The non- emergency police patched us through to 911! Two squad cars showed up. They scoped our house at 1am in the morning only to sadly tell us they were pretty sure our dog was sprayed by a skunk! We were so upset, but the police were very helpful. They suggested we use Murphy's Oil soap on the dog! It worked except for her nose area.
As far as the house. We did the candles, coffee grounds, incense, and the baking soda on the carpet which all seemed to help. It's now 2:50 am and we are finally breathing a little easier. I have to get up at 5 for work so I better say good night! Thanks to all for all the wonderful suggestions! I love this site.
By IrishBabe from Erie, PA
How do you get rid of skunk smell in the house and from clothes? A skunk sprayed in the crawl space of my house.
By Lena from Mexico, MO
By Anonymous
06/04/2009
You'll need to get under the porch and wash everything down with vinegar and also spray the dirt with vinegar. Afterward, wash anything associated with the dryer vent and inside of the dryer with vinegar and if any clothing still smells of the spray then soak them in hot water with vinegar and then wash as usual.
I have had a terrible skunk smell outside in my backyard for about a week now. I can't smell it in my front yard. Could a skunk possibly have died under my pool deck or something? How do I get rid of the smell?
By soccamom from Swansea, MA
By louel53
06/28/2009
You could possibly have a skunk living under your pool deck. If the skunk is dead, it may be relatively easy to get rid of the corpse. If it is a live skunk, you have another problem altogether. There are many remedies, but nothing that I have had any experience with. I would assume the skunk is alive, and call an exterminator or someone in your community who deals with wildlife.
I need your help. There are a family of skunks living under my front steps. The other night like 3 am, I was awakened by a disgusting skunk odor. Here it is three days later and inside the entire apartment still stinks of skunk odor. I have tried shampooing carpets with Nature's Miracle, and washing all curtains and furniture coverings. Nothing has helped. My clothes don't smell of it nor does my furniture, but I did what I was told to do to rid the apartment of the odor and it didn't work. I need more information that has been tested and is known.
By Barbara
By tracy
03/09/2012
My dog was sprayed once and a neighbor gave me a recipe for the dog.Use 1/2 cup peroxide mixed with 1 litre of water. I don't know if this helps with your problem. Good luck.
Will an air purifier help remove skunk odor from a small room?
By reddddd from Canada
By newsue
06/06/2012
Probably not, but it can't hurt. Try leaving a large bowl of charcoal briquettes in the center of the room for a few days - maybe that would help. Also, lighting candles might help to neutralize the odor.
A skunk died under my house last night. How do I get the smell out of everything?
By Nickerson from MI
By luvzminis
03/11/2011
I can somewhat relate! This winter we had a horrific septic tank smell in the house. Long story there, but we had some repairs done and they believe a vent was partially blocked by all the snow/ice. Anyway, I aired out whenever the smell was the strongest, and aired out the house often. I also lit many candles which really helped. Try putting bowls of vinegar out, that helps somewhat.
Best of luck and sorry this had to happen to you!
My dog was sprayed by a skunk two nights ago. I bathed him the day after with his shampoo but, he still smells a little. The house it is very strong, everything smells like skunk. What can I do?
By Arelserrano
By bettyboop5382
08/22/2011
I have been saving this because we've been smelling skunk in the neighborhood lately and I'm sure one day one of my dogs will find it! You could probably spray a little of this in the air too. It's worth a try.
Skunk scent remover shampoo:
32 ounces hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid.
Mix ingredients together in large bottle with cap.
Use as shampoo on pets and children. Rinse well.
How do I get the smell of skunk out of my house and fabrics?
By Lacey
By frugalsunnie
04/08/2013
Vinegar, the great neutraliser, may help-wash down everything that won't go into the washing machine with a half vinegar-half water solution. Carpet, upholstery, and walls can be cleaned using either a sprayed application then the excess blotted off with a towel, or with a well wrung sponge mop; other hard surfaces like chair legs and tables can be sponged and wiped. Don't rinse, though, because that cancels out the odor neutralising affect of the vinegar.
Be careful when cleaning wood, the vinegar may cause a white film or 'eat the paint off', so be sure to test before applying to things like painted, lacquered or varnished heirloom and antique furniture.
You may need to repeat several times but it should get rid of the smell. The vinegar smell will also dissipate over a few hours. Then set bowls of full strength vinegar under furniture, in corners of the room, and on coffee tables, etc to continue the deodorising.
Anything that can go into the washer should be run at the hottest water temp the fabric will tolerate. Don't use laundry soap, instead use only two measuring cupfuls of straight vinegar, and run the items through several vinegar washings before air drying-don't put anything into the dryer until you know you've got rid of the 'fragrance'.
I used to raise dogs in the US, oh wowsa can they teach a person about getting rid of all kinds of strong, lingering stench!
We had something living under our house. My husband set a live trap. It was a skunk and he sprayed the back porch and general area. How can I get rid of the ordor?
By J.H.
A skunk sprayed our neighbor's dog right outside our living room window. Now that entire side of the house smells of skunk still, now almost a week after the event. I smell it in the living room, bedroom, closets on that side of the house, etc. It seems to be in everything... linens, mattress, clothing, curtains, you name it. What can I do to rid of this awful smell once and for all? It's freezing and I've been leaving all the windows and doors open but it's not getting better. Thanks so much for any advice. Arianne
By Becky (Guest Post)
So, they told me to use this recipe. 1/4 cup baking soda, 2 tbls. of Dawn dish soap and a qt. of hydrogen peroxide (very cheap). Since I first used tomato juice (yucky mess) and then shampooed him after that, he still smelled the same, awful. I tripled the recipe and put it in a small tupperware container, then placed my cat into it and slowly shampooed him. He hated it, especially the rinsing part. My son put the "recipe" into a spray bottle and slowly did it that way, he was much calmer.
This recipe worked in just one shampoo. He looks better today than before. His coat is shiny, smooth and he smells great! As for the house smelling, I use scented candles and jars of standing vinegar to absorb odor and put some on the furnace filter too. I can hardly smell it today and it just happened last night. The recipe worked after applying just once. Careful around the eyes, peroxide is for external use only.
By Ev
Mix lightly and apply to animal areas while foaming, leave on for 10 to 15 minutes rinse! And it really works
By John Whitmmore D.V.M. (Guest Post)
Inside house:
1. wash affected wall, floor, etc. areas with water containing either chlorine bleach or vinegar (acetic acid) or
2. Use a commercial odor-removing compound such as:
1) "Skunk-off" aerosol; get through Vet Clinic, or catalog of dog supplies through dog kennel or pet shop.
2) "Nil-Odor" made by Dow Chemical; follow directions and put couple drops in water, and put on furnace filter to circulate air through; can put on dogs as directed.
3) "Odor-Away" either liquid (use few drops) or aerosol.
4) Rexall "C-D Deodorant" aerosol, can spray furnishings, drapes, etc.
These odor-removers act to break down the oil and so remove the odor or neutralize it.
3. Spraying with aerosol or putting drops around will neutralize odor in air generally; may still smell for awhile as you put nose right down in drapes, carpets, etc. but will gradually dissipate.
Outside house, on bare wood, concrete, soil:
Get chlorinated lime water at drug store, or mix 1 cup agricultural lime in 1 gallon chlorine bleach and put on areas. BE VERY CAREFUL TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS - don't get on skin, clothing, etc. as it will burn (is a caustic solution), and will also burn grass or other vegetation.
On clothes:
Launder in cool or barely lukewarm water with lots of heavy, built laundry detergent, plus a degreaser and some water conditioner (like Calgon) if water is hard. Don't use very warm or hot water as oil will be released in steam and odor will come up out of tub.
This article was written by Anne Field, Extension Specialist, Emeritus, with references from Mary Ellen Delsipee, and Isabel Jones, previous Extension specialists.
Source: MSU Extension
My dog got sprayed by a skunk, then ran into the house. My whole house, upstairs and down, smell so horrible. How can I get rid of the odor?
Connie777 from Coventry, RI
This question and the feedback below was posted in 2007.
By barbaglia
By Zoe
I am a wildlife rehabilitator, and the thing we always recommend to people who have skunks, foxes, or raccoons nesting under their homes or decks is to:
1) take a small rag and soak it in ammonia and place it near the opening where you think the skunks are gaining access under the trailer. They hate the smell, and this will make them leave during the night (they're nocturnal).
2) get a small radio and set it next to the opening and play it. if you can find a talk radio station on AM, play that.
After putting up with the smell and noise for a day, the skunks will leave during the night.
Then be sure to seal up the entrance to their den so they or another family of critters can't move back in.
By La La
Now around 5:00 am we ran to the store and purchased some Neutra air (from Lysol) but that did not seem to work that well so like so many others I jumped on the internet and came across this site (Thanks to everyone here!!!) and after reading all of the posts I tried the vinegar thing to get that terrible smell out of the house.
Thanks everyone!
By Michael
By Dave In Manchester CT
By Bob N.
By Andrea
By Renee
How do you remove skunk smell from inside a house?
In July '06 a skunk sprayed under our house. The house still smells 5 months later. I am at my wits end. Can anyone help me? I have boarded up the holes where the skunk came in. They could not survive this long. Is it possible they are dead? The smell is not from rotting vermin. It is a fresh smell, sometimes stronger than other times.
Nuala from San Francisco, CA
By Tracy
By Martha
By Conor
By Tim
By h8thestink!
By Terri
By Jet~
By Billy
By Leslie
By sylviecyn
After lighting overpriced yankee candles and running a tub of bleach in the bathroom, i tried to go back to sleep with my nose next to a box of fabric softener sheets. i was so nauseated, so finally I got up and found this site. I have now placed all my little trays of apple cider vinegar and coffee grounds here and there, thanks for all of you stinkers out there who have nosed around before me and posted these solutions. I am going to remember this experience a long time. i really feel for those of you who had the misfortune to let the dog into the house after it was sprayed. Katie looks so pitiful, she is out under the shade tree, after my husband bathed her, she still is a stinker. i bet she can't even smell herself, lucky her. (05/30/2007)
By Stinky aka Rebeka
By Susie
My children got sprayed by a skunk. we used the peroxide solution and they don't smell, but the garage, car, and bathroom do. How do I get rid of the odor?
June from Middle Island, NY
By Glenda
By Steph
After the peroxide/baking soda/dish liquid, my husband bought a skunk shampoo from the vet and washed the dog again. Now he smells worse! It really was a "skunk shampoo!" Back to the peroxide.
We are still ridding the house of the odor after a week. We did the apple cider bowls and the fresh ground coffee. I'm off to Wal-mart for Ozium Spray.
It was just a few minutes but I don't know everywhere the dog may have rubbed against until I got him out. Is there a skunk odor detector out there?
By Lilycat
I need advice for ridding skunk odors in the home.
My 2 labs were sprayed by a skunk 3 days ago and my entire house and everything in it smells like skunk.
My dog got sprayed last night at 1 a.m. and I brought her in to wash her eyes and now my house smells awful!
My dog got sprayed by a skunk and he came into my house. Now it's unbearable.
How do you get rid of skunk smell from a house?
My dog got sprayed by a skunk and brought the odor in the house. How do you get rid of the smell?
My dog was sprayed in the mouth by a skunk. It never smelled on his coat, but after he threw up, the smell overwhelmed the house.
A skunk sprayed under my house 3 weeks ago and the smell will not leave. I have tried everything and nothing works. The smell is even in my jewelry. Can someone please help?
My house must of had a skunk spray under it last night. I don't know exactly where, because most of the bottom of my house is still insulated with snow. I can't bear the smell of my house and the smell is actually irritating my throat a little bit. Can you help me?
Does an ozone machine really help to get rid of Skunk smell from your carpet, furniture, clothing, etc.?
A skunk crawled under the house and sprayed. Ugh. What can we use to get rid of the smell in the house? We have windows open, but it is cold where we live.
A skunk sprayed under our front porch and it is coming through my cloths dryer vent and into my dryer. My clothes smell like skunk and so does my laundry room and the inside of the dryer. Help.
How do you get the skunk odor out of your home? My dog was sprayed last night, all of our clothes and the house has the smell of skunk.
How do I remove skunk smell from within the house?
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Removing Skunk Smell from House