# Getting the gas out.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-the-gas-out/476296>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 8, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-the-gas-out/476296 "2008-12-08T20:10:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-the-gas-out/476296/1 "2008-12-08T20:10:41Z")

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Thanks to a little problem discussed in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=491132), I’d like to know a sure fire way to get gasoline out of clothing.

I was listening to the gas fill my tank closely when I disengaged the trigger. A split second later, a perfect forceful spurt of gasoline shoots out of the side of the nozzle seal and shoots over my head. Droplets of gasoline landed all up my sleeve and on my glove…

And I smell peachy keen.

Can I just run this through the wash? I thought it would leave little oily stains, but it seems to have disappeared or evaporated or something, but it still smells awful. Will regular detergent get the gas out or does it need to be treated with baking soda or WD-40 or something fun like that?

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-the-gas-out/476296/2 "2008-12-08T20:30:33Z")

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You may want [to look here](http://www.google.com/search?q=removing+gasoline+from+clothes).

Also, WD-40 is a petroleum distillate. So is gasoline.

Personally I would air-dry the garment and then wash it with ordinary soap and water by hand, and then throw it into the washer as part of a regular load.

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**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-the-gas-out/476296/3 "2008-12-08T20:33:27Z")

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> [@Duckster](#):
>
> You may want [to look here](http://www.google.com/search?q=removing+gasoline+from+clothes).
> 
> Also, WD-40 is a petroleum distillate. So is gasoline.
> 
> Personally I would air-dry the garment and then wash it with ordinary soap and water by hand, and then throw it into the washer as part of a regular load.

Thanks, Google Fu is rusty today. _My_ keywords landed me 2 hits and no answers!

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-the-gas-out/476296/4 "2008-12-08T20:54:36Z")

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Regular laundering will work fine. Just run it through the wash.

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**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-the-gas-out/476296/5 "2008-12-08T22:02:44Z")

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In most cases, compounds that are smelly are very easy to get rid. By the very nature of being smelly, they must be volitile. Since they are volitile, they are practically jumping into the air on their own. Usually, a simple wash will deal with it.

In cases of things like cat pee, you have a non-volitile compound that is slowly releasing the stink. A stink that is stinkier than anything most people have encountered even in tiny concentrations. Thiols are insanely stinky.