How do you remove gasoline fumes from a house?

Answer 1

Gasoline fumes in the house are very unpleasant. First and foremost, evacuate everyone from the house. Children and elderly guests will be more prone to the dangers of gasoline fumes. If we are speaking of a gas spill on a shirt or something minor, remove the article from the interior of the house and discard or clean it outside. While removing everyone from the house, open all windows and doors possible. Begin ventilation ASAP! This process is time dependent and only time will allow the gasoline fumes to escape. Without adequate ventilation, the gasoline fumes will linger. Shut your HVAC (air conditioning unit) off completly. Turn off all fans or air circulation equipment. You want the fumes to vent naturally through drafts out of windows and doors. The only exception is having, for example, a box fan in a window pulling air directly to the outside. Ceiling fans, HVAC, etc. are only pushing the fumes around and not letting them escape. Now that you have removed everyone from inside and started ventilation, there will be a waiting process to re-enter. The discomforts of a short displacement are well worth avoiding a health risk or danger risk. In the meantime, if safe extinguish the source of the gasoline fumes. For example, a gas can leaking or spilled in the garage, etc. Without eliminating the source, you are fighting a loosing battle. Gasoline fumes are more dense than air and spread very rapidly. Being more dense than air, they will not be carried away very quickly. This is why ventilation inside is key. To begin eliminating the fume source, determine how severe the spill is. If absorbant is available, make that your first step. If towels and rags should be used remember to dispose of them safely as they will be extremely flammable and altogether just another fume source. Keep in mind also the fumes inside your house are extremely flammable also. Do not create any ignition sources during evacuation or ventilation. The smallest source such as friction can ignite fumes that have settled and more so those forming pockets in low areas. Swithing your breaker box off might be a good idea until the all clear is achieved. Now, you have started to tackle the source of the gasoline fumes. After you have absorbed the gasoline, flush the area with water if you can safely contain the water. Next scrub with dish soap. Last finish it off with some Pine Sol. Repeat if necessary. The overall smell of gasoline is difficult to get rid of but once you have removed the gasoline, you have eliminated it from producing the fumes traveling into your home. You may have a hint of gasoline smell at the spill sight but you have "killed" the fume generator. Now that you have spent time picking up the gasoline, you may have successfully ventilated your home. Be very careful inspecting your home. Some things to remember while inspecting are the fact that you have been smelling gasoline fumes for a while now and your nose might be fooled by the consistent smell of gasoline fumes. If possible, have someone with a fresh nose smell for you. You shouldn't move the family back in until there is no gasoline smell at all inside the house. The inside air should be consistent in smell to the outside air. This could take hours even days depending on severity. Other things to remember. If you are fighting a long ventilation process, make sure you did not have any gasoline settle in cracks, wall seams, wall to floor seams, etc. You may still have some of the fume source that was missed. Just a small amount of gasoline can produce lots of heavy fumes. I've experienced about 12 ounces of gasoline on the floor in a shop connected to the house make the entire home unsafe for entry without a respirator. Most important, if you are fighting a long ventilation process and become sick, weary, weak, light headed, etc. DO NOT seek rest in any effected part of the house. DO NOT sleep in any effected part of the house. The remaining fumes will overwhelm you and could cause severe health risk. If the situation has come this far, you should consider calling the fire department and/or proffesional help. Good luck!!!!