How To Get Skunk Smell Out Of House, Clothes and Cars

Here is how to get rid of skunk odor from your house, cars, and clothes completely.

Skunk spray usually leaves behind an unpleasant smell which can sometimes be overwhelming. Getting rid of such a smell becomes a priority.

A lot of times ridding your surroundings of skunk smell can be quite challenging. This is why we assume you’re reading this article.

Here, you’ll find reliable methods on how to get rid of such a smell, leaving your home and surroundings smelling fresh.

Misconception About Skunk Odor Removal

Skunk spray can be so strong that it causes olfactory fatigue. In further explaining olfactory fatigue, it is simply a situation where your nose perceives other smells such as those of tomatoes hence the misconception that tomatoes can be used to get rid of skunk smell.

Your nose picks up the smell of tomato juice over those of the skunk smell.

Having explained this common misconception, the good news is that there are many ways to get rid of the skunk smell. You only need to read on to find what method(s) fit your needs.

How to Get Rid Of Skunk Smell In The Home

It is usually an unpleasant feeling to have your home smelling terrible.

Here, we bring solutions by providing you with helpful tips to rid your home surroundings of this smell.

Although most of these steps might be quite demanding, you get the relief you seek.

• The Easiest Way Out!

Is there an easy way out? Yes! There is, and this is provided by a cleaning service. Cleaning services are only a call away and help you take care of such smells.

Here, you won’t have to deal with the task of locating the origins of the smell. All of this is handled by professionals who clean up skunk spray and freshen your air.

• Find The Source Of Odor

If you’d rather handle the task of ridding your home of skunk smell, it is necessary that you first locate the source of the smell.

First, it means a skunk is close by. A wildlife removal service can be called upon to find and remove such skunks.

Another alternative is to set a trap (there are humane traps for persons who don’t want to get messy).

GUIDE: Best Repellents that Keep Skunks Away

Your pets might have gotten into a fight with skunks. This usually happens, and when it does, such pets (mostly dogs) end up with skunk spray. When such pets get indoors, your entire home smells terrible.

If your pets aren’t affected, you might want to inspect areas of your home having the strongest smell.

Such rooms or areas are likely to be ground zero for the strong odor. Having found the affected area, all efforts are focused on getting rid of the smell.

• A Neutralizer That Works

When seeking to rid your home of skunk smell, there’s a concoction that has been proven to work. To make this, you’ll need ingredients that include liquid detergent, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. These are mixed in the right ratio.

Here, a quart (1 quart making 3%) of hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of soda, and a teaspoonful of liquid detergent are mixed into a concoction in an open container. This container should be large enough. The concoction shouldn’t be left for long. It must be used immediately!

Are you concerned about how or where to apply this concoction? There’s good news! This concoction can be used on just about anything having a skunk smell. That includes clothing, pets, on the body (human) as well as furniture.

This has been included because almost all the strategies that follow will require its use.

Never Store…

Recall we earlier mentioned the need to use this concoction immediately? You should take that seriously. This includes not storing the leftover. Why? Things could get quite dangerous and messy if you do.

Storing or covering it could lead to an explosion. That is something you never want to experience.

Pouring away the solution must be done systematically too. It should be diluted with a lot of water before emptying it down the drain.

That way, it is safely disposed of after providing the much-needed relief from the skunk odor.

• Moving Fast

Getting rid of skunk smell is best done when immediate action is taken. The longer it takes, the more difficult it gets to remove such a smell and vice versa.

Therefore, you should get to work immediately the smell becomes apparent. In moving fast, the following strategies must be implemented with as much speed as you can.

• Are Your Pets Affected? Take Them Out

This follows inspecting for the source of the smell. When it is discovered or confirmed that your pets have been sprayed, you will need to take them out.

Why? Because you don’t want the smell spreading further. Such pets will need to be washed immediately before letting them into your home.

Sounds easy right? Nah! It will take you a couple of hours to do a thorough job. However, this is worth the effort as you won’t have to deal with such an unpleasant odor again. You’ll also be saving your pet the unpleasantness of having to endure the strong skunk odor.

Apart from using the concoction discussed above, retail products can also be used with significant success. This has been tested and seen to provide a much-needed solution. However, such retail products are meant for pet use and are found in pet stores.

The active ingredient responsible for eliminating skunk smell on pets is called neutroleum alpha. This added option can be used in place of the concoction. If you fear causing harm to your pet, try seeking advice from a vet doctor.

• Get Pet Bedding Cleaned Up

If your pets are affected, you might want to check out their bedding area. Such stations are likely to ooze skunk spray after such pets might have visited or rested there. If they indeed smell of such, you only need to get the smell off by washing them thoroughly.

This needs to be done before letting pets use them again. Doing otherwise will only compound the problem as the smell gets attached to their body again. So, this must be a priority task to rid your home of skunk smell.

• How to Get Skunk Smell Out of Clothes

Sometimes, you might get sprayed by skunks knowingly or unknowingly. This is an unpleasant experience and a thorough cleanup will be necessary. Your clothing will most times be affected.

Never mix up such clothes with another laundry. It should be washed separately and immediately.

While washing, ensure bleach isn’t applied. Why? Because skunk spray constitutes ammonia. Combining it with bleach will result in a chemical reaction that releases toxic gases. This precautionary measure must be strictly adhered to for your safety and that of your household.

Have your clothes been heavily sprayed by a skunk? If it has, you may want to discard such clothing altogether. This action is necessary as heavily sprayed clothing may consume a whole lot of time which may end up ruining the fabric.

Plus, putting such clothing in a laundry machine may have it stained with a skunk smell for long.

• How to Get Skunk Odor Out of Car Interior and Exterior

Normal soap and water used for exterior wash cannot eliminate skunk smell. A mixture of vinegar and liquid dish wash is more effective. Wash the tires and underside of your car with this mixture. The more the skunk spray on your vehicle, the more soap/vinegar mixture you should use. Repeat after an hour if the odor does not go away.

For car interiors, spray a mist of water and vinegar on clothes seats and carpets, allow to seat for a few minutes and then wipe with a clean cloth. For leather and vinyl seats, rub a solution of equal parts of vinegar and linseed oil into the seats.

A mixture of 1 qt hydrogen peroxide, a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid, and 1/4 cup of baking soda is a powerful neutralizer if used to wash your car’s interior surfaces. Rinse with water and dry such surfaces using a clean towel and a carpet cleaning machine.

Other solutions include washing with car shampoos, carpet deodorizers on your automobile upholstery and carpets, air deodorizers, leave car windows open overnight, apply a dashboard cleaner to wipe the dash,

• Get A Thorough Bath

It is no secret that getting skunk odor off your body can take forever. However, the concoction mentioned earlier provides an easy way out. It gets rid of skunk odor much faster and completely too!

Apply directly to the affected area using cotton wool before taking your bath.

A hot bath is necessary and helpful in getting rid of the skunk smell. Remember, your safety is paramount hence the need for proper disposal of the leftover concoction.

• Ventilate Your Home

One of the sure ways to get rid of the skunk smell is by ventilating your home as much as you can. This can be done simultaneously with the other methods listed above. Open the doors and windows in addition to putting on the fan or air conditioning system.

By cleaning up affected areas and opening your home to cross ventilation, the smell should return to normal fast.

• Boil Some Vinegar

Other de-skunking strategies recommend the use of vinegar. This is boiled for some time in an open pot and has to neutralize properties that help cancel out the skunk smell in the house.

Ventilating your home will help eliminate the vinegar smell plus that of skunk.

• You Might Have To Replace Air Conditioning And Heating Filters

Skunk smell can get so terrible that you may have to replace air conditioning and heating filters. In many serious circumstances, removing the unit outside for thorough cleaning will be necessary.

In taking back control of your home, you’ll need to prepare to get dirty.

The help of an HVAC technician may be necessary to get the task done. The certainty of replacing your air conditioning and heating filters rests with the technician. Find out what needs to be done and follow the recommendations provided.

• Some Air Freshening Is Essential

In a skunk situation, applying some air freshening products will be ideal. However, this must be done only after getting rid of or treating the skunk spray area. There are tons of great air freshening products available for purchase.

Find any that fits your specific needs.

Getting rid of skunk smell in a house can be achieved through the adoption of multiple strategies. These have been listed above. You have the option of choosing to carry this action out yourself or calling a cleaning service.

To avoid further skunk sprays, the skunk(s) will need to be removed. This also requires expert help which is provided by wildlife control.