It’s only human to have the satisfaction of working on your car engine to enable better performance tempered by the distaste at having hands that smell like gasoline. You probably didn’t notice it while you were working because gasoline evaporates slightly but leaves an oily residue that has left you, the erstwhile home mechanic, wondering how to wash gasoline smell off your hands.

Starting with the most basic answer to how to wash gasoline smell off your hands, wash them with soap. A gritty soap can help to scrub the oily residue away. In the absence of gritty soap, substitute used coffee grounds for hands that smell fresh and clean. In order to remove as much of the smell as you can, make sure to get the soap under your fingernails and in the knuckles where the skin can fold over and trap dirt. An anti-grease detergent can also help get the smell out when you use it at full strength. Work it well into the skin with a dry towel and use a nail brush or toothbrush for your nails if needed, before rinsing thoroughly to get the smell out.

If the smell persists, you should consider using hand cleansers that are specially designed to remove grime, grease and oils. Use of this mechanic soap should be followed up with ordinary soap and water for best results.

You can also look around the house for some possible solutions to hands that smell like gasoline. One mixture involves making a paste of baking soda and vinegar, rubbing and rinsing your hands in it till they smell clean. This is safer than blending bleach with baking soda and detergent. It might work, but the fumes from the undiluted hydrogen peroxide may give you a headache.

Moving further into your kitchen pantry, you can slice a lemon in half and scrub the skin over your hands. The juice should be worked into every wrinkle on your hands and under your nails to get the smell out. Alternatively, you can do the same with eucalyptus oil.

According to Advanced Detailing, degreasing detergents normally found in the laundry can also be of great help. Mix them with a small amount of water or normal detergent to form a paste with which you can use to scrub your hands and fingernails. Always rinse your hands thoroughly in cold running water. It is also possible to use rubbing alcohol or other alcohol-based hand cleansers as alcohol is an organic solvent that can help get rid of the oily gasoline residue that makes your hands smell after working on the car.