I had a gas can in the hatch and accidentallly spilled some on the mat. I took the mat out and let it dry outdoors for a day and a half, thinking the gas would evaporate, but I've found it still smells. Should I oudoor it some more, or should I scrub with detergent, rinse and then let it dry before pputting it back in the car? <_<
Gas on the mat is either air pollution or water polution. Of the two, air pollution has the smaller point effect. Take the mat out and put an electric fan blowing on the area where the spill occurred. Enough air blowing on it should get rid of most of the volatiles. Gasoline has many chemicals and hydrocarbons in it. I'm sure the lighter ones have already evaporated, you're now trying to evaporate the grease... A spilled cup of gas puts as much polution in the air as driving your Prius all year. What were you doing with gas in the cabin???
Same thing happened to me. I had a chainsaw fuel can that burped gas onto the bloody mat. It's been weeks now and there's still an odor. I also let it air out for several days before putting the mat back into the car. Gas odor is still there, particularly on sunny days.
rule #1 would be not to put it in the gas dryer stupid suggestions 1) replace mat 2) try kitty litter to absorb the gasoline
You like water pollution better than air pollution? Yes, you can scrub with detergents, but if you put that mixture down the drain, lots of the gasoline will de-bond from the detergent, float to the surface, and volatilize in the sewer, where it can't easily escape into the air. Benzine, a gasoline component and a known carcinogen, can disolve in water which may eventually find its way into a stream and the ocean. Don't put the mat in the dryer, too much fire danger. If a fan blowing on the spot with the mat in the sun (to increase volitalization of the heavy fractions) doesn't do enough, you could try blowing hot air from a hair dryer at the spot, in a very well ventilated area, like outside in the sun. The stinky problem is the grease and maybe the additives in the gasoline mixture. As a last resort, you could try using another light solvent, like naptha lighter fluid. Squirt lighter fluid (Ronson comes in a handy flip-top can) on the spot and scrub with a clean white rag. Keep doing this until no color appears on the white rag. Leave everything spread out outdoors to evaporate until dry. This process causes a huge amount of air pollution from volatile organic chemicals and may even be illegal in some locations, so check and don't break the law. Gasoline is nasty stuff, even at 50+ MPG. It is much better to burn it for a useful purpose than just let it evaporate into the air. But if you can't stand the stink in your car, you have to do something. Replace the mat, sending it to a haz-mat land fill?
