How to Get Rid of the Smell of Skunk in a Home or Garage

Especially if you live in an area with lots of skunks, it’s a good idea to have a skunk smell removal product on hand. There are some that are formulated especially for pets and others that are more multi-purpose. When you need to, you can just use the product according to the directions on the packaging.

Skunks don’t usually enter the home, but often their odour gets in if they’ve sprayed the dog. So, you need to know how to get rid of skunk smell on a dog. It’s best to de-skunk your dog outside, whatever treatment you opt for. The first step is to rinse your dog with water as soon as it’s had a skunk encounter. Start with the face, since this is usually the part of the dog that’s first in the line of fire. You may also need to rinse your dog’s eyes with an eyewash.

The most powerful solution for getting rid of skunk smell on your dog is to mix together a litre of 3% hydrogen peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda and a teaspoon of liquid soap. Rub it into your dog’s fur, making sure it doesn’t come into contact with the animal’s mouth, then wash it out with dog shampoo. Don’t leave it on for longer than five minutes because it may bleach your dog’s fur. Also don’t mix it beforehand because the container may explode.

You probably never imagined that your dog would be one of the things you should be cleaning with vinegar but it is a less explosive way to de-skunk your furry friend. Mix together two parts water and one part apple cider vinegar. Wet your dog and then rub this solution into the animal’s wet fur. Let it sit for at least five minutes before rinsing. Your dog may smell like a salad for a while afterwards, but they won’t smell like skunk anymore.

If you don’t want your dog to smell like a salad, but like cookies instead, you can mix together a cup of vanilla extract with about three litres of water. Saturate your dog’s fur with this mixture, let it sit for ten minutes and then wash the pup with dog shampoo. You can do this treatment on its own or after the vinegar treatment.

If your clothes have come into contact with that skunk smell, leaving them in the laundry basket is definitely not one of the ways to make laundry day easier. If you don’t want to simply toss them, you need to first soak them for a few hours in a solution of one part vinegar and four parts water. Then rinse them in clean water.

Add half a cup of baking soda to your regular laundry detergent. Soak delicate fabrics in this solution for up to half an hour. For anything else, pop this solution in the washer and use the repeat-rinse setting. Air dry the clothes afterwards, since using the dryer can bake in the smell.

If you got in the way of a skunk, you’ll need to get that oily spray off your skin as soon as you can. Wash your body with a grease-cutting soap: gentle dish soap, if necessary. Shampoo formulated for oily hair should do the trick for your locks.

Another of the ways to get rid of skunk smell on your body is to pour two to four cups of baking soda into hot bath water. Then soak in the bath for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing off the baking soda residue.

If you somehow still have the skunk smell in house, you’ll need to wash everything that is made of fabric that could have absorbed the stench. One of the simpler ways to do this is to steam clean the carpets, upholstery and soft furnishings.

You’ll also need to thoroughly wash your pet’s beds and furniture like cat trees, especially if they’ve managed to get in before you could de-skunk them. The method of cleaning will depend on the type of bed it is.

For hard surfaces like floors, shelves and furniture, you can use a mixture of vinegar and water to get rid of the skunk smell. If the skunk got into the garage, you’ll also need to use this mixture to wash tools and equipment, if you can.

Bleach is another good option for hard surfaces like the garage floor. Mix one part bleach with nine parts water, spray it onto the surface and let it sit for up to ten minutes before rinsing it off. However, you may want to do a patch test first to check that the bleach won’t stain or damage the surface.

Sunlight helps to oxidize the skunk odour. If you can, open all the curtains and blinds and let the sunshine in.

Once you’ve cleaned everything and everyone that can be cleaned, getting the skunk smell out of the house involves ventilating the space. To do this, open all the doors and windows and let the air circulate.

To help ventilate your home, turn on all the fans and let them run on high. You may even want to turn on the bathroom vent fans. This will also help dry off all the surfaces you’ve washed.

It takes a day or two for vinegar to absorb the skunk smell in the home and garage. So, place bowls of vinegar in the affected areas. One of the cleaning products our editors can’t live without is citrus-infused vinegar, which has a more pleasant smell.

Activated charcoal is another great way to absorb nasty smells. You can get briquettes or special bags filled with activated charcoal. They’re especially effective for enclosed spaces like closets.

Once you’ve managed to remove the skunk smell from your home and garage, you need to avoid reintroducing it. So, you may need to replace the filters on your heating units, air conditioners and furnaces.

Skunks may help to keep bugs out of your garden, but it’s more likely that they’ll become pests themselves. They will get into trash cans, compost bins and the like to look for food, so keep these in an enclosed area if you can. Don’t leave bowls of pet foot outside either. In addition, you’ll have to close up any spaces they might want to use for their dens.

Related: How to Keep Pests out of Your Lawn and Garden Using Natural Products