skunk smell?

[TNtransplant08]

I let my dogs out this evening and when I let them back in the house, I was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of skunk. Washed them right away with a hydrogen provide solution. Seemed to helped quite a bit. Bad thing now is that the house smells. Anyone know of any good ways to get rid of the smell? I honestly never smelled anything this bad before in my life!

[Greasy Ham]

Put bowls of vinegar all around in different parts of the house. In two days throw out the vinegar. Vinegar absorbs pretty much all smells.
The bad part is everything will smell like vinegar until you get rid of the bowls of vinegar.

[bd-]

Putting out several open boxes of baking soda will help if the smell is just hanging in the air.

Your dog may have rolled on the carpet trying to get the smell off. Best thing you can do in that case is rent a steam cleaner and give the carpet a thorough cleaning.

As you've discovered, a peroxide solution is the most effective thing for breaking down the chemicals that make up the skunk's spray, but it will also bleach your carpet. Some baking soda and a little liquid detergent can be used to treat any especially stinky spots you find on the carpet or furniture.

Some people swear by tomato juice (which also will stain), but I've never found it very effective on skunked dogs, and a few recent studies suggest that it really doesn't work very well.

bd

[Travis C.]

Find this stuff or see if a pest control company/distributor will sell you some.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/bacazap-odor-eliminator-quart-p-282.html

Bacazap.

Its what what we recommended to PC guys and wildlife control guys use when I ran a distribution center for pest control chemical.

This stuff works and uses a blend of organisms to actually "eat" the decaying or organic matter causing the odor not just cover it up.

Here is a review from the link:

"By Anne on October 7, 2011
Our dog got a mini spray from a skunk that was just outside our door one night, but the smell was still overpowering in the house. I tried your product as a sample from an animal control agent. Boy did that do that trick. It neutralized the odor - and nothing works on a skunk smell! I bought some of this recently but am still learning what else to use it for. A great product!."

[TNtransplant08]

Thanks for the replies guys. Luckily, I have hardwood floors in my house, so really the smell was just "hanging" in the air. I put out the baking soda BD mentioned and that seems to have done the trick. I also went to the pet store and bought Skunk scent remover made by Nature's Miracle recommended by the staff. It actually worked quite well. You can use it to both wash your dogs and any fabric the scent may have come in contacted with. I rewashed the dog with this stuff to get rid of any lingering smell and used it to wash the dog pads as well.

I guess now the question is if the damn skunk will bother to return. I sure hope not!

[jaycee]

4 cups hydrogen peroxide
1 cup baking soda
1 tsp. liquid dish soap

This recipe was give to me some years ago by my vet. Use this to wash your dog. I had bird dogs and they got into skunks quite often. Usually by accident as a dog learns pretty darn quick as it is not a pleasant experience for them either.

[jaycee]

I was talking to my friend a vet and he just sent new recipes he has collected. This is what his office sends out.



Skunk Odor Removal Home Remedy 1


3% Hydrogen Peroxide - 1 Quart
Baking Soda - 1/2 Cup
Liquid Dish Soap - 2 Teaspoons
Directions

Begin by mixing the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid dish soap.
Immediately massage the skunk odor removal solution into the dog or cat's fur and skin.
Continue to work the skunk odor remedy into the pet's fur, as would be done with shampoo.
After ten minutes, thoroughly rinse the solution from the pet's fur using running water.
If the odor remains, repeat steps 1 through 4 or try Skunk Odor Removal Home Remedy 2.
Skunk Odor Removal Home Remedy 2

Ingredients

Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 Gallon
3% Hydrogen Peroxide - 1 Quart
Baking Soda - 1/2 Cup
Liquid Dish Soap - 2 Teaspoons
Directions

This remedy is for more stubborn skunk odor cases involving a cat or dog's fur. Begin by performing steps 1 through 4 in Skunk Odor Removal Home Remedy 1.
Pour apple cider vinegar onto the dog's fur and massage the vinegar into the skin and fur.
Massage the vinegar into the pet's fur and skin for ten full minutes to neutralize and eliminate the skunk odor in the pet's coat.
Rinse the cat or dog's fur thoroughly with running water.
Wash the pet with a gentle pet shampoo to eliminate the odor of vinegar that will remain in the pet's fur.
Skunk Odor Removal Home Remedy 3

Ingredients

Vinegar - 1 Cup for the Skunk Removal Shampoo and and additional 1/2 Cup for a Post-Washing Rinse Solution
3% Hydrogen Peroxide - 1 Pint
Liquid Dish Soap - 1 Cup
Directions

Mix the three ingredients: vinegar (1 cup), hydrogen peroxide and liquid dish soap.
Apply the skunk odor removal home remedy to the dog or cat's fur and work the solution into a foamy lather.
Massage the skunk odor removal solution into the pet's coat and skin for ten full minutes.
Rinse the solution from the dog's or cat's fur using running water. It may take a while to rinse away all of the soap.
If the odor is still quite strong, repeat steps 1 through 4. If the skunk odor in the dog or cat's fur is largely gone, continue on to step 6.
Mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with 1/2 gallon of fresh water.
Apply this vinegar and water solution to the pet's fur. Do not rinse the solution out of the fur; allow the pet's fur to dry.
After 24 hours, shampoo the dog or cat's coat to remove any residual vinegar odor, if necessary.
When the skunk odor has been removed from the pet's fur, dispose of any left over solution that was mixed to neutralize the skunk odor. These skunk odor removal solutions are not stable and they cannot be stored once mixed.
Notably, tomato juice does not work as a remedy to eliminate skunk odor; tomato juice only masks the sulfur-based skunk odor - tomato juice does nothing to neutralize or eliminate skunk odor from a pet's fur or clothing. It should be noted that there is some evidence that the components of tomato juice cause some of the skunk spray compounds to break down, making the odor easier to remove via other more effective methods.
Pet owners should also examine their pet's eyes after an incident involving a dog or cat who is sprayed by a skunk. Many dogs are hit directly in the face. This can cause severe eye irritation that requires veterinary attention in some cases. Flush the pet's eyes for ten full minutes with lukewarm water and follow with soothing eye drops. If redness and irritation persists or worsens, a visit to the veterinarian will be required as soon as possible.

[dickenscpa]

Our lab was sprayed in Oct '10. We have a fenced in lawn and she goes out to potty. A fresh spray doesn't smell like what you smell on road kill. She comes back in and I smell a putrid smell. It didn't smell like skunk at first.

It actually smelled like when something plastic falls in the dishwasher and hits a burner and melts. So while I have the dishwasher completely disassembled, the dog is wallowing over everything we own.

We tried every remedy including all the above. It seemed nothing worked. We wound up tossing some things including furniture. Washed the dog with everything. Took the dog to vet and they washed and dipped her all but her head.

To this day, two years later, I can still smell it in her face. We have a black ornamental lawn fence. Skunks and rabbits can get in and I've been overrun by moles, and my Jack Russell can get out in certain spots! I had to put an underground fence inside a fence!

Brad

[TNtransplant08]

Thanks for the recipes jaycee. I actually used Remedy 1 that you listed. I had found it online shortly after the incident occured. It works quite well. There was still a slight odor afterwards, but it was mild. My concern was getting rid of the smell lingering in the house. A few bowls of baking soda scattered around the house took care of that problem.