While skunks might use their spray as a defense mechanism, the odor left behind is more offensive than anything. The extremely foul smell can last for three weeks, and the longer it sits, the harder it is to remove. Acting quickly with the following tips will ensure your success in eliminating skunk odor.
How To Get Rid of Skunk Smell on a Pet
One of the most common reasons someone might be dealing with skunk smell is an encounter between the family dog or cat and a startled skunk. If your pet has just gotten sprayed, make sure their eyes aren’t affected (if they seem uncomfortable and their eyes look irritated, seek a vet’s attention).
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Also, make sure the pet touches as few indoor surfaces as possible. Then follow these steps to remove the skunk smell from your dog or cat:
- Mix 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1-2 teaspoons dishwashing soap (if you don’t have hydrogen peroxide, any pharmacy and most grocery stores carry it)
- Wearing rubber gloves and keeping the solution away from your pet’s eyes, wash their entire body
- Rinse your furry friend thoroughly to remove the solution
- Follow up with a skunk-odor-eliminating shampoo, if you have one on hand
Keep in mind that you cannot store this solution in a closed container. It will build pressure and eventually explode. It’s best to dilute it with water and pour it down the drain when finished. Also, don’t leave the hydrogen peroxide on your pet for more than five minutes, as it can lighten their fur color.
If your pet’s particularly difficult to wrangle in the bathtub, keeping its collar around its neck might be necessary. Otherwise, take the collar off the pet, remove the tags, and throw it in the wash right away. Simply replacing the collar is also an option.
How To Get Skunk Smell Out of the House
Skunk odor can linger for days or weeks, depending on its intensity. Here are some tips for in-house skunk smell removal.
- Open all of your windows and let as much sunlight in as possible to oxidize the odor and shorten its lifespan. Also, run the fan in your central heating or AC system to circulate the air.
- Place bowls of vinegar in each room for two or three days. Make sure they’re out of reach of inquisitive children and furry friends. You can also pour the vinegar in inexpensive plastic containers and punch holes in the lids. The vinegar will absorb and neutralize the odor.
- Place any affected clothing, bedding, and other launderable fabrics in a washer set to the hottest setting. Add ½ cup baking soda to the load, along with your regular detergent. Launder and repeat the wash cycle once more. Be sure to air dry your laundry, outside if possible, instead of putting it in the dryer, as the dryer’s intense heat could bake the smell into your clothing.
- For couches, carpets, mattresses, curtains, and other non-launderable soft surfaces, opt for a thorough steam cleaning.
- For hard surfaces, a 1:9 mixture of bleach and water will remove the smell. Just be sure to test in a small area to ensure the bleach doesn’t discolor or damage the surface.
When you’re done, be sure to change the air filters in your HVAC system or the odors might hang around.
How To Get Rid of Skunk Smell in the Yard
Skunk spray can travel ten feet and potentially settle into the porous surfaces of wooden decks and play sets or natural stone walkways. But there are ways to deodorize these outdoor structures.
- Mix 1 cup of bleach with 1 gallon of water (be sure to test in a small area
to when working with bleach) - Working in small areas, use a sponge, cloth, or mop to wash the surface with the solution
- Rinse each section with fresh water immediately after scrubbing, making sure not to let the solution sit for more than five minutes, as bleach can discolor the surface.
Do not use this solution in a pressure washer. The overspray can bleach plants or other unintended items.
Launder any affected outdoor fabrics in a washer set to the hottest setting with ½ cup of baking soda and laundry detergent. If items are too large, use a steamer to neutralize the odor.
These tips will help get rid of the skunk smell, but remember to work quickly so the odor has less time to settle in.
FAQs
Chemist Paul Krebaum discovered a solution that changes the odorous thiols into odorless acids, thereby chemically neutralizing the skunk odor. The formula is: 1 quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (fresh bottle), • ¼ cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and • 1-2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap.
How do you get rid of skunk smell ASAP? ›
Clean with vinegar
The foul odor lingers for days, no matter how many windows you open or scented candles you burn. However, a simple way to eliminate the skunk smell in your house is to clean with vinegar. Vinegar is a powerful natural disinfectant that will neutralize the skunk smell quickly and effectively.
How long does it take for skunk smell to go away? ›
Skunk smell can last anywhere from two weeks 14 to 21 days. The best ways to remove the smell from your clothes, furniture, hair or dog's fur is using a mix of baking soda and vinegar or peroxide.
What absorbs skunk smell in house? ›
Place a bowl of vinegar in each affected room for at least 24 hours. Or, boil vinegar in a pan. The room will smell like stinky vinegar but it takes away the skunk odor. Replace all the HVAC filters so odors don't linger in the vent system.
Does Dawn get rid of skunk smell? ›
The recipe includes the following ingredients: 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide. ¼ cup of baking soda. 1 teaspoon of liquid soap (we have found dawn dish soap to work the best)
Does tomato juice remove skunk smell? ›
Tomato juice does not make skunk odor go away. More specifically, tomato juice does not react chemically with the skunk odor to destroy it. Instead, it simply has a strong enough smell on its own to partially mask the skunk smell. But in this respect, it is no different from any other strong odor.
Can breathing in skunk smell make you sick? ›
Breathing it in can irritate the lungs. The odor has the potential to worsen asthma symptoms, but this is quite rare. The smell can be nauseating. While skunk spray is best classified as an irritant, rare but important effects have been described in dogs.
Will vinegar remove skunk smell from dogs? ›
If you don't have these ingredients on hand, the next best option is one of the old-time remedies, like white vinegar diluted with water. While not as effective, it may still help clean some of the skunk oils off of your dog and reduce the smell.
How do you boil vinegar to get rid of skunk smell? ›
Pour vinegar into a saucepan, bring to a light boil on the stove, turn down heat and let simmer for 2 hours or until reduced by 3/4. Open windows and/or turn on ventilation. When the vinegar smell dissipates, after 2 to 3 hours, the skunk smell should be gone. A faint vinegar smell may remain for several days.
Do coffee grounds absorb skunk smell? ›
Now we know yet another use for coffee grounds. A Google search found other techniques to remove the smell, but the coffee ground techniques mentioned seemed to assume unused coffee grounds are the grounds of choice. The great smell masks the skunk odor well, especially when combined with the vinegar smell.
Burn Candles and Incense
Find aromas that are strong and set candles and incense around the room. Keep these items lit as long as possible and continue using for as long as it takes to mask the skunk smell.
How do you get skunk smell out of your house at night? ›
How to Get Skunk Smell Out of the House
- Turn on Air Conditioning System. If you have central AC or heat, turn it on right away and set the temperature either low or high enough to get the air moving. ...
- Get the Air Circulating. ...
- Try Using White Vinegar. ...
- Try Some Deodorizers. ...
- Replace Used Vinegar. ...
- Change the AC Filter.
It's folklore that washing your canine with tomato juice gets rid of pungent pong. It doesn't. The carotenoids and lycopene in the juice, which combine with sulfur, and in theory, neutralize skunk smell, aren't present is great enough quantities to break down the thiols.
How long will my dog smell like skunk after being sprayed? ›
Even after a bath, your dog may still smell like skunk. However, this smell should wear off in a few days, especially if your dog spends more time outside to allow their fur and skin to air out. Since skunk smell is pungent and can irritate your dog's skin, it's always best to prevent skunk encounters in the future.
What makes skunk smell worse? ›
These compounds are thiols or thioacetates. Most thiols bind strongly and rapidly to skin proteins. Although thioacetates are usually less smelly than thiols, they are readily converted into thiols when they are mixed with water. This is the reason why skunk odor becomes more pungent when the animal becomes wet.
Does Febreze work on skunk odor? ›
Removing Skunk Odor from People: Safe Practices
You have probably heard that tomato juice or even products like Febreze ® will get rid of the skunk smell. While these may help temporally, skunk smell will return fairly quickly.
