Help... gas in my Rivian

[RedCanyon]

Made a bone-head move this last weekend and put a pressure washer in the back of my R1S to take to a weekend project. It leaked gasoline into the back of the back row seats... and now I can't get the fumes out of the vehicle. How ironic that I have a EV SUV that reeks of gas. So far we have tried cat litter, rug cleaner, coffee grinds and backing soda. Getting better, but still smells of gas. Any expert tips out there? I am not sure what is under the carpet on the back of the seats but I am afraid that it has soaked up a decent amount of gas and getting rid of it is going to be a challenge. All suggestions welcome.

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[Tr4ckD4ys]

Get professional help from a detailing shop that fully removes the seats and does both a steam carpet clean and wash.

 

[DaveA]

Citrisolv. Will change the smell to oranges, but better than a$$, I mean gas. Probably easier to ask Rivian to change out the carpet though. This is a tough one.

 

[RivianRiverRat]

DIY - activated charcoal pellets for odor control

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

Things happen and I'm sorry that you're going through this. It could honestly happen to everyone. We all do things from time to time. I left the sink running recently and caused a lot more damage than some gasoline smell so I know the feeling .

Certainly try everything that was suggested here, but if the expectation is that the smell will be completely gone. I'm pretty sure you're going to have to replace everything that the gasoline has come into contact with. If it got into the seat backs, the seats will probably have to be replaced to completely get rid of the odor.

 

[Aardvark]

At first I thought this was a Taco Bell related post.

The above all sound like good suggestions. The only technique I've ever found to work, is park in the sun, keep the windows open, and wait for the gas to evaporate. But I also think a thorough rug shampoo to start with would be a good idea.
I feel for you. I had a gas can for my lawnmower leak, and the odor does linger. Good luck.

 

[Crazychemist]

Park it outside in the sun with a as many fans blowing through it as possible.

Edit - pour some high proof moonshine where you spilled it and it will help reduce evaporation time. (Not response for any damage to the interior).

 

[mikehmb]

A friend of mine was installing new carpet in his ‘66 VW Bug, and after tacking down most of it using 3M spray adhesive, noticed a small fray he wanted to fix.

Under normal circumstances, you burn the ends so it melts and prevents further fray. He did this, with fumes in the car. We’ve known each other 30+ years, and I had never, nor have I since, seen him so disoriented and shell-shocked as that day. In fairness to him, He was 20 at the time.

Edit to add: he was blown out of the car and only suffered mild hair singes on his arms and hands.

Suffice it to say that this is not an advisable method of removing fumes from your R1S.

 

[2Cybers]

Made a bone-head move this last weekend and put a pressure washer in the back of my R1S to take to a weekend project. It leaked gasoline into the back of the back row seats... and now I can't get the fumes out of the vehicle. How ironic that I have a EV SUV that reeks of gas. So far we have tried cat litter, rug cleaner, coffee grinds and backing soda. Getting better, but still smells of gas. Any expert tips out there? I am not sure what is under the carpet on the back of the seats but I am afraid that it has soaked up a decent amount of gas and getting rid of it is going to be a challenge. All suggestions welcome.

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[Zoidz]

Park it outside in the sun with a as many fans blowing through it as possible.

Edit - pour some high proof moonshine where you spilled it and it will help reduce evaporation time. (Not response for any damage to the interior).

Agree, for a DIY solution, heat and ventilation to evaporate the volatile components are the way to go. Most other solutions will try to mask the odor. The addition of alcohol is an interesting idea.

After that, if the odor is still noticeable (probably a bit), for DIY I would try a hand held steamer or steam carpet cleaner and paper towels, with plenty of ventilation to dry it quickly.

 

[DRJ564]

Suffice it to say that this is not an advisable method of removing fumes from your R1S.

BUT, it would work!

 

[Supratachophobia]

Light the gas on fire and it will just burn away. /s


"Whenever I had a problem, I just threw a moltov cocktail. Then, I had a completely different problem and the old one went away." -Jason, from the Good Place

 

[jeeden]

I've always seen the videos of the car detailing guys using "biobombs" where they put it in the car, activate it, and let it sit for a day. I've also seen people put ozone generators in there for a day.

I know the pros that do fire restoration on buildings seal the building and put a crazy amount of air cleaners like you get at home depot there. They are ionizing air cleaners and generate ozone as well.

It's important that for ALL of these methods you open the doors and fan out the car when you done, don't get into it because too much ozone can be hazardous for you to breathe.

The ultra cheap solution would be to open the windows and let it cook in the hotest sun spot you can and it will evap any remaining fuel, but a much slower process and not perfect. It takes like one drop of fuel to be able to smell it in a large space.

 

[sacramentoelectric]

I really thought this thread was going to be about too much dairy.

 

[OUTAGAS]

I agree with @jeeden. Plug an ozone generator into one of the 120V outlets and run the HVAC on recirc. A big ozonator will fix it in about 20 minutes, a small one in a couple of hours.

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