How to Remove Skunk Smell: Home, Clothing, People, and Pets
What Really Works to Get Rid of Skunk Odor
Illustration: The Spruce / Mary McLain
Fact checked by Alexandra Kay
If a skunk has ever sprayed you or your pet, then you know stories abound about how to get rid of the skunk smell. Concoctions for getting rid of their odor range from tomato juice to beer to liquid detergent. What works for skunk smell besides avoiding a skunk in the first place?
Myths vs. Facts
Popular myth says tomato juice will get rid of skunk spray. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, tomato juice seems to work because the human nose quits at high doses of skunk spray, smelling the odor (olfactory fatigue). When this happens, the scent of tomato juice can easily be detected.
Essentially, a person experiencing this fatigue will think the juice neutralized the skunk odor, but the truth is as soon as the smell of the tomato juice is gone—or one leaves the room—the skunk odor will return.
Skunk spray is made of thiols, sulfur-based organic compounds with an acrid rotten egg smell. Combining baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, two cheap oxidizing agents attaching oxygen molecules to the sulfur in thiols removes the stink.
Similarly, other fabled remedies like beer and oatmeal also don't work. The components in beer and oatmeal do not neutralize thiols.
DIY Remedy for Skunk Smell
According to the Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, the following home remedy can be safely used on people, pets, clothing, and furniture. This remedy was developed by Paul Krebaum and published in Chemical & Engineering News in 1993. Mix it in a large, open container and use it immediately.
1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid detergent
Warning
The mix cannot be covered or stored because it can explode a closed container. To get rid of the leftover solution, dilute it heavily with water, and pour down the drain.
The Spruce / Almar Creative
Other Ways to Remove Skunk Smell
People: Wash your entire body with deodorant soap or a grease-cutting dish detergent. Wash your hair with a shampoo made for oily hair. Or, soak in a baking soda bath (2 to 4 cups baking soda) for 15 to 20 minutes in hot water. Rinse to remove the residue from your skin.
Pets: Use the DIY remedy mixture, and let it sit for five minutes without getting in its eyes. Rinse and wash with regular pet shampoo. Repeat until the smell is gone.
Clothing or washable fabrics: Use a regular laundry detergent mixed with 1/2 cup baking soda in hot water and air dry. Or, soak the item in the baking soda solution for 30 minutes if you have delicates. Repeat until the smell is gone.
Home: Open windows, run fans, and ventilate well. Place a bowl of vinegar in each affected room for at least 24 hours. Or, boil vinegar in a pan. The room will smell like stinky vinegar, but it takes the skunk odor once that smell is gone. Replace all the HVAC filters so odors don't linger in the vent system.
Furniture: Furniture pieces sprayed by a skunk can be washed down with bleach or vinegar water solution (9 parts to 1 part water) to remove the smell. Warning: Never combine vinegar and bleach; it creates a toxic gas.
Car: Hose down the exterior of the vehicle. Open the windows. Make a solution of hydrogen peroxide, water, and baby shampoo to wash down the car's interior. Place bowls of vinegar in the vehicle to neutralize the odor.
Exterior of building or decks: To get skunk smells out of buildings, wooden decks, porches, etc., mix 1 cup of liquid bleach in a gallon of water. Be careful because it can bleach surfaces. Try it on a small spot first if there is concern about discoloration.
The Spruce / Almar Creative
Retail Products
One recommendation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is to use over-the-counter products containing "neutroleum alpha" to eliminate skunk smells on pets. These products are available at many pet stores.
Additional Tips
Try to remove the smell from people, pets, and items as quickly and thoroughly as possible. The longer the odor is on anything, the more difficult it will be to remove.
If you can, work outside, so you don't bring the smell into the house or get the oil on the carpet, furniture, or other household items.
Shower thoroughly with hot water after using any de-skunking solution.
If the skunk has heavily sprayed clothing or other items, you may want to discard them, as the fabric can hold a skunk odor for a long time.
Use a steamer to help remove skunk odor from carpets or upholstery.
The Spruce / Almar Creative
The Final Word
It is unlikely that any solution will eliminate the smell the first time. It may take several times or a length of time for the smell to dissipate completely.
