How to Remove Skunk Smell: Home, Clothing, People, and Pets
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The acetic acid in white vinegar will help break down the chemical smells in your jeans at a molecular level. Prepare a hydrogen peroxide solution by mixing one quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, one teaspoon of liquid detergent, and ¼ cup of baking soda. Learn practical, DIY methods to banish the smell from your home and restore freshness naturally. If the skunk smell persists, it might be time to call in professional cleaners. They have specialized equipment and solutions that can penetrate deeper into fabrics and surfaces, effectively neutralizing the stubborn skunk smell. If you prefer a homemade solution, a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap can work wonders.
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It may not be as effective, so you might need a few more applications to finish the job. Using warm water and baking soda is another tried-and-true way to get rid of the smell. The soda crystals are deodorizing and break down foul-smelling particles. However, according to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, there are creative methods of removing the stinky smell from your house. If skunks have sprayed your home, learning how to get skunk smell out of house is a welcome method of restoring freshness to your living areas.
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Make sure you wash your body with deodorizing soap or grease-cutting dish detergent. Do this by pouring 4 cups of baking soda into hot water and rinse your body thoroughly. If you don't have vinegar, baking soda, or any commercial foul-smell remover, you can promote airflow by opening doors and windows to eliminate the skunk smell.
How to remove skunk smell from people
To help a skunk hold on to its best defense for when they need it, look for the signs and back off before it's too late! Eastern spotted skunks will get downright acrobatic before spraying (see photo above). Not to state the obvious, but not getting sprayed in the first place is your best bet. Skunks are nocturnal and somewhat shy—but will spray if they feel threatened. That said, it takes a while—up to a week—for a skunk to replenish its supply of spray, meaning that it will try to reserve it for when it's necessary. This action is more challenging for people who live in cold, northern climates during the winter, but it will be a huge helping hand during the cleaning process.
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Steam-clean your upholstery, furniture, carpets, and curtains to remove all the traces of skunk oil on such surfaces. It's common for individuals to open their windows and doors, hoping to get rid of the smell. Others consider scented candles a quick way of making their homes comfortable after a nasty spray. However, most of these approaches don't deliver the expected results.
In a spray bottle, mix about 1 part vinegar with 1 part water, and add only a teaspoon or so of detergent. Spray it on the stinky hard interior surfaces and scrub well, using rags, sponges, or a brush. Also use this solution on any affected exterior surfaces, such as the tires or parts of the undercarriage. Contrary to urban legend and online myth, tomato products, such as tomato juice and sauce, do not eliminate skunk smell. These products may help mask odor, but they do not oxidize or destroy the thiols or thioacetates that cause them. When you buy clothes off the rack, you expect that they might retain that musty smell until you put them through the wash.
While pricey, these devices can help by destroying the molecules responsible for the smell. Add a cleaning solution such as soap to your steam cleaner to enhance its effectiveness. Steam ensures that the complex odor compounds are broken while removing the smell traces in hard-to-reach areas. However, for this to work, there are a few steps you should follow. You may need to reapply baking soda more than once, but it will eventually absorb all the odor, leaving your house clean. Any contact with hydrogen peroxide solution can irritate your skin, eyes, and respiratory system.
Reliable companies specializing in skunk odor or deep cleans can use proven technologies for deodorizing and eliminating stubborn odors. Although costly, this is a much quicker way of removing the smell. You may have heard that tomato juice is effective for getting rid of skunk smells, however, this is not enough on its own to get rid of the smell.
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For getting rid of skunk smell in delicate fabrics, skip the hydrogen peroxide. Our note below modifies these cleaning tips to make sure getting the stink out won’t damage your favorite delicates. That “skunky” smell wafting through your car vent on a country road can’t compare to the potency of fresh skunk spray — which is overwhelming, to say the least. The smell from skunk spray can linger for two to three weeks, so if you’re the unfortunate recipient you need to act fast. Remember to spot-test it first to ensure it doesn’t alter the shade.
There are several at-home techniques and commercial products that can help remove skunk smell. Dark jeans might be the most common chemical smell offender, but other clothes can get the same sulphuric smell from their color treatments. Thankfully, the methods for removing the chemical smells from your jeans also work on most other clothing items. Castile soap is an all-natural product made from vegetable oils that's safe to use on jeans. Handwashing your jeans with castile soap, like Dr. Bronner's pure-castile liquid soap, can help work wonders on that chemical smell.
The best step is to take preventative measures for keeping skunks away and get rid of skunks naturally in the yard first. If you weren’t particularly fond of those clothes, you could always bin them instead. When a skunk sprays your dog, the stench will likely reach many more surfaces. Your dog may transfer the spray to your patio or deck, patio furniture, your grass, and even your bushes. If you have company coming over or simply can't stand the smell and don't want to wait for it to naturally diminish, try these hacks to get rid of the outside skunk smell. Skunk spray is one of the most recognizable and difficult smells to remove from homes, pets, and outdoor areas.
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It might be due to a gas leakage that can be fatal for you and your family. Start by placing open containers or bowls of vinegar in the corners of the room and adjacent to any affected furniture. Make sure the cleaning solution completely covers the clothing. Then empty the bucket, don some gloves to protect your hands, and wring out the clothes.
They stink, and they can make you, your pets, and your house smell for weeks. Removing skunk odor is not a fun experience, and getting a skunk smell out of the house can be tricky without the right products and techniques. In addition, the foul odors may be a result of a gas leak in the HVAC system. As white vinegar is a natural ingredient, it is safe to spray onto pet fur. Dilute 1 cup of white vinegar into 2 gallons of water to make a pet-safe solution. But be sure to avoid their eyes and wash it off thoroughly afterward.
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