Conference 7.286::home_work

    Put on a coat of polyurethane.

    
    
    	I woudn't tell to many people you have "Smelly Drawers" !
    
    	Sorry, I couldn't resist.
    		-Steve-
    

    re: .2
    
    I figured SOMEONE would say that!
    

    you could line the drawers with cedar boards. they can be bought
    at any lumber yard. they are not that expensive, and add a 
    pleasant odor to clothing. one furhter note, the boards are
    3 1/2" wide but will vary in length. also a deodorant bar
    of soap will do the same thing.
    
    jim.

    Should the deodorant bar of soap be used in the drawers or in the
    shower?

    ONLY YOUR HAR DRESSER WILL KNOW.
    
    

        Try ground coffee.  Honest.  Just dump it in the drawers for
        a few days, let it sit, then discard it, should take the odor
        with it.
        
        Tom

    Granular charcoal, used in fish tank filters among other things,
    also absorbs odors.  You can get it at most pet stores.

    
    
    HELP
    
    MY DAM CAT KNOCKED OVER A KEROSENE LAMP ONTO MY RUG AND I NEED TO
    KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ANY GOOD SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO ABSORB/PICK IT
    UP AND GET RID OF THE SMELL ????
    
    ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
    
    WILL IT HARM THE CARPET ???
    
    
    THANKS
    DON
    

>< Note 2655.0 by WOODRO::DHOULE >
>                       -< KEROSENE LAMP TIPPED OVER... >-
>
>    MY DAM CAT KNOCKED OVER A KEROSENE LAMP ONTO MY RUG AND I NEED TO
>    KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ANY GOOD SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO ABSORB/PICK IT
>    UP AND GET RID OF THE SMELL ????

      The  local  humane shelter will probably accept the cat regardless
      of how it smells.
      
      ------------------------------------------------------------------
      
          Sorry... I couldn't resist...

    Hmmm.   Forget the local Humane Society and try Nature's Miracle,
    which can be found at PETcetra in Hudson, NH in a powder or liquid
    form.  From notes in FELINE, it works on ALL odors and it's not
    harmful to your kitty, which really didn't mean to do it !!
    
    E.T.

    
    NO PROBLEM, I FIGURED I GET A FEW COMMENTS LIKE THAT.   THE CAT
    WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE DOING IT AGAIN, I ASSURE YOU.
    
    BUT THE RUG STILL SMELLS...
    
    

	Mix equal parts of oil dry and baking soda.  Pour over spill and 
	let sit for a few minutes until saturated.  Vacuum and repeat
	until dry.  

	Cover area with oil dry and baking soda again.  Use a stiff 
	brush to work into the fibers of the carpet.  Vacuum.  
	Continue to alternating vacuuming and brushing until the 
	oil dry and baking soda is gone.

	If the smell persists or returns in a few days, it is probably in the 
	carpet pad.  A small piece of padding can be replaced, but the 
	method used will vary slightly based on location, size, and type.

	Oil dry can be bought at most automotive supply locations.  If 
	you can buy industrial bulk baking soda it will be a lot cheaper.
	Does anyone know where to by bulk(50#+) baking soda?  I am down to 
	my last bag.  I ordered 3 bags through the commissary when I left the 
	Air Force.

	You also should use a powerful shopvac, if you can get one

    I'd guess that Oil Dry is real similar to most clay-type cat litters.
    So, while the Oil Dry may be cheaper, the litter is certain to be
    more convenient.
    
       Gary

    Just keep the cat away......I use oil dry in my shop and my cats
    love to come down visit.....and use it.....
    
    
    Jim

    Might I make the suggestion to have the rug steam cleaned by 
    professionals?  I know that is what I would do.  Kerosene will
    leave a lingering oder unless it is all "sucked" out of the 
    carpet.
    Tom

    Does anyone know of a way to remove the mildewy smell from a mattress
    stored in the basement?
    
    Though my basement is not wet, it smells like mildew.  My neighbors
    stored a mattress and box spring in my basement for a few weeks
    and now it smells.  Its been outside overnight airing, with no
    improvement.
    
    Any suggestions would be appreciated.
    

    We had the same thing happen to a couch and used one of those rental
    cleaners with the upholstery attachment (you know, from the grocery
    store!)  Or another thing you might try is an spray bottle (set
    at light mist) with a light vinegar/water solution.  No warranties
    on this, express or implied.  I did do this on the couch, too. 
    Between them, it seems to have done the job....or was it just the
    passage of time?....

    Before using anything on furniture, always check the color fastness in
    a non-showing place, just to be sure.
    
    Eric

    
    You could try sprinkling on Baking Soda.  We tried that and it worked.
    
    Mike
    

    You might  try  leaving  it  outside  in  the sun. Sunlight does a
    marvelous job of drying things out and killing damp-loving mildew.

--David

    Thanks for the suggestions.  So far, it has been outside since sunday
    afternoon, in the sun.  She has tried baking soda, and upholstery
    cleaner. I'm trying to convince her to try the white vinegar/water
    method, as I've used that on  my carpets for dog stains.
    
    Kathy

    How much Vinegar with how much water?  I have some stains on my
    couches I could try that on.  Do you just spray it on and let it
    sit, or what is the procedure you use?
    
    Thanks
    

    
    HELP!  I've spilled gasoline on some very expensive Gortex (tm)/
    Thinsulate lined gloves.  I threw the gloves in the wash (with 
    "Wisk" and "Grease Relief") but they still smell (strongly) of gas.  
    Can anyone give me advice on what to do with them?  
    
    --Th�r�se
    
    p.s.  Don't *EVER* put gasoline into a styrofoam container!
    

    The absolute best way to get gas smells out of cloths is to use
    either Arm&Hammer baking soda in your wash, OR use the A&H laundry
    soap. It definately works on SMELLY cloths (no matter what the smell
    happens to be).
    
    Bob G. (who_uses_baking_soda_for_many_things).
    

      I'm  not  certain  that GORTEX can tollerate exposure to gasoline.
      The actual GORTEX is a plastic membrane and gas disolves some/many
      plastics  as well as various synthetics.  Since you describe these
      as "very expensive" I'm guessing that you may be  planing  to  use
      them  in a situation where there would be a high risk of frostbite
      if they don't work well.  They certainly sound like the right kind
      of gloves for such a situation. Just be sure that their insulating
      and water shedding properties are intact. i.e. test them someplace
      where you can get warm quickly if need be.

Well, Gore-Tex fabric is actually Teflon, so I doubt it would be damaged
directly by most solvents.  But other components of the glove (possibly
the Thinsulate which is polyolefin) might have been damaged.

			Steve

    
    Re: .1 
    
    Thanks, I'll try that, although I'm concerned about getting rid
    of the gasoline itself, not just the odor.
    
    Re: .2 and .3
    
    Yes, you bet I use them in possible frostbite situations -
    I ski with them.  The thing that kills me is that they're
    brand new this year, and I was only wearing them because
    I had misplaced my "everyday" Thinsulate gloves (sigh).
    
    Steve, I think you are right about Gore-Tex (thanks for the 
    spelling correction) being teflon coated, but I thought
    Thinsulate was a polyester product (not positive).  I'm
    not sure how any of these fabrics hold up to gasoline.
    It's not the kind of thing I'd test intentionally :-}.
    
    They also have leather palms, which I normally wouldn't wash,
    but I figured anything was better than leaving the gasoline
    on them.
    
    -tm
    

Re: .4

Gore-Tex is actually Teflon itself (I think even manufactured by Dupont)
that is stretched in a patented process to produce the microscopic holes
that give it its wonderful properties.  But the film is then bonded to
some other fabric.

I'm pretty sure that Thinsulate is a spun olefin fiber, but it is chemically
related to polyester, so the difference is most likely not meaningful.  I don't
think gasoline would harm either product, but one never knows....

			Steve

    If you use the A&M laundry detergent, it will get the gas ald smell.!
    
    Bob G.
    

        If the A&H doesn't work hang them outside for a week or so.
    
                Bob

       
    It's a month later, and I'm returning to this note to tell you 
    the results of my endeavors.
    
    First of all, I found the tags that came with my gloves, and they 
    are Gortex and leather outside with Thermax and Holofill inside 
    (not Thinsulate).  The Gortex is a Teflon coating, and the Thermax 
    and Holofill are both types of polyexter insulations (which should
    not be affected by gasoline).  According to the tags, the gloves 
    still insulate when wet.
    
    I bought some Arm & Hammer powdered detergent, and washed the gloves
    in it.  They came out still smelling of gasoline.  Next, I soaked
    them in the Arm & Hammer powdered detergent and baking soda for
    a few hours before washing a second time.  They still smelled of
    gasoline, but perhaps less so.  Unfortunately, all that detergent
    and water dried out the leather so it was rock hard.  Then I put
    baby oil on the leather and let it soak in for a few days.
    
    Now, the leather has softened up, and the gloves still have a 
    faint smell of gasoline.  I skied with them yesterday and they 
    seemed fine, although it was too warm to really test their 
    insulating properties.
    
    A friend of mine suggested washing them in vinegar, but I'm reluctant
    to screw around with them any more.  I am hoping that they will
    eventually lose the gasoline smell as time goes by.
    
    --th�r�se
    

Last week, I had a gas grill propane canister refilled
at the hardware store in the morning and put it in the back
seat of my car.  It was a fairly hot day, and by the
time I got back to my car (@2pm), the canister was hissing
and leaking propane.  

This was six days ago.  There is still a strong odor
in my car.  I have been leaving the windows open
pretty much since then.  Over the weekend, I vacuumed
and shampooed the upholstery, but can't seem to get
rid of the odor.

Is this smell still the propane?  Or is this the additive
they put in to give the gas an odor?

Any ideas on how I can get rid of this ODOR?

    re.0
    Chances are you may still have some propane left in the car
    opening the windows will do little to get it out as they are located
    at the top of the car propane settles(heaver than air). You might
    try leaving a door open on both sides of the car for a while.
    The oderant that is used in propane is very strong it may take a while
    to completely disipate. 
    FWIW-Here in Colorado there is a law that requires a plug that screws
    into the fitting to prevent leaks they won't even fill the tank without
    one.
    
    -j

�Is this smell still the propane?  Or is this the additive
�they put in to give the gas an odor?
    
    It's an additive as propane, like natural gas, is essentially odorless.

You're lucky you didn't blow up the car.  Leaving a propane tank in a hot
car during the day is extremely dangerous.

The smell is indeed an odor additive, and will probably require some
significant airing out to get rid of. It's a similar chemical to a skunk's
smell.

				Steve

    Reply .1 is right as far as the gas being heavier than air. By this
    time (6 days+) all the gas should be gone but it wouldn't hurt to leave
    the doors open for a short time, especially if there is a good breeze.

    The oderant added to both LPG and natural gas is ETHYL MERCAPTAN. And
    yes the odor will linger. 

RE: .0

 Propane tanks are fitted with an overpressure relief valve that vents the 
gas to reduce the pressure if the tank is heated. 

 The smell will dissipate over time but as it is probably in the foam of the 
upolstery in the seats it will take some time to leach out. That scent really 
has some staying power. :-)

You are real lucky you didn't end up seeing a big crater where your car was 
parked. The full fury of a 20 lb bottle of LPG is quite impressive. 

    I have heard of two cases where people were injured from those little
    butane cigarette lighters.
    
    	In one case the man was welding something and a spark landed on his
    pocket where he had his lighter. The spark burned through the lighter
    and ingnited the butane. Apparently, (if the story is true) the force
    of the explosion from that little lighter was enough to blow the poor
    guy's leg off.
    
    	Now THAT was just a tiny little lighter with an ounce or so of
    butane. I don't like thinking what a 20lb bottle could do.

I've seen the "welder's spark lands on butane lighter, which explodes" in
an urban legends book.  If the welder was working for a railroad, it's probably
the same story.

This is not to dispute the danger that was involved with the propane tank.
I agree that the base noter is lucky not to have become part of the 6:00 News.
I believe transporting a propane bottle in a car is illegal in Massachusetts.

-Mike

    As someone who played with exploding butane lighters in high school,
    I am pleased to report that the explosive force of one of those little
    buggers is barely enough to make a big pop, much less cause any damage
    (other than potentially serious burns).  I too doubt the "welder's
    spark" story - probably it was started by the same person who
    said he knew of a welder who had his contact lenses fuse to his
    corneas because of the spark.
    
    					Steve

    re -1
    
    Hey Steve I thought _I_ was the only one who was a pyromaniac in high
    school days!  But we used to go much furthur than that, and I do agree
    that a full butane BIC� will not explode that much.  We used to throw
    them at buildings and if you hit it just right they'd "blow-up".  The
    bigger thrills were igniting piles of model rocket engines ground up,
    blowing up full aerosol cans of whatever with M80's a.k.a. a quarter
    stick of dynamite (hairspray I remember made a big boom), and amongst 
    other stupid things putting 38 cal bullets in those "light with a
    match" charcoal brickets.  Yeah... I know lucky I didn't kill myself, 
    but those _were_ high school days!
    
    I'd love to see a full propane tank (safely) explode!
    
    QUESTION: (while we're ratholing anyhow...)
    
    I was walking by the bike section of K-Mart and noticed they now have
    CO2 cartridges (like the ones for air-guns) for emergency bike tire
    repair inflation.  Do these things explode when hot enough?  I wouldn't
    want to have one in a pack under my butt in 100� temps if that's enough
    to heat the thing to exploding...
    
    ?
    
    Steve

Re: .9

Igniting the lighters in an (empty) metal wastebasket is as far as I ever
took the sport.

I really don't think the CO2 cartridges by themselves would explode under
any reasonable set of circumstances, though there are people who have lost
body parts or killed themselves by cramming match heads into empty cartridges;
I read of one such case just the other week.

I have no desire to see the effects of an LP tank explode - I've seen how
the movie studios use LP gas to create explosion and flame effects, and it's
scary enough.

						Steve

FWIW, about 12 years ago somebody noticed that a propane truck crossing the
George Washington Bridge was leaking.  The bridge was closed for several
hours until somebody figured out how to plug the leak.  According to "experts,"
if the truck had exploded, the bridge would have survived nicely.  Of course,
the GWB is *very* overbuilt.  I'm sure the bridge on Fresh Pond Parkway near
Alewife Station would collapse with an exploding butane lighter.

    That depends on which deck it was on. Such vehicles are banned from the
    lower deck (and tunnels) in NYC. On the upper deck (the open one), it
    would have a much better chance to disipate than on the lower one.
    
    Eric

A pyromaniac friend always used to fill soda/beer bottles with butane from
a lighter and light it.  It would go pop! with a blue flame.  He quit doing
this when he overfilled a bottle on the floor, when lit the flame followed
a path of butane on the floor (butane is heavier than air) and singed a
chair.

-Mike

If you can't transport with a car, how are you supposed to get it home?

Ed..

    You drive it straight home.  You don't leave it in a hot car while you
    go grocery shopping.
    
    Elaine

re .14:

>If you can't transport with a car, how are you supposed to get it home?

Supposed to be in the back of a pickup truck, or some similar open space.

Note that this is based on a sign at a propane filling station stating that
transporting in a car was illegal, must be in the back of a PU bla bla bla.

-Mike

    re.6
    I know that guy that had the lighter blowup in his pocket it happened
    back around 1981 while he was welding a peice of oil shale refining
    equipment in Coaldale Colorado. It did give him 3rd degree burns on his
    chest, neck and stomach it didn't however blow his leg off last time I
    saw him he was still riding two skis *very* well. After his experience
    Rod has become a firm believer in kitchen safety matches wonder why?
    
    -j
    FWIW- I have heard the above dispelled as urban myth this is a true
    story. The gent involved was Rodney Dunnan who was a co-worker of
    mine on the Ski Cooper ski patrol between the years 1976-1984.
    
    

    re.11
    In 1964 in Kansas City Mo. there was a railcar fire involving a propane
    car that was leaking from an end seam. When the seam failed after
    several hours of fire exposure a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor
    Explosion) occured that killed 23 firemen 5 city blocks away.
    The bridge *may* have survived.
    
    -j

�Supposed to be in the back of a pickup truck, or some similar open space.
�
�Note that this is based on a sign at a propane filling station stating that
�transporting in a car was illegal, must be in the back of a PU bla bla bla.
    
    I don't have a pickup or some similar open space and that hasn't
    stopped me from having the propane tanks I use for camping and the
    barbecue yet.  It also hasn't stopped me from transporting the filled
    tank to and from campsites either.

    
    What state is this illegal in????? Not NH or Maine or NY!!
    
    I have a nice little 10lb tank I use for camping. It works out great. A
    lot cheaper then those disposable 2lb ones. If you take a few cautions
    with carrying it you won't have any problems. As for it exploding in a
    hot, it would have to get pretty damn hot. Those tanks are made for
    this. The pressure relief valve will release propane when it starts to
    expand too much for the tank as the propane tank gets hot. For those to
    explode you're going to need some kind of ignitor.
    
    Mike

    
    It's not the tank itself exploding that most of us fear.
    
    Picture this. You get a tank filled, put it in your car, then park in
    a hot lot all day while you work. The tank heats up and bleeds propane
    into the car. At 5:00 you open the car, which may create a small spark
    when the dome light switch in the door frame makes contact.
    
    See you in the next life.
    
    I know a full tank will bleed into a car when it stands in the summer
    sun, from a bonehead experience I will never repeat.
    
    BTW, I believe propane tanks are counted among the "explosives" you're
    not supposed to transport through tunnels. Kind of a bummer when you're
    planning on the short cut across the Chesapeake Bay.
    

re .20:

>    What state is this illegal in????? Not NH or Maine or NY!!

Massachusetts.

-Mike

    >>BTW, I believe propane tanks are counted among the "explosives" you're-
    >>not supposed to transport through tunnels. Kind of a bummer when you're -
    >>planning on the short cut across the Chesapeake Bay.
    
                                  
    They can be transported through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, but
    they must be shut off (on campers, trailers, etc...) They will ask you
    if your gas is shut off at the trailer check, otherwise no problem. Did
    it last year !
    
    
    			Steve

    
    If they're illegal in Mass, then how does Mass-Gas get away with their
    propane vans. The tanks ARE INSIDE the vehicle. And what I saw, there
    is no vent to the outside.
    
    Mike

The guys that sell propane in MA don't care very much then.  I was in a line
on the Memorial day weekend just waiting to break the law.

Stan

Mass is known for laws that get ignored.  They believe that big brother should
protect us no matter what.

Ed..

re .0
The propane tank leaked because the filling station over
filled it. A propane tank is supposed to have a 13% vapor
space to allow the liquid to expand in the container,
compressing the vapor. When the tank is too full the liquid
fills the tank and futher expansion pops the releif valve
and liquid propane flows out if the tank is not upright.
Although leaving a full tank in
a hot trunk is not a good idea if the tank is filled properly
there will not be a problem. The reason the MERCAPTAN smell is
strong is that liquid propane spilled and left the odorant behind.
As others have replied this is a very dangerous situation, propane
expands to 270 times its liquid volume as a gas, in other words
your car had a lot of propane in it. There could not possible be any
propane left in your car if you have made any attempt to remove it.
Anyway once the propane to air ratio is below about 10% the atmosphere
is out of the explosive limits of propane and the gas will not ignite.
The positive side of this situation is that the pressure releif valve
worked, if it had not you would have made it to the six oclock news.
As a firefighter I would advise you to call the local fire department
if you suspect this happeded again, as someone mentioned earlier the
light in you trunk could have been your demise.

.Alan

Sorry to be so blunt, but I am in dire need of
some tricks to get that (child) vomit smell out
of upholstery (actually it is in a car, but I'm
sure the tricks are the same)

Any help is greatly appreciated !

Tim

    Ugh.  Yeah.  Here's an idea - I don't know if it would work, but it
    might.  Go to a vet and get some urine odor eliminator and spray it
    on the upholstery.
    

    RE: .1
    
    Main ingredient is ammonia for urine removal.
    
    I would buy a car seat cleaner at the store.
    
    Marc H.

re .2:

No, the "pet odor" removers contain either enzymes or bacteria that are
supposed to "eat" the odor-causing material.

-Mike

    re: .3 
    Yes, I think it's a "quatenary amine" (which I have probably spelled
    incorrectly.  The same stuff as in Scope mouthwash, and others.

How much is it worth to you ?  You could consider replacing the seat.

/Eric

    Go to a pet supply shop and buy an enzyme cleaner.  Saturate the area
    (and I mean SATURATE).  Follow the instructions precisely, and you will
    be all set.  These products are designed for "biological" accidents -
    as with all pets and most children.  Nature's Miracle works great.  If
    you try to skimp on using the correct amount, you will not achieve good
    results. 

Call me cheap/a purist/whatever - I've always found that a baking soda paste
works quickest if you can stand the mess.

-Jack

Thanks for all the suggestions. I took .6's
suggestions and got some Natures Miracle. It
was amazing ! I doused the seat with the entire
bottle, and let it sit over night. As of this
morning the smell appears to be totally gone !

...but the real test will be that first 95 degree
day when I leave the windows closed all day !!!

-tim

    If all else fails.... Join the ticket book of the month club and buy a
    new car.
    
    

    
    Back in the 60'ies I had a 57 chevy that was the seen of one of these
    accidents, my buddy had consumed a quart of Gin on the way to the 
    Prom. This is what I did to remove the smell:
    
         - Had another person drive my car home, so I would not kill him
         - Placed a bottle of pine scent in the trunk.
         - Found a place where the car would be in direct sun light
         - Locked it up and left it there for, I'm not kidding, 2 months
         - Do not, I repeat, do not open the door before 2 months
         - After 2 months the smell was still there, I sold the car
         

Interesting side question:

	When one burps, we smell whatever is in their stomach.  For example,
	if someone recently ate a salami sandwich and burps, we smell it real
	clearly.  So, given that vomit has such an awful stench, and since we
	all often walk around with vomit in our stomachs, how come burps never
	smell like vomit ?

The Nature's Miracle works on urine and vomit, from children and pets.  I
had a severe case where the first application didn't work.  My wife called
Nature's Miracle, and they sent some "extra strong" to us, with instructions
to "give it time".  It took a couple of weeks until the odor was completely
gone.

re .10:

Who bought it?  A man without a nose?

    
    re:13
    
    If he was a smart man, not a dumb man like me, and kept the car
    he's got a real nice, worth a ton, chevy. I want that car back,
    smell and all.
    
    gp

    For lack of a better note/conference....
    
    I left a brand new tan jacket (a tweed type of material) in my trunk
    for a while, and the trunk got some water in it.  As a result, the
    jacket is pretty much mildewed.  The smell doesn't concern me, it's
    the mildew spots all over the jacket.  Being tan, with a multi-colored
    lining, it can't be bleached.  The dry cleaners say that I'm SOL.  Any
    ideas?  Thanx.
    
    

>> Being tan, with a multi-colored lining, it can't be bleached.

I wouldn't be so sure.  What are the washing instructions for the coat?

    Try some Shaklee "Basic G".  I used it to remove mildew from
    a leather tool pouch, and it worked amazingly well.  MUCH
    better than bleach.
    
    Of course, try it in an inconspicuous spot first, etc., but
    since the jacket is pretty much ruined anyway you don't have
    a lot to lose.
    

    Regarding .9; where do you get this product?  We have a mildew problem
    with the fabric on a stroller that is stored on a Farmer's porch. 
    Ideally we should keep it inside, but storage of a double stroller is
    tough.
    
    Thanks,
    
    
    Jonathan

    re: .10
    
    I was afraid you might ask that...
    
    Your friendly local neighborhood Shaklee distributor.  Shaklee is
    a setup like Amway.  My wife gets the stuff from somebody in Stow,
    Mass., I think (maybe Acton), and I'm not sure who it is.  Maybe
    Janet Langenwalter, or some such name???  I can try to remember to
    find out for sure.
    Ask around your neighborhood, or church, or whatever you belong
    to; chances are you can find somebody who knows somebody selling
    it.  Or maybe somebody else in this notesfile knows.
    

    Check your local phone book white pages under Shaklee.  There's usually
    an entry there.
    
    				Steve

    And in the Acton/Marlboro phone book White pages (Business section):
    
    Shaklee Products Distributor Acton 263-1667
                                 Stow  562-7427
    
    The number in Stow is also listed in the White Pages (Residence) for
    Janet Langenwalter...good memory -.2.....
    
    I'll see what I can dig up from the number in Acton.
    
    
    Jonathan 

    
    Re .9 Stroller.
    
    You might want to try this "natural" alternative.  rub in some
    lemon juice, leave for a few mins and then sprinkle salt on it.
    Leave it out in the sunlight for a few hours and then sponge off.
    Repeat if necessary.
    
    It does cause some bleaching, but less than mildewcide chemicals.
    
    Regards,
    
    Colin
    

    OK, add me to the list of boneheads with a propane tank.  Actually, I'd
    never used propane before, and left my new 20lb tank in the car yesterday
    for a few hours on its side after just having filled it.  When I got back
    to the car, the car reeked, plus I could still hear the propane hissing
    continuosly as it escaped through the pressure relief valve.  When I set
    the tank upright, the hissing stopped.

    What I'm concerned about is whether or not the tank is faulty.  It really
    wasn't very hot or sunny out (50's, and pretty cloudy), so did the tank
    behave normally???  Thanks,

					Peter

    Another thing to be careful about with propane is that is heavier than
    air and will settle into low spots and pockets.  You really don't want
    to store or use it in places that are not ventilated sufficently to 
    "drain" vapors.
    
    	Dave.