Keep This Recipe: Mainers, Here’s What Works To Get Rid Of That Skunk Spray Smell!

You step out the door to let your dog out, or perhaps you round the corner with a bag or trash to drop in the can and WHAMMO--it hits you!

That pungent, putrid smell sprayed in your direction, thanks to the skunk you just accidentally startled.

What do you do now?

Contrary to popular belief, you DO NOT want to hose yourself or your pet off with water or tomato juice. I know it might seem like the logical thing to do, but if you do that, it will in fact make the situation a whole lot worse, according to local animal expert "The Critter Guy."

He says the Tomato juice replaces one strong smell with another, temporarily, and the water in the juice actually makes things worse by causing the smell to spread!

He says the issue with adding water or juice is that those liquids can actually cause the chemicals in skunk spray or "N-butyl mercaptan" as its technically called, to spread.

"The moment you add water, any remaining chemicals will spread and dilute and be much more difficult to neutralize...ESPECIALLY in a long-haired dog or cat!"

He says that the method he recommends was actually proven to be effective on Mythbusters, so you know it's passed muster with the pros!

The Critter Guy says what you want to do instead of bathing in water or juice, grab these 3 things (that most people already have on hand): dish soap, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, and then follow this protocol very carefully.

"I simply covered the area with baking soda and dish soap to form a paste that I let dry. Then I brushed it away and gave a sniff.

If you have a strong skunk odor remaining reapply more detergent and baking soda in the area and wipe it away."

He says its a process that happens in steps. Once that first step has been completed, the smell won't be entirely eliminated, not yet at least. But you're getting closer to being stink-free.
"Initially, the detergent grabs the oil, and the baking soda binds it, and you are not really making a chemical reaction yet. If the strongest smells are baking soda and dish soap with a hint of skunk you're almost done! All that's left is to rinse with hydrogen peroxide!
Once you rinse with the hydrogen peroxide you have completed the chemical response."

The Critter Guy says to repeat the process, with just those 3 ingredients, until the smell has entirely disappeared. Then, and only then, can you run your closes and yourself (or pet) through a bath or wash cycle!

If you add soap with water while the smell is still there, you'll only spread that skunky oil around, which no one wants.

He says that there are even Hydrogen Peroxide wipes you can get that can make the process a little easier.

"If you are patient THIS DOES WORK...PERMANENTLY, because if you do it correctly, you have neutralized the chemicals and washed them away as opposed to spreading and diluting them."

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While it might sound like a bit of a different approach, folks who have followed Critter Guy's advice say it's legit! They've lived to tell the tale and smell a lot sweeter thanks to his tips.

One woman commented:

"I took this advice from Critter Guy a couple years ago, it works 100%! My curious old dog (almost blind and deaf, but has a superb sniffer) saw a potential new "friend " when I took him out at dusk...My boys skunk "friend" sprayed him right between the eyes. I can laugh about it now but felt so bad for my old boy, and was panic stricken about the tear inducing fumes. I contacted Critter Guy, he gave me this recipe and it worked like a charm!! I advice all critter parents keep the ingredients on hand."

While I hope you never have to occasion to use this little recipe, you may want to hang on to it, just in case.

Good luck out there!