Best skunk spray remover EVER!

If you live anywhere near the woods and have a dog, then more than likely you've smelled the stench of skunk spray on your poor dogs fur! There is nothing as hard to remove as that stinky, oily residue! Luckily, it is possible to get skunk spray out of animal fur (or your clothes) with just a few simple household ingredients!

de-skunk a dog

The first few times my dog got sprayed I tried soaps, shampoos, tomato juice....you name it and I tried it. They didn't work though. I finally found the perfect skunk spray remover and it was in my kitchen the whole time! 

It wasn't easy, it took till about the third try to get this recipe just right. Let me tell you how it went.....

Mommy, help! That black & white kitty squirted me! 

I swear that is what Talulabelle would have said to me last night if she could talk! Poor Lulu! She stunk so bad and she just didn't understand the whole thing. All she wanted to do was play with that black kitty with the white stripe on it's back. 

Instead it turned around, lifted its tail and sprayed her with the most foul smelling stuff ever. Yuck!

Skunk spray remover


Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Lulu met a skunk in the woods so I knew just what to do. I grabbed the ingredients for my 'works every time de-skunker' and chased her into the bathtub. 

15 minutes later I had a great smelling dog and had decided to spread the news about my never fail skunk odor remover. 

Here's the recipe: 

about 1/4 cup of baking soda
a squirt of Dawn dish soap (about 1 tbs)
1/2 a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

bottles of ingredients for skunk spray remover

Mix it all in a big cup and rub into the dogs fur. Make sure you massage it in real good. (wear rubber gloves or your hands will get all weird looking) You'll get a real strong smell of skunk as it starts to break down the spray. Once you notice the smell is gone, rinse the dog. 

In stubborn cases (like if she's really saturated) I've had to apply the mixture twice, but usually once is enough.

After rinsing, give the dog a quick shampoo with either people or dog shampoo. This is to remove any residue so the dog doesn't lick it off and make herself sick. That's it. Your done. 

This is not only the most effective method I've tried, but it's also the simplest and much cheaper then commercial solutions....and it works every time! Trust me...I've used it on several dogs!

dog getting a de skunk bath

You should wear rubber/nitrile gloves while using this solution on the dog. The hydrogen peroxide and baking soda cause a weird reaction on your skin and your fingers will turn white. It's not like it hurts your hands, but it's probably best to wear gloves anyway.

This skunk spray remover recipe also works on dog collars, leashes and even your clothes but it could damage the color of the material. I would suggest testing a small area first. It's not like you were going to keep wearing that shirt if the smell isn't out though...so just give it a go! lol That's what I do.

Hopefully....you'll never have to use it! I've had pretty good luck avoiding skunks by not letting the dog out for long after dark. Skunks are nocturnal so they're not normally out in the day. They tend to stick to wooded areas whenever possible, so if you're walking your dog on a leash stay closer to open areas at night. Good luck!

Fun fact: If you have a problem with cat urine smell in your house, these same ingredients will make a similar solution to Remove cat urine smell permanently! Makes perfect sense now that you think about it, doesn't it?

~L  

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16 comments:

  1. Thank you for this! Our dog has never been sprayed, but I know they come into our yard, so I'm happy to have these instructions!

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    1. You're welcome! The best part is, you probably have everything on hand already!

      ~L

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  2. I followed your post from the blog hop. So glad you posted this. Our dogs have never been sprayed but I don't doubt that one day one of our animals will be.

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  3. I needed this last month!My dog loves to chase cats- the black ones with the white stripe.:(

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    1. Those cats are the worst aren't they? lol Sounds like you'll be using this recipe a lot! Good luck!

      ~L

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  4. Whenever anyone calls the vet clinic where I work with a skunk problem, that's the recipe we give out. Very effective.

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    1. Good to know that it's 'vet approved' too! Thanks!

      ~L

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  5. Same recipe we use! Added benefit if you have a white dog... They're REALLY white when you're done. :)

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  6. Thank you so much for linking up over at The Welcoming House for Welcoming Wednesdays! Since we live in the country, this is absolutely a much needed post, and it sounds so simple! I will certainly be pointing people this way next time I hear about a skunked dog!
    Thanks so much and hope to see you again on Wednesdays--we have another link up tomorrow!
    Blessings to you
    ~Heather
    www.thewelcominghouse.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much! You'll be surprised how well it works.
      See you again next Wednesday!

      ~L

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  7. It's great that this works. Poor puppy. Thanks so much for sharing with Adorned From Above's Link Party.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above

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  8. That's a great recipe! We don't have skunks in the UK, but foxes leave some nasty smelling stuff that seems irresistible to our dog!! I'll try to remember the ingredients, unless you'd be kind enough to email it to me so that I can pass it on to my daughter - whose canine the offending animal is! Great to meet you!

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    1. I would expect it to work on fox smell too. The dawn breaks down the oils and the other items help to whisk it away from the fur. Give it a try....let me know how it works!

      ~L

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  9. Got to watch out for those black and white kitties don't you? And thanks for the recipe. Visiting from Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party.

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  10. Exactly! They are nothing but trouble!

    ~L

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