Skunks

[grover]

After standing two feet away from a skunk tonight, I am interested in hearing the best ways to de-skunkify. We have a ton of skunks around (and it seems like all of a sudden- last year we did not notice any in our neighborhood at all.) I feel lucky tonight that we weren't sprayed, especially since the skunk stopped waddling and jerked around to look at us, but I figure we won't be this lucky forever, so I want to have supplies on hand because with my luck it would happen later at night and I won't want to deal with shopping immediately afterwards.

[dexteroni]

When Quincy got sprayed two years ago, Nature's Miracle (the skunk-specific version) was the best home remedy we tried. We didn't have it on hand when it first happened, so we used the hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap combo that I keep finding on the internet. It definitely didn't take care of it fully, but at least got us through the night. We took him for a skunk bath at Petco the next morning, which is when we bought the Nature's Miracle, and wiped down every surface in every room that still had the scent. We also put out bowls of baking soda and bowls of white vinegar (separate bowls, not combined) in those rooms, and it did help remove the scent from the air.

If it should happen again (although omg it better not!), I would skip the hydrogen peroxide bath and go straight to Nature's Miracle. But I would still leave bowls of baking soda and white vinegar around the room. It's smart of you to be prepared, since skunks (around here) are usually only out at night and in the very early morning, when groomers aren't open.

[dr.girlfriend]

I agree with Hydrogen Peroxide and baking soda. When we lived in North Carolina I would just keep them on hand. The biggest thing also is to get them straight in the bath and don't let them run around frantically rubbing themselves on everything. The first time it happened I didn't even realize it was skunk -- it was so strong it just smelled like burning, and they wiped themselves on EVERYTHING before I clued in (and then had to do my internet research and then go to the store for supplies, etc.). Keep the peroxide and baking soda on hand, but DON'T mix them until you're ready to use.

On the bright side, they come out sweet-smelling and silky-smooth!

[dexteroni]

Nov 6, 2014 11:30:38 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

The biggest thing also is to get them straight in the bath and don't let them run around frantically rubbing themselves on everything.

Definitely. DH wrapped Quincy in a towel and carried him up to the bathroom, and we had to throw away the towel and everything DH was wearing. The Nature's Miracle took care of the skunk smell that had gotten on any surfaces, and if we had thought of it in time, we would have tried washing DH's clothes with it, but we had tossed them already.