How it gets inside

Garage air is pulled into a house any time the house is at lower pressure, which happens when bath fans, a kitchen hood, a clothes dryer or the furnace run. The door between the garage and the mudroom is the main path, but older attached garages in northwest Denver may also share an attic space or have unsealed openings around pipes and wires.

The second path is people. Someone walks through the fog to get the car out, then carries capsaicin on shoes, pant legs and hands into the kitchen. Hours later another family member rubs their eyes after touching a doorknob.

Many Berkeley-area homes have detached garages off the alley, which helps a great deal: the spray stays outside the house envelope. Newer infill houses and remodeled bungalows more often have attached or tuck-under garages.

Contain it first

  • Close the door between the garage and the house and put a towel along the bottom.
  • Turn off bath fans, the kitchen hood and the dryer for now so the house does not pull garage air in.
  • Open the overhead garage door and any windows to let the garage vent outdoors.
  • Leave shoes and outer clothing in a bag outside the house door, and wash hands and face before touching anything else.
  • Keep children away from the garage and mudroom until cleaned.

How far did it go?

  • IfSymptoms only in the garageClean the garage zone around the can and the door hardware; the house may need nothing more than the mudroom floor.
  • IfBurning in the mudroom or kitchen tooTreat the first rooms off the garage as contaminated: floors, door faces, light switches, coats and boots.
  • IfSymptoms upstairs or when the furnace runsCheck whether the furnace sits in or draws air from the garage; involve an HVAC contractor before running it.
  • IfA bedroom sits over the garageAsk whether the ceiling or floor assembly has gaps; residue drift into a room above is possible.

Common questions

Can the garage be used while it airs out?

Keep people and vehicles out until surfaces near the release are cleaned and nobody's eyes or throat burn in there.

General information for Berkeley, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.