paper ( like in grocery bag ) over spill and put several (depending on spill size ) weights to force paper in contact with spill .It acts like a wick and you will see the kero spread out in a ring. If it fills the entire paper , use another one. Good idea is to put the paper under the area BEFORE you POUR !!! Eagle ( Who poured AND spilled before you were born ... in the '30s. )

-- Hal Walker (e999eagle@freewwweb.com), November 08, 1999.