How to get rid of skunk smell on pets, clothes, a house or a car

Step by step

1. 1

   Act fast and keep it outside

   Put on gloves and old clothes, and keep a sprayed pet outdoors while you mix the treatment.

   Why: The spray is oily and spreads to everything it touches. Treating it outside keeps it out of carpets and furniture.

2. 2

   Mix the formula fresh, in an open container

   Stir together 1 quart of fresh 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda and 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap in an open bowl or bucket. Don't cap it.

   Why: The mixture gives off oxygen as it works. In a closed container that gas can build up and burst it, and stored mixture loses strength anyway.

3. 3

   Work it in and wait about 5 minutes

   Massage the mixture into the sprayed fur, hair or skin, keeping it away from eyes and mouth. Leave it about 5 minutes.

   Why: In the alkaline solution, peroxide turns the thiols into odorless sulfonic acids. The dish soap breaks up the oily musk so the peroxide can reach it.

4. 4

   Rinse and repeat as needed

   Rinse thoroughly with water. If the smell is still strong, mix a fresh batch and repeat.

   Why: Peroxide can lighten fur and hair, so it shouldn't sit long. Repeat rounds reach musk the first one missed.

5. 5

   Wash fabrics with the mix added to the water

   Wash clothes, towels and bedding with laundry detergent, adding the peroxide mixture to the wash water rather than pouring it onto the fabric. Wash twice and hang outdoors to dry. See skunk smell in clothes.

   Why: Detergent lifts the oily musk, and diluting the oxidizer protects dyes. Outdoor air carries away the remaining volatile thiols.

6. 6

   Air out the house and check the filter

   Open windows, wash any sprayed surfaces, and replace the furnace or air-conditioner filter if a faint odor persists. See skunk smell in a house.

   Why: Fresh air dilutes the thiols, and a filter that caught the smell keeps recirculating it.

Why skunk spray smells so strong

Skunk spray is an oily, yellowish liquid from two glands under the tail. Most of the stink comes from thiols, sulfur compounds with an -SH group, the same family behind rotten-egg and burnt-rubber smells. In the striped skunk the main ones are (E)-2-butene-1-thiol and 3-methyl-1-butanethiol. People can smell them at around 10 parts per billion.

The spray also contains thioacetates. They smell less at first but slowly react with water and release thiols again. That's why a dog can smell skunky days later when it gets wet, and why the smell seems to return on humid days. Because the spray is oily, water alone won't lift it from fur, fabric or porous surfaces.

Why tomato juice and perfume don't work

Tomato juice doesn't neutralize thiols. After a few minutes your nose gets used to the skunk smell (olfactory fatigue) and picks up the tomato instead, so it only seems to work. Perfume, air freshener and vinegar likewise sit on top of the odor, and the thioacetates keep releasing more thiol whenever the material gets damp.

The peroxide formula works differently: it chemically changes the thiols into compounds that don't smell. Older sources name n-butyl mercaptan as the skunk chemical; research since 1975 points to (E)-2-butene-1-thiol instead, but the treatment is the same.

By situation

A dog or cat was sprayed

Use the peroxide formula on the body, keeping it out of the eyes and mouth, and rinse well because peroxide can lighten fur. Spray in the mouth can't be neutralized, and skunk breath can last more than a week.

Clothes and shoes

Wash clothes twice with detergent and the mixture added to the wash water, then line-dry outdoors. Shoes and other items you can't wash can be hung outside to air out, which may take days to weeks.

Inside the house

Ventilate, wash sprayed surfaces and replace the HVAC filter. Odor that soaked into drywall, concrete or unfinished wood may need several treatments, and sometimes the material has to be removed.

A car

Skunks do spray vehicles. Wash the sprayed outside surfaces with soap and water, keep the peroxide mixture off upholstery and carpet, and air the car out. See skunk smell in a car.

Decks, concrete and outdoor wood

Apply 1 cup of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of water to the sprayed spot only. It's a strong oxidizer, but it can stain, so test first and never combine it with ammonia or acids.

The smell is getting stronger, not weaker

Skunk odor normally fades over several weeks. If it grows stronger, a skunk may be living under a deck or porch, or may have died nearby. Repeated spraying near the house, especially in spring, suggests a family has moved in.

What not to do

• Don't rely on tomato juice. It masks the smell while your nose tires of the thiols. It doesn't neutralize anything.
• Don't mix the peroxide formula ahead of time or put a lid on it. It releases oxygen and can burst a closed container, including a sealed glass jar.
• Don't pour the formula straight onto rugs, upholstery or colored clothes. Peroxide can bleach or discolor fabric. Dilute it in the wash water instead.
• Don't put skunked clothes in the dryer. Hang them outdoors instead until the smell is gone.
• Don't mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar or other deodorizers. The combinations release toxic gases. See never mix.

Other methods that work

Commercial skunk odor neutralizer

Products made for skunk odor can be used instead of the homemade formula. Follow the label exactly.

Caution: Don't combine them with other cleaners unless the label says so.

Diluted vinegar

If you have no peroxide, baking soda or soap, the Humane Society of the United States suggests vinegar diluted with water as a fallback.

Caution: It reduces the stench rather than neutralizing the thiols, so expect to repeat with the peroxide formula later.

Time and fresh air

For shoes, outdoor furniture and anything you can't wash, open air slowly carries the volatile thiols away.

Caution: It can take days to weeks, and the smell may flare up in humid weather.

Stain still there?

The pet smells skunky again after a bath or rain

Thioacetates in the spray release thiols when wet. Repeat the peroxide treatment; each round removes more.

A faint smell hangs around the house for weeks

Replace the furnace or air-conditioner filter, wash any sprayed surfaces again, and keep ventilating. Check for a skunk living or dead under the house if the smell grows.

Safety

• Never store the peroxide, baking soda and soap mixture in a closed container. Mix it in an open bowl and use it immediately.
• Keep the mixture away from eyes and mouth. Skunk spray in the face can cause watering eyes, nasal irritation and nausea, and the odor can trouble people with asthma.
• Rabies isn't spread through skunk musk, but handle a dead skunk only with gloves, long sleeves and eye protection.
• Don't use an ozone generator for skunk odor in an occupied home. EPA says it doesn't remove odors at safe levels and irritates the lungs.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

Get rid of skunk in a specific place

• Skunk in a car
• Skunk in clothes
• Skunk in the house