A skunk crawled under the house and sprayed. Ugh. What can we use to get rid of the smell in the house? We have windows open, but it is cold where we live.
I have heard of some sprays, but what exactly do you spray? Since it is under the house I don't want to spray anything on furniture, etc., but really need help.
By catherine from Rochester, NY
I don't know if this would work for you because it's usually recommended to be used on the fur of animals that get sprayed by skunks. You're supposed to wash the animal in plain old tomato juice. It seems to neutralize the skunk odor for some reason. I don't have pets but people on this site have reported success using this method.
You could get a professional insect sprayer and fill it with tomato juice. We bought ours at a local store that sells professional insect killing products to the public. It's not like what you'd buy at a hardware store, but what real professional bug killers use.
It's like a large cylinder with a hose and spraying attachment that you pump first and then spray. It has good range and a strong spraying action. My husband bought this as well as professional killing powder that gets diluted according to the instructions and we spray our house for bugs and roaches (we live in Houston, TX where it's the perfect weather for roaches) and we've never had to employ a professional company.
Have you tried saturating the area with baking soda? I mean I think you'd need about a ton of it, but it might work. Maybe you could dilute baking soda with water and use the spraying method above. Also, have gone to a Home Depot or Lowes-type hardware store? They might have a product. You might want to ask at your local Petsmart or one of the larger pet chains. If either place can't help you, I'd email these sites directly and so many stores are completely helpful and can offer products.
Have you tried to Google or Bing.com, Ask.com your question? You might have to search around for your answer, but I bet you'd find one there. I'd also search thriftyfun.com, but you've probably already done that. Good luck with your yucky problem! I hope you find something that works. (10/13/2009)
By metroplex
Our dog was sprayed twice last week. I immediately wiped down the dog's eyes and nose with wet paper towels (get rid of them!) because I think that he was sprayed in the face! The poor dog! I used the mixture of regular hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish washing liquid (my friend's a veterinarian and she recommended the Dawn) to wash the dog's coat. The exact measurements are available online. Be super careful not to get this in the dog's eyes! Do not attempt to cover or store this mixture either. Use it promptly. I also wiped the dog's coat down with apple cider vinegar. I used paper towels. Be sure to throw these away far from you house!
What helped me was essential oil of peppermint (you probably need to buy it at a health food store) applied to cotton balls and placed throughout the house. You could easily refresh these as necessary. It has been a week now since I put them out and I can still smell the peppermint (and I didn't even saturate the cotton balls). I also bought a "clean" scent candle (Yankee candle brand? it's blue) at our local Agway store.
Best idea? You will find that you can't get the smell out of your nose. Because I had been sick, I had the idea to apply some Vicks Vaporub to my chest (also a strong smell) so that I could smell that instead of the skunk! It helped. I was able to fall asleep.
Luckily, I haven't had to try the next idea yet, but a friend who was a dog groomer swears by a product called Skunk Off. Apparently you apply it to the dog's coat and don't have to rinse it off. If you can avoid bringing the dog into the house for a bath, you will be much better off!
I also purchased Shake-Away Animal Repellent online. The main goal now is to keep the skunks out of our yard! Meanwhile, I am walking the dog on a leash. (10/22/2009)
By Lauren
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
