Help! Petrol in sink

[Moont]

My husband washed his petrol loaded trousers in the bath. Not much petrol came out but enough. That was 4 days ago. Now my whole house stinks of petrol. How do I get rid of the smell?

 

[Stuart in MN]

There's an old phrase: "Dilution is the solution to pollution." Scrub the sink thoroughly and run lots of water to flush any residue that may be left in the drain. Sprinkling some baking soda in the sink and letting it sit for a while may help to combat the smell.

 

[Moont]

Thanks. I’ve been running water through all day (on and off) and the smell is stronger than ever. It’s almost under the house?
normal to get worse before it gets better?

 

[boom10ful]

Dump some Dawn dishsoap in the drain and let it set for a few hours.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Thanks. I’ve been running water through all day (on and off) and the smell is stronger than ever. It’s almost under the house?
normal to get worse before it gets better?

Are you sure the smell is coming from the sink? Gasoline odor can be pervasive, so it's hard to zero in on. Maybe it's coming from someplace else where he laid the trousers.

 

[Docbentley]

If his pants were soaked with petrol then maybe his shirt was also. Is his dirty shirt sitting around?

 

[Meursault74]

I'd try some odor eliminator

Here's How Febreze Removes Odors

The active ingredient in Febreze, cyclodextrin, binds to odor molecules and removes them from the air.

www.thoughtco.com

You might not be able to smell it any longer, but it'll still be there.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CCXA1C/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Here's a reviewer that used it for gasoline spilled in the trunk of a car

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CCXA1C/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Walkers]

Try mixing a slurry of fine ground ground coffee and water. Slather it anywhere the fuel might have gotten and let it sit for a while.

 

[Half-fast eddie]

Try using a solvent that will lift the petrol out of the pores, like alcohol. For added impact … “i told you not to” … use hubby’s favorite bottle of scotch.

 

[InsanePyro]

Light a match

 

[Hobby_Man22]

Where are the clothes? Take them outside. Then give it a day for the house to air out. Don't ask me how I know. Last time I changed the fuel filter on my diesel truck I forgot the part where you drain the filter first before unscrewing it....oops it ran down my arm onto my Hoodie. I wondered why it was such a quick change. Lol

 

[Goikification]

Liquid laundry detergent (any brand is better than powder) and warm water for the clothes, all of them including socks and such. While the clothes are washing hit the tub liquid dish soap (like Dawn) and a scrub brush, hit every square inch.

Good luck!

 

[Moont]

Thanks everyone. It’s not the clothes they’ve gone.
the smell is mainly in the upstairs bathroom and directly below in the kitchen. I really think it’s in the pipes.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Remove, empty and clean the P traps.

 

[FMB4]

Welcome to the forums! Try running every faucet in your house at the same time for 15 minutes (while watching out for sink overflows.

 

[rlitman]

Petrol, aka gasoline will form a hydrophobic film on surfaces that doesn't just wash off with water. It also floats, so wasting lots of water will likely not be enough.

I would fill a large bucket with very hot water and lots of dishwashing detergent soap. Dawn is ideal for this. Mix it in well, suds it up a lot, and pour the foamy mix down the drain, washing the basin walls as you pour. Repeat until the smell is gone.

 

[Moont]

The smell appears to be subsiding … fairly sure it’s not me getting used to it
It’s just so frustrating that it’ll likely take a good while to disappear.
Washing up liquid and hot water regularly.

 

[PFSard]

The smell appears to be subsiding … fairly sure it’s not me getting used to it
It’s just so frustrating that it’ll likely take a good while to disappear.
Washing up liquid and hot water regularly.

Might prove invaluable tot others for you to post when the smell is totally dissipated. Length of time. Measures taken. Etc.

Good luck with this. Glad I've never had the displeasure.

 

[vrinner]

I think Moont's husband was the one who started the jewelry post in the other forum?

 

[Moont]

Might prove invaluable tot others for you to post when the smell is totally dissipated. Length of time. Measures taken. Etc.

Good luck with this. Glad I've never had the displeasure.

Good idea!

 

[Moont]

I think Moont's husband was the one who started the jewelry post in the other forum?

if it isn’t, it should be!

 

[crazylunker]

straight simple green.

 

[mike93lx]

holy smokes, a new user that posted a question and actually followed up?? what's the world coming to?

glad you are getting it resolved.

 

[Moont]

holy smokes, a new user that posted a question and actually followed up?? what's the world coming to?

glad you are getting it resolved.

Ha until this smell disappears you’re not getting rid of me
I need all the help i can get!
I’ve come home today and it’s a bit stronger?? I don’t get it!!

 

[mike93lx]

Ha until this smell disappears you’re not getting rid of me
I need all the help i can get!
I’ve come home today and it’s a bit stronger?? I don’t get it!!

I bet it was just olfactory fatigue that made it lessen.

 

[TractorJeff]

Growing up in the "Oil Fields", Mom washed the Greasers, then ran an empty machine to get the ring out. Then she washed the Chore clothes, then the play clothes before she would put any household or ladies clothes in the machine!
When I wash my oil/diesel work clothes, I do the same thing; work clothes, then outdoor clothes, then good clothes before I let her do any of her laundry.

 

[Moont]

I bet it was just olfactory fatigue that made it lessen.

 

[CraigStu]

Ha until this smell disappears you’re not getting rid of me
I need all the help i can get!
I’ve come home today and it’s a bit stronger?? I don’t get it!!

Don't forget that smells always seem stronger when first encountered. IE; I don't know how long you were away, but your nose got used to not selling the gas odor. Then you walk in the house and BAM, there it is. It is probably the same or slightly reduced, but it smells worse.

 

[Vintage Veloce]

I say again...

Remove, empty and clean the P traps.

 

[Moont]

I say again

I say again...

Are these the pipes from the plug? If so we’ve done that. The smell is still there

 

[Vintage Veloce]

The P trap is the U shaped part of the piping under the sink or below the floor in the bathtub. (I know, it should be called a U-trap.)
Look under you sink and you will see it. Every sink and tub in the house has one. The toilets have big ones.

The "U" shape is always full of water and prevents smells from the pipes and sewer from coming up into your house.
I think any smell you are getting is coming from the P trap or the short pipe connecting it to the tub or sink. The water in the P-trap would stop any smell from coming from further below that.

The P trap often has gunk and hair in it that could hold smells. And as it is always full of water, it is hard to rinse out. It's possible to flush it all out if you put a lot of water down, but if there is gunk it there it could be holding smells.

If your plumbing isn't too old, cleaning the traps is an ugly and dirty job, but not a hard one.
Assuming easy access, a skilled person could help you do them all in an hour. He takes them out, someone clean them *perfectly till they don't smell*, he reinstalls.

 

[1redTA]

where are you located? I read the Navy base in Hawaii is having the same issue

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Here is another picture, with a helpful goldfish.



I would also attempt to clean the pipe between the sink and the p-trap. If there is a stopper in the sink/tub drain, the mechanism can also hold lots of hunk and smells. See the stopper rod going in to the pipe right above the "tailpiece" in the picture? There is a mechanism in there that can get gunky. We have to clean our about once a year for hair and other ugly stuff.

 

[Moont]

Thank you!!
We’re in the UK
Will definitely get him on to this. While also doing the repairs to house and fence after the storm we also had last weekend

 

[pizza]

i would just replace the ptraps instead of cleaning them. ptraps are disgusting. and new ones are dirt cheap (a few dollars at most probably for plastic ones). lol

edit: same for the clothes, tbh. i would've probably tossed them if they were old clothes. or washed them outside.
i'd never bring gas/petrol-soaked **** inside. unbelievably smelly ****.

 

[pizza]

also, what's your bath tub made out of? i hope it's smooth ceramic. the smell might be hard to remove from plastic or fiberglass...

 

[Moont]

Ceramic

 

[Vintage Veloce]

Pizza has a good point on replacing the traps... It might b easier.
But I don't know what UK ok mbing looks like. Might be a bit different.

 

[nadogail]

The OP may find that peroxide will work well to clean stains out of the tub.

 

[Mallen]

Maybe you have a layer of grease on the inside of your pipes. Gasoline likes to dissolve in oily things like that grease. The gasoline may have absorbed into that layer and now it gives back that smell. Run the faucets on hot for 30 minutes followed by several gallons of boiling water. Follow that by a treatment of Draino as per directions on the bottle, or a few tablespoons of lye, as per directions on the bottle. Repeat the Draino several times. That should eliminate the layer of grease on the inside of the pipes.

Another thought as was mentioned, is there another price of clothing like, shirts ,socks or underwear that was contaminated? What about shoes? Did he shower after coming in? Could it be stuck in tile grout or soap scum either in the sink or shower? Did he take his clothes off and leave them on the floor for a bit? Or put them with other clothes that picked up smell? Or put them in a hamper or other container? Or walk across a floor or carpet tracking gasoline from his shoes? Retrace his path from when he came in and check everywhere he went.