Have you ever gotten a whiff of kerosene? You’d probably remember if you have because it has a strong, distinguishable scent that takes quite a while to fade away.
That’s why if you ever get any on yourself or spill it somewhere, getting rid of the smell should be your top priority (after making sure nothing was harmed by the chemical itself).
So, how do you get rid of the kerosene smell?
To get rid of the smell of kerosene, you need to thoroughly and completely wash everything that it came into contact with with soap and warm water. You can also use a degreaser to help get rid of it more easily.
If you’ve spilled kerosene, or gotten some on yourself, you’re probably wondering how to get rid of the smell.
Kerosene is a common fuel used in many households, but it has a very strong and distinct smell. In this article, we will discuss the most common methods people use to get rid of kerosene smells.
In an effort to create the top kerosene-related content on the internet, we researched everything we could about the fuel so that we could figure out the most common questions that people had about it.
How Do You Get Rid of the Smell of Kerosene?
Unfortunately, getting rid of the smell of kerosene is not as easy as you might hope.
So if you happen to spill some, no matter if it’s outside somewhere, inside your home, or even on yourself, you’re going to have to put in a bit of elbow grease to clean it up and get rid of the smell.
The most common method people use to get rid of the smell of kerosene is to thoroughly wash and scrub everything that it has come into contact with.
This includes any clothing, skin, or surfaces.
The smell of kerosene is deep and distinct, so you really have to get in there and remove all traces of it to get rid of the scent.
To start, you should remove any clothing that has come into contact with kerosene and wash it immediately. Be sure to use a strong detergent and hot water.
If the smell is still lingering, you can try soaking the clothing in vinegar overnight before washing it again.
For any other surfaces that have come into contact with kerosene, you’ll want to use a strong cleaner.
A mixture of vinegar and water can work well here, or you can purchase a commercial degreaser from your local hardware store.
As for kerosene’s smell on skin, the best way to remove it is with soap and water.
Be sure to use a soap that is designed to remove oil and grease. If the smell is still lingering, you can try using rubbing alcohol or witch hazel as well.
Kerosene can cause irritation and reactions if it comes in contact with your skin, so it’s important to remove it as soon as possible.
Does Burning Spilled Kerosene Get Rid of the Smell?
If you’ve just spilled some kerosene outside somewhere and there is a lot of space between the spill and anything that could be damaged by a fire, you might be thinking about just lighting it on fire and letting it burn away.
This will both burn the spill away and also remove the smell, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not usually that easy!
While it is true that burning kerosene will remove the spill, it will also make the smell much worse.
The last thing you want is for your entire house or yard to smell like kerosene.
If you’ve already spilled it and can’t seem to get rid of the smell, your best bet is to try one of the other methods we’ve listed above.
if you just burn it away, the smell will eventually go away, but in the short-term, it’s just going to make it even worse.
The only reason this really helps to get rid of the smell is because once you burn away the majority of the spilled kerosene, it will be easier for the rest of it to evaporate away.
Will Spilled Kerosene Eventually Evaporate?
Of course, one of the simplest ways to get rid of the smell of kerosene is to just let it evaporate away. Kerosene is a volatile liquid, which means it will evaporate… eventually.
If you’re comparing kerosene to gasoline in terms of evaporation and you’re assuming that kerosene will simply and quickly evaporate away, you’re in for a surprise.
While kerosene does evaporate, it takes quite a bit longer than gasoline. In fact, it can take several days or even weeks for the smell of kerosene to completely disappear.
So if you’re looking for a quick fix, this isn’t going to be it. However, if you’re willing to wait it out, eventually the kerosene smell will dissipate on its own.
What Does Kerosene Smell Like?
Now that we’ve gone over some of the ways to get rid of the smell of kerosene, you might be wondering what kerosene actually smells like.
Kerosene has a distinct, sharp smell that is often described as being similar to diesel fuel more so than gasoline. It’s not a pleasant scent by any means, but it is fairly easy to identify.
This is helpful because it means that if you’re smelling something and you’re not sure if it’s kerosene, you can usually tell pretty quickly.
If you think you might have spilled kerosene somewhere, the best thing to do is to try and clean it up as soon as possible.
The longer it sits, the harder it will be to remove the smell.
With that being said, even if you can’t get rid of the smell completely, there are still ways to make it more bearable.
Summing Up Cleaning Spilled Kerosene
Kerosene’s smell can be difficult to get rid of, but cleaning the areas affected with soap and warm water is the best way to clean up the spill.
If you need to, you can also use a degreaser to clean the spilled areas.
It can also evaporate over time, but this takes much, much longer than most people have time for.
