How to Get Gasoline Smell off Your Hands

A few times, repair or maintenance of your vehicle would bring you in contact with gasoline. What’s worth your worry is that the smell of gas (after contact) doesn’t quickly wear out. The stench is stubborn and could last weeks. You may not know it, but the smell of gas harms your health. Keep reading this article to learn how to get gasoline smell off your hands.

How Harmful Is Gasoline?

Gasoline contains myriads of chemicals that can be toxic when in contact with your body. One of such chemicals is benzene which accounts for blood diseases like leukemia and anemia.

Gas comes in contact with your blood, liver, kidney and other organs faster than you think. This is because it’s gaseous and can quickly diffuse into your body.

Experts assert that the odds exist that you have body reactions or mild nausea resulting from the pungent gas smell. Now that you have enough reason not to trivialize gas smell. Let’s discuss how to get rid of the gas smell.

5 Ways to Get Rid of Gas Smell

You’d be unable to get rid of the gas smell by simply washing/clothing with soap and water. It takes more.

We have detailed effective ways to get rid of gas smell in no order of priority. You can choose any method depending on the availability of materials within your environment.

Using White Vinegar

Any kind of vinegar does work, but white vinegar is perfect. Pour the white vinegar into the palm of your hands. Pour enough to reach your hands and fingers. 

Afterward, rub your hands against each other for 30-45 seconds. Rubbing your hands is massaging hands against hands, interlocking fingers, and spreading the vinegar everywhere around your hands thoroughly.

Vinegar has chemicals that break down the gas. This is how it can take away the pungent smell of gas. Of course, vinegar doesn’t have a good smell either, but it fades away faster. As you rub your hands in vinegar, it takes away the smell of gas.

After running your hands in vinegar, open the tap, and rinse your hands. Rinse your hands thoroughly until you have gotten rid of every trace of vinegar—next, dry clean your hands with a towel. Yipee, the smell of gas is gone.

Pro tip: A mixture of vinegar and lemon juice is also a great tool to remove battery corrosion in your car. So make sure you save some of the leftover for future uses!

Using Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Extract has a pleasant smell. Get half a cup full of water and mix with vanilla extract. To ensure you haven’t over diluted the extract, ensure you can still smell the vanilla extract after dilution.

If you have over diluted the extract, add more vanilla extract to the mixture. Now, pour the mixture into your palm and thoroughly rub your hands against each other for 30-60 seconds.

Has the smell of gas vanished? If no, rub your hands and add more vanilla extract. Afterward, rinse your hands thoroughly with water and towel-dry your hands.

Using Lemon Juice

An equal quantity of lemon juice and water is all you need to apply this method. Mix equal amounts of lemon juice and water, then put it on your hands.

Ensure that you have enough of the mixture to go round both your hands thoroughly. Rub your hands against each other with the mixture for 45-60 seconds. Can you still smell gas? If yes, repeat the process until the smell of gas washes away.

Next, rinse your hands under running water thoroughly with soap. Afterward, dry clean your hands with a towel; that’s how you get rid of the gas smell!

Pro tip: Rub your fingernails with the lemon peel to eliminate the gas smell stuck between your fingernails. This doesn’t just get rid of the gas smell. It also makes your nails shiny, attractive, and healthy.

Using a Mixture of Salt and Dish Detergent

Put two teaspoons of regular salt into a small quantity of water. Place it close by (probably on the sink) where you’d rinse/wash your hands. Salt helps to get rid of the gas smell by exfoliating your skin.

Now, put some dish detergent on your hands (sufficient to scrub both hands thoroughly). Like vinegar, dish detergent has compounds that break down the gas. Now, apply the salt mixture and rub both hands (with dish detergents on them) against themselves for 30-60 seconds till the smell of gas vanishes.

Add more dish detergent and salt mixture if you can still smell gas. Rub your hands against themselves again. Repeat this process until you’re sure you have gotten rid of the gas smell.

Now, open the faucet and rinse your hands. After rinsing your hands, towel-dry them. Hurray, that pungent gas smell is gone.

Pro tip: Dish detergent is not too good for your skin. Use this method when you’re left with no other option. Also, ensure you thoroughly rinse your hands with water after the process.

Using Mechanic Soap

Mechanics would frequently come in contact with the gas smell because of the nature of their job. Mechanic soap has been specially made to get rid of gas smell at a go.

This mechanic soap is designed to take away every pungent smell mechanics have to deal with from day to day. Beyond gas smell, you can count on this soap to remove all forms of smell from your workplace.

Final Thought

As it is popularly said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It’s safer to wear gloves when working with gas or other smelly substances, so you reduce the incidence of contact with the gas smell.

This would not only protect you from the pungent smell, but it protects your skin, and you wouldn’t have to go through the troubles of getting rid of the gas smell.

Apart from the mechanic soap, hand sanitizer, hydrogen peroxide, toothpaste are also effective for getting rid of the gas smell.

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