How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell in the House

You recognize the smell when driving your car and going for a walk outside, and no matter how many times you get a whiff, you can’t help but scrunch your nose at the putrid smell. Skunk odor isn’t a pleasant aroma, but it becomes even more unbearable when it makes its way into the house from a pet that has been skunked. Knowing how to get rid of skunk smell in the house is information you should know sooner rather than later.

The faster you put action into place, the sooner your home gets back to normal. Getting rid of skunk smell in your house is a challenge.

The skunk spray tends to linger, and it seems like it will never go away no matter how much fresh air you let in. Thankfully, some home remedies for skunk smell are highly efficient so that you no longer have to put up with the stench.

Why Getting Rid of Skunk Smell in Your House is Difficult

When we take a deep breath and suck in the dreadful scent of skunk spray, it’s hard not to question how something so small could create such a demanding perfume. The best step is to take preventative measures for keeping skunks away and get rid of skunks naturally in the yard first.

There are only two atoms that create this odor when combined, and they are one sulfur and one hydrogen atom bonded together. These atoms are called thiols, and they belong to a group that is similar to alcohols.

Trying to eliminate skunk smell from your house becomes even more challenging when these thiols touch water. The water rearranges them and makes them even more potent, so simply giving your dog or cat a bath might actually make them even stinkier.

Tomato juice was once believed to get rid of it, but it only masked it with another strong smell. To fully understand how to get rid of skunk smell in the house, you need to know how to change the thiols’ composition.

How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell in the House

Getting rid of skunks outside is different from removing the odor inside. To deter skunks from your yard, make a citrus spray for skunks and spray it throughout the yard.

Indoors, there are only a few homemade skunk smell remover recipes actually work to eliminate the source of the odor.

When you combine these recipes with other methods, you’ll be sure to get your home back to smelling clean and fresh.

De-skunking a home is a lot of work. Simply spraying air fresheners all over isn’t going to cut it. Making a homemade skunk smell eliminator is something that you’ll be happy to learn.

Standard Home Remedies for Skunk Smell

Of course, when you keep skunks away, you shouldn’t have a problem. Growing some plants that skunks hate, like Oregon grape and holly, can help.

However, everyone should know that Paul Krebaum is the creator of the most popular homemade skunk smell remover. His formula causes oxygen molecules to bind to the thiols and neutralize them. This is the best deodorizing recipe out there and should be your go-to tool if your pets get sprayed.

Add the ingredients to a large bowl and mix them well. Use your hands to apply the neutralizer to your home’s affected areas or your pet’s fur. If the solution sits too long, it won’t work. Once scrubbed in well, immediately rinse it away with fresh water.

Removing Skunk Smell from Clothing and Upholstery

Hydrogen peroxide is one of your best weapons against potent aromas. However, it damages clothes if it isn’t diluted.

Mixing the peroxide with other strong ingredients starts deodorizing your fabrics in a gentle way. If you don’t have laundry detergent, use dish detergent as a substitute.

Mix equal parts water, peroxide, vinegar, and detergent in a bucket. Sprinkle in a hefty amount of baking soda and stir the concoction with a wooden spoon.

Place all your clothing into the bucket to let it soak for up to three hours. If the fabric isn’t removable, put the solution in a spray bottle and heavily wet the affected area.

Remove the clothes from the bucket and put them in the washing machine with more baking soda.

Run the washer on a regular cycle, put the fabrics outside to air dry, and let the sun’s rays further break down the smell. If you used the spray bottle, thoroughly rinse the cloth with hot water.

Cleaning Smelly Hard Surfaces

Hard surfaces seem easy to clean, but they, too, absorb odors as strong as skunk spray. To clean wooden surfaces, dilute some ammonia in hot water and use it to clean all the affected spots around your home.

For tiles, dilute bleach in some water and do the same thing. Don’t ever use ammonia and bleach together on carpeting or other soft surfaces.

Using Vinegar as a Deodorizer

Vinegar has its own strong smell, but it’s nothing compared to a skunk. The great thing about white vinegar is that it works as a natural deodorizer and absorbs the spray’s smell.

Set out an open container full of vinegar around the rooms in your house that stink. Replace the white vinegar every few days until the smell is gone. Open up your home’s windows and turn on your ceiling fans to help air out the room.

Purchase New Air Filters

The air in our homes tends to recycle itself. If you had a severe problem, it might seem like the smell won’t leave no matter what you do.

The stench can stick to the air filters in the air conditioner or furnace and continues to get pumped back into the house. Replace all the air filters in your home to help make a difference.

Buying Commercial Products

If you don’t have any of the ingredients on hand for home remedies for skunk smell, there are many popular commercial products at local retailers designed specifically for this problem.

Nature’s Miracle is one famous brand, and it works exceptionally well on pets that got sprayed while outside.

Repel Skunks Away from Your Property

If you don’t enjoy the smell of skunk spray making its way inside, then one of the easiest ways to tackle the problem is to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Finding an online skunk repellent recipe is a straightforward way to keep these critters from hanging around your yard. These recipes often use ingredients you already have in the kitchen and are strong enough to irritate the skunks and keep them at bay.

Cut the yellow onion and jalapeno in half and set them inside a large pot with the other ingredients. Bring the pot to a boil and let it cook for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Put the liquid into a spray bottle or garden sprayer and distribute it around the perimeter of your yard or problem areas.

Other Ways to Repel Skunks

Why not combat skunk urine with more urine? Spreading the scent of coyote or dog urine is one easy way to keep skunks away.

If you can’t collect your own dog’s urine, there is often predator urine for sale at most pet shops. Coyotes are natural predators of skunks, so try finding this kind at the store if you decide to go this route.

The Importance of Fresh Air

Combining recipes with other methods is the most efficient strategy for getting rid of skunk smell in your house. After you do a thorough cleaning, make sure to open up as many windows in your home as you can.

This action is more challenging for people who live in cold, northern climates during the winter, but it will be a huge helping hand during the cleaning process.

The more fresh air you let inside, the quicker you’re going to get your house back to smelling normal.

Inspect Pets before Letting Them Inside

If you have skunk spray in your house, the chances are that it got there from a cat, dog, or other pet bringing it inside after getting sprayed. Always give your pets a quick inspection before you let them in.

Once they come inside, they travel all over the house and touch things that make it even more permanent. If you can identify the odor before they enter, you save yourself a lot of work in the future.

If you happened to let your pet inside before noticing that they got skunked, take them outside immediately and try to retrace their steps so you get all the infected areas clean.

Then, go out and wash your pets with a commercial product or with Kerbaum’s skunk neutralizer recipe.

Skunks are an important part of nature, and they are in neighborhoods all across the country. These animals only come out at night, but their stench lingers far too long after they’re gone.

There are a few home remedies for skunk smell that are the perfect solution to your problem. Now that you know how to get rid of it, skunks will be the least of your concerns in the future.

If learning how to get rid of skunk smell in the house has saved you from weeks of torture, share these strategies for getting rid of skunk smell in your house on Facebook and Pinterest.