A couple days ago, I need to get some gas for my new riding mower. I asked my wife to go and she didn't want to ride my old truck so we went in her Cadillac. I put the can of gas in the trunk and it spilled and her beautiful blue caddy smells like gasoline and I'm in the dog house. Does anyone know anything other than time that will get the gasoline smell out. Urgent!! Thanks. Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), July 01, 2000

Answers

eagle, Oh my are you in trouble! I use fabreeze(sp) for just about everything I am not sure if it will help with gasoline but can't think of anything else. karen

-- Karen Mauk (dairygoatmama@hotmail.com), July 01, 2000.

Eagle, wish ya were closier as you could borrow our commerical air purifier! Just drive the car close enough to a plug in --put it in the car & let it work! I use to sell them! One of the worst cases was a used car dealer ship that bought a car that a man had died--& had been in the car for several days---nothing they used took out the smell, I sold them a comerical air purifier/ it worked & they then used it in all the cars they got in before they put them on the lot to sell! We use to also rent them --don't know if anyone in your area rents them or not ----but we were cheap! Best wishes! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), July 01, 2000.

You could try covering the spill liberally with borax for a few days, then soak in white vinegar and more borax. Can you get under the carpet to put a stack of newspaper under there to help blot the mess?

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), July 01, 2000.

Put an opened, new bag of freeze-dried coffee in the car, near the spill-leave for 24 hrs....It worked for me--but it was in a Ford pick- up not a caddy;)! I have also used large boxes of baking soda in closed areas that have terrible smells

-- DebbieT in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), July 01, 2000.

Thanks so much for the responses. I'm going to try every one of them. I guess someone in Houston would have an air purifier. I'm in Texas and it's a long way to KS. I'd almost drive up there but guess I won't. I've taken the padding and stuff out of the trunk and am going to replace them. I guess there's gas somewhere where I can't see it. It was a 2 1/2 gallon can and the whole thing emptied into the trunk and poured all down in "there". I'm going to try the freeze dried coffee, fabreeze, borax and go into Houston to see if I can rent an air purifier. Karen, I showed this to my wife. She said she knew what you were talking about and she has some that she uses on the clothes. I'll try it. Hey you guys, thanks ever so much for the information.. Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), July 01, 2000.

Eagle, Do you realize how lucky you and your wife are to still be here? That's why they make pickups. But don't feel bad. I once tried to pull an 4 gang disk with an '82 Lincoln. That didn't work so well either. My wife was really upset because I bent the the bumper trying to get the disk unstuck. Good luck, John and Pat

-- John and Pat James (jjames@n-jcenter.com), July 02, 2000.

Yeah, I know. I was so upset about the caddy smelling bad, I never thought that it might have been dangerous. Today, we went into Houston to go to Lakewood Church and on the way home, stopped at a carpet place to see if we could get a new pad. The place was closed and they just happened to be there and they gave us a pad, didn't even charge us for it. I guess God watches over the weak minded (me, not my wife). Thanks for the response. Eagle (Ed & Sharon Vaught)

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), July 02, 2000.

Well, I'm a little late on answering but if you've had no luck yet, this is what I would do. (I'm a custodian at Emporia State University)

There is a commerical type product called "neutrall" that can be picked up at about any professional cleaning product palce (call around), and it literally neutralizes oders, liquids, and etc. We use it to stop the action of floor stripper, and it would certinaly work for any petrolium based product. Another option is baking soda placed on directly to the area BELOW the carpet, it will pull the gas out of the metal below. (Gas and oil products will adhere to metal) BE CERTAIN that the baking soda has no added scents, 100% pure only, or there may be a chemical reaction between the gas and the chemical (oil usually) scent. That would be bad. For the next 6 weeks (it takes gas that long to fully evaporate) be certain that your wife doesn't let any drano, or any other such things spill onto the carpet, lest it soak through, and cause an explosion. (Gas and drano expode, so will gas and pool chemicals, and may (ugh) pesticides.) Good luck, and feel free to write to me if you need more info.

Marty - the clening one

-- Marty P. (mrs.Puck@excite.com), July 03, 2000.

Marty, thanks, I'll call around for some Neutrall. Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), July 07, 2000.