How to get rid of skunk smell on your dog, clothes and house

Step by step: how to get rid of skunk smell on your dog, clothes and house

Safety first. Keep the peroxide mixture out of the eyes, nose and mouth, and do not let the dog lick it. Never store the mixture or put it in a closed container: it releases gas and the container can burst. Never use bleach or ammonia on a pet. If the spray hit the eyes or mouth, flush the eyes with cool water and call your vet.

1. 1

   Keep the dog outside and check its eyes

   Leash the dog outside so it does not rub the oil onto carpets and furniture. Look at the eyes: if they are red, watering or squinting, flush them gently with plenty of cool water and call your vet. Dogs are usually sprayed in the face.

2. 2

   Mix the solution fresh in an open container

   In an open bucket, stir together 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap. It will fizz. Use it right away while it is still bubbling; it loses strength quickly and must never be capped.

3. 3

   Work it into the dry coat

   Wearing gloves, apply the mixture to the dry fur, starting with the body and the most heavily sprayed spots, and massage it down to the skin. Do the head last with a sponge or cloth, keeping well away from the eyes, nose and mouth. Water first can make the smell stronger.

4. 4

   Leave it a few minutes, then rinse well

   Let it sit for about 5 minutes, no longer, because peroxide can lighten dark fur. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water until no foam is left.

5. 5

   Shampoo and repeat if needed

   Wash with a regular dog shampoo, rinse and towel dry. If the smell is still strong, mix a fresh batch and repeat. Two or three rounds may be needed after a direct hit.

6. 6

   Wash your clothes and the towels

   Wash everything that touched the dog in the hottest water the care labels allow with regular detergent and 1/2 cup of baking soda, and air dry it. Heavily sprayed clothes may never fully lose the smell and are sometimes best thrown out.

7. 7

   Clean what the dog touched indoors

   Wash dog beds and throws the same way. Wipe hard surfaces the dog rubbed against with warm water and dish soap. Test any peroxide mix on a hidden spot first, since it can bleach fabric and finishes.

8. 8

   Air out the house

   Open windows and set box fans to blow air out. Replace the HVAC filter if the system ran while the house smelled. Skunk oil fades slowly, so the faint smell may linger for days, longer when the air is damp.

Does tomato juice get rid of skunk smell?

No. Tomato juice only masks the smell for a while; it does not change the chemicals that cause it. The peroxide mixture works because it breaks them down.

VCA Animal Hospitals explains that skunk spray is an oily yellow liquid containing thiols and thioacetates. Thiols bind quickly to skin, and thioacetates turn into more thiols when they get wet, which is why the smell flares up when a sprayed dog gets wet. Dish soap breaks down the oil, while peroxide and baking soda oxidize the thiols into compounds with little odor. VCA says tomato juice “only makes a big mess” and that vinegar does not work well either.

The recipe above is the one Humane World for Animals gives: 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap, applied with gloves right after the spray, kept out of the eyes, and never mixed ahead or stored, because the mixture could burst a closed bottle.

Homemade mix or a commercial skunk remover?

Both work if used right away. The homemade mix is what most people have on hand at night; a commercial product is easier to keep in the cupboard and safer on dark coats and fabrics.

VCA notes that with the homemade mix, a faint skunk smell often comes back each time the dog gets wet over the following months, which happens less with a commercial odor neutralizer used as directed. Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife also suggests washing the dog’s body first and the head last, so the dog does not shake the mixture everywhere, and repeating two or three times if needed.

How do you get skunk smell out of the house?

Ventilate hard and wash everything washable; the smell in the air fades as the oily residue is removed and aired out.

Washington’s wildlife agency says skunk musk is oily and only slightly volatile, so it fades slowly on its own over weeks to months, and more slowly in closed, poorly ventilated spaces and porous materials. If the odor is inside or under the house, it says the area must be aired out thoroughly, with fans. If a skunk is living under a deck or porch, Humane World and WDFW both describe humane ways to encourage it to leave and to block the opening afterward.

For lingering odor on carpet and furniture after a dog has run through the house, follow our guide to removing pet odor, and for a house-wide reset, see how to remove household odors.

When should a skunk-sprayed dog see a vet?

Call the vet if the spray hit the eyes or mouth, the dog is vomiting or weak, or it was bitten or scratched by the skunk.

• VCA says spray in the eyes acts like tear gas and can damage the cornea, and that swallowing the spray may cause severe anemia.
• Skunks are one of the main carriers of rabies in North America, so any bite or scratch means calling your vet about the dog’s rabies vaccination status.
• A skunk out in daylight that staggers, circles or is unusually bold or tame may be sick; Humane World advises not to approach it and to call animal control.

Mistakes to avoid

• Hosing the dog down first, which can make the smell stronger before you treat it.
• Mixing the peroxide solution ahead of time or storing it in a capped bottle.
• Getting the mixture in the dog’s eyes or leaving it on long enough to bleach a dark coat.
• Using bleach or ammonia on a pet.
• Letting the dog run inside before it is washed, which spreads the oil to carpets and couches.
• Relying on tomato juice, which only masks the smell.