Skunks: How to Get the Smell Out

There's nothing quite like the smell of skunk spray. It's bad enough when it's outside the house, but when your pet brings it inside, you think nothing will make it go away.

The most widely promoted way to de-skunk your cat or dog is the one recommended by the University of Illinois Extension office:

Mix 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution, ¼ cup baking soda, and 1 teaspoon liquid soap. Do not add water. This solution can be used to wash skin, clothes, dogs, etc. that have been sprayed by skunks. Due to the peroxide, the solution may lighten the fur of pets.

The Humane Society of the United States suggests the same solution. It also adds that if you don't have peroxide on hand, vinegar diluted with water will work. However, don't mix any of these up until there's a need, the organization advises, or pressure could build up over time and the stored solution may explode.

Here are some additional tips:

• Do NOT put water on your pet before you apply the solution. This will make the solution ineffective.
• Massage the solution into your pet's coat, but keep it out of your animal's eyes.
• To help keep the solution out of your animal's eyes, try applying a petroleum-like solution above the pet's eyes.
• If you rinse the solution off the first time and it is still stinky, you can repeat the process before shampooing the animal with regular soap. Fresh peroxide works best as it becomes less concentrated as it gets older.

If you're washing clothes, bedding or other items that might have come in contact with skunk spray, the Humane Society recommended tossing a half cup of baking soda in with the washing machine detergent.

Some still swear by tomato juice or vinegar as skunk odor remedies, and there are commercial products, too, such as Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover, that you might want to keep on hand.

Once Fido or Fifi's been cleaned up, that still leaves the problem of the smell in your house -- assuming you let them in before you realized what happened.

The Web site www.odorandstainremover.com recommended that people with central air-conditioning take these actions:

1. First, clean out the HVAC system. Pull out the filter, turn on the fan and set it to heat. Then find the return vent (vent that pulls air from the house into the system) and spray a non-corrosive, non-flammable cleaner without any perfumes, like Clean+Green, into the return vent for about 3-6 seconds. Let the system run for about 5-10 minutes to clean out the system. Repeat if necessary.
2. Second, clean out the rooms. If the rooms are really smelly, spray down the walls, carpet, drapes and other areas that smell. If it is just a lingering smell, use the HVAC system to spray the cleaner throughout the rooms. To use the HVAC system, repeat the process in step 1.
3. Lastly, walk through the house to see if the smell is all gone. If no odor, place a new air filter in the system. If there is still odor, repeat Step 2 until the smell is gone.

Do you have a tip you can recommend? Tell us in the comments.