You’re enjoying an evening walk with your dog when it happens — a skunk comes out of nowhere and sprays you both. While you didn’t see that coming, everyone can now smell you and your pet from a mile away. You’ll want to wash away the stink ASAP to minimize the risk of irritation to the eyes, airways, and skin. If possible, stay outside while doing so to avoid bringing the stink indoors.
As you get cleaned up, enlist the help of a family member or friend, who may need to make a trip to the drugstore to get the supplies needed to wash away the odor. These include 3% hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dish soap. If you want to get the skunk smell out of clothing and furniture, use a heavy-duty laundry detergent or diluted bleach for non-porous objects, like plastic patio furniture.
If your pet’s been sprayed, too, get in touch with their veterinarian. While getting sprayed isn’t an emergency situation, it can damage your dog’s red blood cells, leading to anemia. Your vet will give you instructions for monitoring your pet and will tell you what symptoms to keep an eye out for over the next few days.
How to de-skunk yourself and your pet
The good news is you don’t need to take a bath in tomato juice to get rid of the skunk stink. In fact, that won’t do much more than make you smell like an appetizer. Instead, mix a quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup of baking soda, and a teaspoon of dish soap in a bucket. Apply the concoction to your skin or your pet right after mixing, keeping it out of the mouth and eyes. If using it in your hair or on your pet’s fur, let it sit for five minutes.
You may need to repeat the process a few times to really get the smell out. If you or your pet have been sprayed in the eyes or mouth, use clean, tepid water to rinse them out for about 15 minutes. If irritation persists, call your local poison control center or your doctor.
To remove the skunk smell from your yard, use a diluted bleach solution to clean hard objects and hydrogen peroxide on plants or soft materials, like fabric. While a skunk’s spray is particularly pungent, rest assured, it will fade over time, and fresh air can do a lot to help dissipate the scent. Hang your clothes and shoes out to dry, and let them air out for a few days. Once you’ve gotten rid of the smell, take steps to keep skunks out of your yard to reduce the risk of getting sprayed again.