Getting rid of the odor becomes a pressing problem when your dog or cat tangles with one of God's stinky creatures. Certain products work while others don't. Bathing your pet in tomato juice only seems to help. When you are exposed to skunk musk for awhile, you experience olfactory fatigue or overload, and the intensity of the odor seems less. When you bathe the animal in tomato juice, you readily smell the tomato juice over the skunk odor. Another person, new to the stinky dog or cat, will easily detect the skunk odor over the tomato juice.
To effectively neutralize skunk spray odor, the chemicals in the secretions must be changed to a different kind of molecule. To accomplish this, bathe the pet in a mixture of 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent. Rinse in five minutes and repeat process if needed. (Use the solution immediately upon mixing and do not store for later; this mixture may bleach the pet's hair). Bathe the pet outside to prevent contaminating your house.
If you get skunk secretions on your clothing, wash them with 1 cup of liquid laundry bleach per gallon of water (you will risk bleaching the color from the garments).
For the envionrment--decks, uphostery, carpeting, etc.--consider using Anti-Icky-Poo. Anti-Icky-Poo works because its bacterial cultures break down the skunk musk protein molecules. It can also be used on clothing; however, avoid spraying directly on your pet. To find all sources of skunk contamination, consider using the Stink-Finder Black Light.
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