by Amy Jo Browne

Created on: November 11, 2008   Last Updated: March 24, 2011

Getting rid of skunk odor is a problem; unfortunately, there are very few ways of getting rid of it. If you or a pet have ever been sprayed by a skunk you know what I am talking about, right? Skunk order is extremely hard to get rid of, that is for sure.

There are a few ways to remove the skunk odor, and tomato juice is not one of those ways, as most people believe. The way to get rid of skunk odor is by using a quart of fresh peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of dishwashing soap. Then you will need to wash with the mixture when it is still bubbling.

Chemists developed that formula so you know it will work, but this is something that we had to deal with recently in a personal way. My son Alex is spending some time with friends and a skunk sprayed one of them Dakota. Alex returned home to search on the internet on the amounts of tomato juice to get rid of the skunk smell. That is when we learned that tomato juice does not work it simply masks the smell.

Dakota's mom mixed up this mixture so he could rub it all over his body to get rid of the skunk smell. It worked and worked well, but it did stink. It was a better smell then the skunk odor thought.

Dakota was putting his bike in the garage for the night, and a skunk was going through the garbage can in the garage. The boy scared the skunk and it reacted naturally. It is worth mentioning that in small towns all across the nation skunks do enter yards, garages, and on occasion homes where they do surprise people.

The skunk at close range, sprayed Dakota prompting quick reaction, but after spraying him, it ran under the family's only vehicle so his mom could not go get supplies. This is why my son came to me to head to Wal-Mart to buy the peroxide and baking soda. I grabbed two pints of it because although this boy needed only one I knew that he might need another bath soon in the mixture. It is far better to be prepared then not, you know.

The peroxide neutralizes the skunk odor and will remove it far better then plain soap and water on people and pets as well. To remove skunk spray from clothing and fabric furniture it takes a different form here.

Fabric softener or simply green will clean the odor out of fabric covered furniture, and clothes. Do not use the peroxide mixture because it does bleach fabrics. To clean fabrics simply wash them with soapy water, use a good hand washing detergent like dawn to neutralize the odor then wash the items in the washing machine. Hang all clothing on the line, rather than baking in the smell with the dryer.

For outside furniture use bleach and water mixture on metal or wood, using color safe bleach if you do not want the furniture to fade. You can use this mix on your patio as well to clean off the odor.

In closing tomato juice does not work, it simply masks the skunk odor, but if you do not wish to use the peroxide mix on your pet use tomato paste it will mask the odor. To get rid of the skunk odor you must use the mixture of a quart of fresh peroxide, a quarter cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of dishwashing soap. Use this mixture as often as needed to get rid of the smell, but avoid open wounds.

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