Asking mltshp for ideas
Oh no. I have no advice, just sympathy.
well that stinks!
I've been through this. You want an ozone machine! You can buy or rent one (it might be cheaper to buy). You can't be in the house at the same time, though. It really does work, but follow the directions (you don't need to crank it up or go nuclear with the amount/time - 30-60 minutes should be enough depending on the space, or else it will react with any plastics in your house) and wait a few hours once it's done; then air your house with fans and open windows.
The other part is that skunk spray is slightly oily, so wash everything that's washable with the common combo of 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, and 2 tsp Dawn dishsoap (the "blue" stuff). (It works a treat on dogs, too.) Floor, walls, etc. Do NOT wet anything first.
If you can't do the ozone machine, try everything that can soak up smell: bowls of warm water & vinegar; baking soda; charcoal; coffee grounds, kitty litter, etc. Costco has giant bags of baking soda - they're 13.5 lbs - for pretty cheap, which you can spread around on carpets and other things you're wary of getting moisture on.
For your clothes, try washing with a vinegar rinse.
Be warned: even if most things work, for a few months afterward, if it gets above a certain humidity the smell will come back faintly, but it's an odor you can live with.
I've heard that a chlorine dioxide kit can work too, but I've no experience with that.
The other part is that skunk spray is slightly oily, so wash everything that's washable with the common combo of 1/4 cup baking soda, 1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, and 2 tsp Dawn dishsoap (the "blue" stuff). (It works a treat on dogs, too.) Floor, walls, etc. Do NOT wet anything first.
If you can't do the ozone machine, try everything that can soak up smell: bowls of warm water & vinegar; baking soda; charcoal; coffee grounds, kitty litter, etc. Costco has giant bags of baking soda - they're 13.5 lbs - for pretty cheap, which you can spread around on carpets and other things you're wary of getting moisture on.
For your clothes, try washing with a vinegar rinse.
Be warned: even if most things work, for a few months afterward, if it gets above a certain humidity the smell will come back faintly, but it's an odor you can live with.
I've heard that a chlorine dioxide kit can work too, but I've no experience with that.
"Sorry, Dog. You're now an outside dog!"
Oh, but some advice...NO IDEA if it works on skunk but I guess you can rent Ozone machines to "de-stink" rooms. Stick in in a room, close the door, let it run. Maybe a drastic move but seems to work on a variety of bad smells.
@williwaw WOW! I appreciate your answers immeasurably. I really don't know what to do. It's not something anyone has to think about until it actually happens, and for you to have gone through it- your advice is invaluable. ...and made me feel better and less alone in the matter :)
We just bought the ozone machine this morning. Your notice that I "don't go nuclear" is unbelievably good news in the midst of this skunky shit show. We were wondering if we were going to have to live somewhere else for a couple of days while it was running.
The worst part has been that we can't shut off the A/C for too long because it's about 100°F here, but it's just moving the smell around that much more. I'm hoping to just leave the A/C on with the Ozone machine running to make sure we hit everything in the duct work too.
The house is big for this nightmare. We've got filled with kids and dogs and just 'stuff. This is obviously going to take a while to do. We've been wiping down walls and surfaces with vinegar/water but your step-by-step of what to look out for and try for everything is really so much more helpful than anything I've found. Its letting me breathe a bit easier already. THANK YOU!
We just bought the ozone machine this morning. Your notice that I "don't go nuclear" is unbelievably good news in the midst of this skunky shit show. We were wondering if we were going to have to live somewhere else for a couple of days while it was running.
The worst part has been that we can't shut off the A/C for too long because it's about 100°F here, but it's just moving the smell around that much more. I'm hoping to just leave the A/C on with the Ozone machine running to make sure we hit everything in the duct work too.
The house is big for this nightmare. We've got filled with kids and dogs and just 'stuff. This is obviously going to take a while to do. We've been wiping down walls and surfaces with vinegar/water but your step-by-step of what to look out for and try for everything is really so much more helpful than anything I've found. Its letting me breathe a bit easier already. THANK YOU!
Williwaw 's baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, Dawn dish soap recipe works very, very well. We just used it on our puppy around two months ago after a "direct hit".
Yeah, you got this! It's not the *total* nightmare it might seem to be. And the ozone machine is great. Not only have I used it in similar circumstances but I've also had it work great in a barn that a skunk family burrowed under. (I used to work in a hotel and if someone smoked in a non-smoking room it always got the smell out - which also soaks into everything, including paint - in just 20-30 minutes.) *If* it doesn't work really great first go around- since you seem to have a big house - you might have to section off rooms or areas that you can "seal" off instead of getting the whole place at once. Definitely try it first before you wash everything to save yourself. If the ozone machine works really well the things afterward most likely needing washed or spread with baking soda are only things that the dogs touched directly just because of that oiliness in the spray. (Carpets might need a steamer at the end of the day, but it depends.) When this happened to me the only thing I had to throw out was the mat right in front of the door.
Also keep smelling the dogs - they might need a 2nd or even 3rd wash.
Please keep us updated! You have my huge sympathathies.
Also keep smelling the dogs - they might need a 2nd or even 3rd wash.
Please keep us updated! You have my huge sympathathies.
Oh I forgot - if you haven't already, check to make sure the outside of the house didn't get sprayed (like steps, door, patio, cars, etc.) and give those things a wash too or sprinkle with baking soda - dogs just looooooove to roll/rub in it and bring it right back inside! It's a decent project if you're looking for something to do while you wait to get back in your house with the ozone machine.
First up, I'd ask the skunk to leave the house. Politely, of course!
Heaven knows you don't want to upset it.
Next, you'll need a can of petrol and a box of matches...
srsly, good luck!
Heaven knows you don't want to upset it.
Next, you'll need a can of petrol and a box of matches...
srsly, good luck!
Man, I'm glad someone had some quality advice because I was unironically going to suggest you reach out to one of those companies who clean up crime scenes.
https://noai.duckduckgo.com/...
caveat: Does not protect you from websites that recycled their page URLs with AI-generated content. But that shouldn't happen too often.