When skunks get into your house their odor can be quite overwhelming. Removing the unbearable smell becomes a priority, so we put together the top ten ways you can remove the smell of skunk from the house and a few tips on how you can prevent future encounters with them. Do you need wildlife removal services? Request a quote today! Skunks don’t only leash a torrent of terrible odors when they feel threatened, but they can carry diseases which can be transmitted to humans and pets too. Before you start reading the tips below, you can also first check out or video where we answer the question regarding removing skunk odor from your home: Let’s get to the top 10 ways to remove the smell of skunks from your home.

Determine Exactly Where the Skunk Odor is Coming From

Your first step should be to find the source of the odor. This can be a tough job because skunk odors easily spread from area to area of your home and can easily attach to your furniture as well. One way of finding out where the odor is coming from is by trying to determine where the smell is the strongest. When you eventually find this area, take all the steps to clean it up and move on from there to the other areas. Don’t despair; it will definitely feel like a long and daunting job, but this is the only way to ensure the odor won’t spread and you’ll be able to narrow down each affected area one by one. Remember, if your pets have been sprayed by a skunk, almost everything they come in contact with will pick up the odor as well.

If Affected, Take your Pets Outside

If you’ve determined your pet has been sprayed, you need to put your pet outside until it can be washed. You want to wash him or her as soon as possible and not let them into the home until the odors are completely gone. It’s better to wash skunk odor off your dog or cat outside because you don’t have to worry about the smell spreading anywhere else in the home and you can get your pet as wet and soapy as it needs to be. Removing the smell of a skunk off your pets isn’t an easy job and usually takes at least a few hours.

 

Wash Any Clothes that Have Been Sprayed

There are so many variables to this situation so the long story short is, if your clothes smell like skunk, chances are you’ve come in contact with it somewhere in your home or by your pet. If this is the case, you’re definitely going to be aware of this so you must get your clothes into the wash as soon as possible. That means not leaving them on a pile on the floor or in your laundry basket for later. Here’s a surefire way to get the smell of skunk out off your clothes, but remember to take the advice of the author strongly – do not mix your washing solution with bleach as the combination of bleach and ammonia will produce a toxic odor that can kill you.

Wash any Upholstery and Carpets Affected by the Smell

By using the same solution found above to wash your clothes from the smell of skunk, you also need to determine which sections of your carpet and upholstery have been affected by the smell as well and then wash them. In the same way that a skunk’s spray can be spread from your pets, so can the smell spread from your carpets and furniture to another part of your home too, and even onto you or your pets. The simple way of determining if the odor is on your carpets and/or upholstery is by getting up-close and personal with them; smell every section of all your furniture (even furniture made of wood) and as for your carpets, check along high traffic areas and areas where your pets tend to take naps in.

Wash Regular Pet Stations in your Home

This is an obvious point and briefly mentioned above, but the importance of washing pet stations cannot be stressed enough. The majority of the problems with skunk odors lies in the engagement a pet has had with one. If you don’t rid the main areas of your home where pets frequent of the smell, you’re in danger of allowing the odor to spread rapidly. The above tips, from tip #1 to tip #6 can generally be followed in any order but should take place before following the next steps which involve removing any last lingering particles from the air or may which still may be attached to areas of your home, clothes or furniture.

Make Sure the Windows are Open

Now that you’ve finally removed the smell of the skunk from your furniture, clothes, carpets, pets stations, pets and yourself, you need to perform the following tips which will get the last remnants of the odor out of your home once and for all. Tip #6 is to make sure to keep your windows open as much as you can. If it’s the summer then you’re in luck but if you prefer air conditioning you have to weigh out your options as to which you can handle more – the lingering smell or the heat. If it’s winter, it’s going to be difficult keeping windows and doors open but you can do so for short periods of time. Also, if you have a garage, you can keep the interior door to the garage open which will still slightly circulate the fresh air from the outside to the inside of your home. Just remember to keep the outside garage door closed so you don’t freeze. Keeping the windows and doors open as much as possible will bring in the fresh air and continue recycling the last stubborn particles from the skunk spray out of your house.

Turn on Any Area and Ceiling Fans in the Home

Along with circulating the air in your home with the fresh outside wind, you’ll want to keep your ceiling and base fans on as well as they obviously contribute to recycling fresh air in and out of your home. Don’t be afraid to turn on your bathroom vent fans too as they’ll contribute to removing the skunk odor during this process as well.

Buy New Air Filters for Heating and Air Conditioning Units

Depending on the severity of the “odor damage” that was done to your home, it would be wise to purchase new filters for your heating and air conditioning units. If you can’t afford new filters at that moment or if there are no open stores that sell them, you can follow these tips on removing the smell from your heating and air conditioner which show you exactly how it can be done effectively with household cleansers. Take note that sometimes the skunk smell can get so strong and potent that the whole unit may have to be removed to the outside for a thorough cleaning.

Regularly Spray Air Deodorizers Until the Odor has Completely Subsided

Try to use an environmentally friendly air deodorizer on a regular basis until the odor in the air has subsided. Most air deodorizers on the market today will actually destroy these lingering odors rather than simply cover them up. Although the smell of skunk spray is too strong and pungent for today’s consumer brands of air deodorizers to get rid of on their own, using them in conjunction with the other means of getting rid of the smell will still be effective. By the time your carpets and upholstery have been washed, an air deodorizer will do the rest to ensure the air smells nice and kills whatever skunk odors are left behind.

Place Bowls of Vinegar in the Most Affected Areas

This not an old wives tale; it actually works. Vinegar can be used through two methods. One method is to use it when cleaning your carpets, clothes and other upholstery and the other method is by placing a mixture of vinegar and water into bowls and placing these bowls in the areas affected of your home. At first, the smell may seem overwhelming but it will dissipate (or you’ll get used to it) and while it the air is circulating through your home, it will carry remnants of the skunk smell particles with it. Vinegar decently absorbs the smell of a skunk and is not toxic so you can use it as much as you feel is necessary.

Bonus Tip

If you’ve encountered the odor of a skunk in and around your home, you may need to hire a professional company to do skunk removal for you because there’s a chance the skunk is living in your attic or crawl spaces below your home. Skunks don’t climb so unless there’s easy access to your attic, it’s probably down low under a porch, shed or the deck. It could also have just been passing by, and one of your pets had become a target. If that’s the case, in the future your best bet is to ensure your pets are safe from wild animals like skunks and to keep them on a leash when walking them. In Ontario, it is mandatory that you keep your pets on a leash while walking them and one of the reasons this law exists is because of the problems that may arise when our pets engage with wildlife. If you let your pets out in the backyard, you need to ensure it’s completely secured and that there are no small openings skunks or their babies can get through. That kind of prevention will help prevent your pets from getting sprayed and thus reduce the risk of bringing any odors into the house.