As per our evening routine, my husband and I were enjoying a cup of coffee after dinner whilst watching our evening programming. We usually let Titan out to stretch his legs and look at the starry sky out on the deck. All of a sudden our noses were attacked – full frontal assault style. I can’t even describe the smell as I had never smelled anything like that before, all I knew is that is was a crazy noxious smell. I was literally sick to my stomach and ran upstairs leaving my poor husband to figure out the stench. When he came up, he gave me a full report – Titan had been skunked! He must either have been sprayed or peed on, but either way the stench did not just stay on him, it worked its way throughout the whole house. I must have had every type of deodorizer known to man running 24/7 – sprays, candles, scented wax and Febreez! That of course was the easiest thing to do. We had to find out what worked best to get the stinky skunk smell out of dog fur.
If your thoughts led you straight to tomato juice, that was my first thought too. As it turns out, pooches are a little different. The secret formula was ¼ cup of baking soda, 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide and a teaspoon of dish soap. You may want to adjust your quantities based on how big your dog is, how stinky it is and how much of him got sprayed. After having given him a bath with the special concoction, thankfully he smelled better but the stench lingered in the house for days. Luckily we have tile and wood floors so he did not rub the stench into fabric or carpet. But, if you do have upholstery and carpet, don’t panic! There are ways to freshen up. A one to five ratio of vinegar to water can not only be used to clean stinky surfaces but also the air; just leave bowls with the solution around where the stink is intense and it will deodorize the air. Next, open the windows, turn on the fans and let the fresh air in! The air coming into your home when your AC is on passes through your air filter, which undoubtedly has picked up the smell and keeps sending it out all throughout your home. Change those filters to get fresh air again. If you’ve left your house for work and felt the need to do an armpit sniff test it may not be you. Most likely that gnarly smell got entrained in your clothing. Try steam cleaning your clothes. You can also use a vinegar water solution to wash your clothes by hand (just let it soak for a few hours) or add hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to the washing machine. Last but not least bust out the carpet cleaner to shampoo the carpets, rugs and other upholstery. As a final touch, use some deodorizing spray and a seasonal scented candle to make everything smell pretty and nice again!
If you don’t have these ingredients on hand or if the smell is getting out of hand, you may also try these products.
I was never brave enough to go inspecting under the deck where we suspect there was a skunk nest. Skunks will usually spray wherever their nests are located, so before you get skunked, call a professional to come clear the misfits away.
Has this unfortunate incident happened to your pup? How did you get the smell out of…well everything! Let us know so that our pup community can learn and grow!
