Bad start to the week!!

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

My Monday started out normal... until I hit the snooze button on the alarm.

I noticed a smell lingering about the house that morning that made it impossible to fall back to sleep... It was the tantilizing smell of SKUNK!!! The smell was on everything, consuming the whole house.

With the knowledge that we leave the doggy door open, usuing my nose and my keen home inspector sense I narrowed the smell down to one of our two dogs, the couch and the doggy cusion on the floor.

We tried going to work, placing the contaminated dog in the garage. We both had to leave earily considering I was smelling up the joint with my new cologne called Pepe La Pu! and My wife had a similar run-in at her work and decided it was best to call it an early day.

We washed the dog... 5 times, 3 of which with a solution found on the web consisting of hydrogin peroxide, dish soap and baking soda. I must say after the third wash you couldn't smell the SKUNK on him.

We then proceeded to "try" to sanitize the rest of the house, opening windows and doors, lighting candels, turning on fans, carpet fresh on the floors and fabreez on the sofa... a lot of fabreez... I even tried to light a fire... in the fireplace of course, hoping the smell of burning wood would drown out the smell of SKUNK... ha that was a joke. I had to throw away the doggy cusion and the blanket we cover the couch with at night.

The good news is this morning, 2/18 the only thing that still stinks is the one side of the couch.

Needless to say we now leave the doggy door shut at night!

[Jay Markanich]

The dog didn't have a run in outside and brought it with him?

I have understood that water causes the skunk chemical to augment itself and smell worse.  Didn't know about the hydrogen peroxide - didn't that bleach his hair?  I used to use that as a kid to bleach my hair blond in the summer!

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Huh... I didn't know it would bleach hair.

Ya, they get the run outdise at night and the way it smelled I thought for sure the skunk was in the house.

No color change, the mixture was 1qt. Hydrogen Peroxide, 1 tbl spoon of dish soap and 1/4 cup Baking Soda... the only water we used was to rinse him off. According to the Web the oxygen in the mixture dissipated the chemicals in the "skunk spray", they said to use the mixture immediatly after mixing it, I guess waiting too long the oxygen burns off and the mix would be ussless.

The first wash we did his whole body the second and third we concentrated on the area he got sprayed.

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

I also found out that skunks love grubs... I believe I do indeed have a grub problem and to much yard and not enough funds to take care of it... I see a lot of birds in my yard, especially after a rain storm.

[Jay Markanich]

Grubs you can bring up with a rake.  They are fairly close to the surface, which is why the birds can find them.  Once they are exposed to the sun, or colder air, they will die.  The birds will find them first though.

Careful with the peroxide in the eyes and ears!

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Thats good to know, maybe I'll get one of those pull behind spiked rollers and hook it to the 'ol lawn mower... kill two grubs with one spike...ha ha... ok, it sounded funnier in my head!

[Jay Markanich]

Is that like hitting two birds with one stone?

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

It could be, but my aim isn't that good... I'm really good at running though!

[Ian Niquette]

If the need ever arises, and you are woried about bleaching the dog, try this. You can wash the dog off with tomato juice. Really works, I know from experience. Learned that trick from my grandmother when I was a kid. It will also work on you if you get sprayed.

[Rick Maday]

Two words.

Tomato Juice.

[Jay Markanich]

The guys on Myth Busters tried various techniques to remove a skunk odor that was created chemically.  They did everything from yogurt, milk, tomato juice, lemon juice, vodka, various deodorizing sprays - there were a bunch.  Nothing worked.

The one AJ used above must have come from this site: 

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=432

I don't remember them using anything like that above on Myth Busters, but it was a few years ago when I (think I remember) seeing the show.  It seems to have worked for AJ!

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

I used tomato juice already... my dad told me to try the H.P. mixture after his dog was sprayed, it worked after the first wash for him, they have a small dog. It's perfictly safe for the animals as long as you keep it away from the eyes, ears and mouth.

After we washed him there was no odor of skunk what so ever it really works good, you have to work it in and rinse. You have to use the mixture immeaditly, if you wait the oxygen burns off making the mixture useless. It didn't change his hair color either, we lathered him for a good five minutes before it was washed off.

Oh and mix it in an open container... there's no visable reactions but the amount of oxygen that is created will cause a pressure explosion if is put in a closed container.

[David Macy]

I heard yesterday it is mating season for skunks. I also heard the do not see so well.

Many years ago my Dad had one under his house and he called a trapper. Trapper missed and skunk let loose of its juice and my dads house always smelled like a skunk.

Sorry about your skunk problems. I need to keep an eye on our dog.

[Anthony J. McCloskey]

Awe man, that has to be rough living with a skunky smell all the time.

[Ian Niquette]

My solution above, tomato juice, works really well on white poodles!! Grandmas got sprayed and that thing was a light hue of pink for a few days afterwards. funniest thing to see as a young kid!!

[Jay Markanich]

I have seen kids tint poodles for certain holidays with food coloring!

[John Adrian Sopher]

I saw this one poodle on the dog whisperer, this lady dies her poodle pink.  Almost everything she owned was pink.  Almost as bad as that black and white house you talked about Jay!   lol

[Dominic Maricic]

Food dying dogs hair pink. I'm sure it was so it matched her purse!

[Jay Markanich]

Undt der shoesenfunken...

[John Adrian Sopher]

Yup! And everything else in her house!  lol