by GraMarie Walker

Created on: March 25, 2007   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

Bowser bounds through the door and into your lap carrying an unmistakable odor! It's [gag] Everywhere! What do you do now?

Skunks are quite common in rural, suburban and even some urban settings, making knowing how to eliminate their odor an almost inevitable necessity. Your dogs, cats, children and even you can get hit with their noxious defensive spray that, without treatment, can linger for days. There are a few effective methods for reducing and eliminating this odor that are readily available. If the event occurred at home, your treatment should include steps to discourage the curious little creatures from taking up residence, making more encounters less likely.

Dealing with the odor on yourself and your pet is the first concern and should be attended to immediately. Quick treatment increases the effectiveness on skin, cloth and hair. Just for the record, tomato juice does not work. You and your dog will only end up smelling like spoiled spaghetti sauce without the garlic. This is experience speaking, so don't bother with this old remedy.

A standard formula that makes enough to treat most average to large dogs is:

1 quart 3% Hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon liquid dish detergent
shake and use immediately
rinse well and re-apply if needed

I seldom have that amount of hydrogen peroxide available when something like this happens, so I start with what I have and dash to the store after the first round of treatment for more. You can do this using a ratio of 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1-cup hydrogen peroxide. While I am at the store I also get a bottle of inexpensive tearless baby shampoo to use in place of the liquid detergent. This will allow you to wash your pet's face (where they usually get hit the worst) better without irritating their eyes.

This will work on your own hair and skin as well, but be warned, it can often bleach or affect the color of hair, particularly color treated locks. Upholstery and clothing should be tested on a hidden area for color stability before full treatment. I have had good results with using a combination of standard 5% solution of white or cider vinegar, baking soda and liquid detergent to machine wash clothing and pillows affected. Mix the soda and vinegar and saturate cloth immediately, this will be foaming and fizzling. Fill the washing machine to the lowest setting of water necessary to saturate and cover load, add the recommended amount of detergent and wash on the longest setting.

Cats are less likely than

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