I Spilled Gasoline on My Hands - What Should I Do Right Now?

You just spilled gasoline on your hands. You feel that all over your hand. You smell that significant smell. You are stressing a lot because you heard that gasoline can catch fire on hot summer days. You are wondering what to do. But don't worry, we got you. How gasoline affects your skin? How to get rid of the gasoline smell? Keep reading, and you'll find out! 

In short, the first thing you should do after spilling gasoline on your hands is to move away from the source of gasoline. If you are in an enclosed area, you should open windows and doors to let the gasoline disperse. It is important to do this immediately.

After you are in a safe decontaminated place, you should wash your hands properly with water and soap.

You should use cool water since hot water can cause gas to evaporate. If you are struggling with getting the gas smell off your hands, using hand sanitizer or mechanic's soap can help you. Using toothpaste is also a powerful way to get rid of the gasoline smell on your hands. You should seek medical help immediately if you inhaled a lot of gasoline. 

What Is Gasoline?

Gasoline is a clear liquid with pale brown or pink liquid color. It is made out of processed crude oil. Gasoline is very evaporative, flammable, and explosive. It consists of roughly 150 chemicals such as benzene or toluene. To improve a vehicle's performance, gasoline also contains lubricants, anti-rust, and anti-icing agents, but only in small amounts. This mix of different chemicals can be dangerous and harmful not only to your skin but also to your eyes, nose, and throat.  

Types Of Gasoline Exposure

There are several ways that you can be exposed to gasoline. If you splash gasoline into your eyes, it can cause eye injury. If you inhale a small amount of gasoline vapor, it may result in headaches, dizziness, confusion, and breathing problems. Swallowing a small amount of gasoline can cause mouth, throat, and stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headaches. Spilling gasoline on your hands may result in symptoms such as visible rashes, redness, or swelling. 

First Aid For Gasoline Exposure

As we already discussed, gasoline exposure can be really harmful. You already know the exact symptoms that may occur from gasoline exposure. Now you may be wondering, how to prevent these symptoms and how to act when your skin is exposed to gasoline. We prepared a brief instructions list on what to do if you spilled gasoline on your hands.

• Remove any watches.Remove any bracelets and other contaminated accessories as well.
• Brush away the gasoline from your skin.Don't forget to be gentle with your skin.
• Wash your hands.Use gently flowing water and non-abrasive soap.
• Clean all of the contaminated accessories. Before you start wearing these accessories again, make sure to clean them properly or dispose of them safely.

To prevent the symptoms such as rashes, redness, or swelling, you should apply these steps immediately. However, it is not guaranteed that if you apply these steps you won't face these symptoms of gas exposure.

Despite this, these easy-to-do steps can help you a lot in this stressful situation. Not only for your health but also for your safety, since, as already mentioned, gasoline is very evaporative, flammable, and explosive. If irritation continues even after this, you should seek professional medical help. 

How To Get Gas Smell Off Your Hands?

There are many different ways to get the smell of gasoline off your hands. Because of this, it can be hard to find just one simple method that works best. You can use homemade lemon juice, distilled white vinegar, dish detergent mixed with salt, or vanilla extract. Now we're going to discuss all of them briefly, to give you a better perspective on what your options are and which one you should choose.

First Method - Lemon Juice 

This is a really simple and effective method to get the smell of gas off your hands as soon as possible. Lemon juice removes the gas smell of your hands quickly and it also works as a natural deodorizer! So, how to use this method in the right way? Here's how:

• Equally mix squeezed lemon juice with water in a bowl.To achieve the required homogeneity you should stir the mixture properly.
• While rubbing your hands, pour this mixture onto your hands.Make sure this mixture is distributed well around your fingers and palms. To make sure you covered all the areas properly, do this for around one minute. If you can still smell gasoline odor on your hands, do this for a longer time period.

Second Method - Distilled White Vinegar

This method is a really easy way to get rid of the smell of gasoline on your hands. All you need is distilled white vinegar. If you don't have this exact vinegar, don't worry. You can still use other vinegar. Before you do this method, keep in mind that vinegar also has its own smell that can be annoying for some people. However, the vinegar smell vanishes much faster than the gasoline smell, and while vanishing it takes a gas smell with it! 

You may ask how it works. It's that simple: Distilled white vinegar has chemical properties that break up some of the gasoline's bonds. Once you treat your hands with vinegar, the gasoline smell will fade away. 

Here is a short guideline on how to treat your hands with distilled white vinegar:

• Pour enough white vinegar on your hands.Vinegar should cover your fingers and palms completely.
• Rub the vinegar into your skin.In order to achieve the result, you should do this for around half a minute. Then, continue doing it for another half a minute, or a bit longer if required. Don't forget to be gentle to your skin, therefore you shouldn't rub the vinegar into your skin for a much longer time period. You can also use soft sponge that doesn't irritate the skin.
• Rinse your hands properly. In order to do so, hold your hands under flowing water and wash them with soap completely. Keep washing your hands after the vinegar scent is gone.

Third Method - Dish Detergent Mixed With Salt 

This is also one of the easiest ways to get the smell of gas off your hands quickly. All you need is kitchen salt and a squirt of dish detergent. Here's how to use this method:

• Put a spoonful of salt into a cup.Note: You can also use a small bowl if you want. It should be placed near the sink.
• Squirt a small amount of dish detergent onto your hands.Don't forget to apply it on places such as spaces between your fingers, where the gas smell can remain for a long time.
• Pour salt over your hands.You should make sure that the salt covers your palms completely.
• Wash your hands as usual.Rub your hands under flowing water. That's it!

Let's be honest, this method may seem a bit weird. Did you know that dish detergent can break down the chemical bonds within gasoline? Interesting, right? Additionally, salt exfoliates your skin therefore it reduces the gas odor that's there. 

Bonus Method - Vanilla Extract

As we are moving to the end of this article, we have one bonus method that can help you as well as other methods. Vanilla is characteristic of a nice aroma and it also works as a natural deodorizer. Here's how to use vanilla extract to get rid of the gasoline smell off your hands:

• Mix water with a few drops of vanilla extract.Use just as much vanilla extract as you need to get an ideal concentration. Use your nose to measure the ideal vanilla smell.
• Rub your hands with this vanilla and water mix properly.Do this until you can't smell the gasoline odor.
• Wash your hand under flowing water.Use water and regular soap.

Conclusion

Since gasoline vapor can be hard to get rid of, we've provided you with four simple methods on how to get the gasoline smell out of your hands. With these methods, you'll get clean and flavored hands.

The choice of which method fits you best is up to you. All of these methods are easy to do, they don't require many ingredients and they provide quick results. Whether you choose lemon juice, distilled white vinegar, dish detergent mixed with salt, or vanilla extract it will help you get the gas smell off your hands effectively.